Walking Towards Inner Peace

Where does it come from?

My Roots

I was born in Argentina and my first contact with the body was at the age of three, when my mother took me to my first dance class. The body has always been my world.

During the 90’s , I was a professional dancer, and often travel to New York to study and know new ways to move.There, I discovered a new way of moving, of organizing the body, of letting go of any aggressive action when dancing, by approaching the body with sensitivity and a sense of listening. I was immersed in the new dance revolution of the 1990s, initiated by Mabel Todd (1880-1956) who developed a line of study based on a conscious and relaxed will to create and refine neuromuscular coordination to help her students use the body more efficiently, more sensitive.
These somatic encounters exerted an enormous influence on my life, leading to a new understanding of the importance of the quality of attention in movement. A path that addresses the body-consciousness as a whole. 

At the same time, while yoga entered my life, I became fascinated, practiced a lot, studying throughout all these years Ashtanga Yoga, Vini Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Dynamic Yoga. As a professional dancer, choreographer, educator and movement therapist, I observed my body experiencing sadness and joy, and my constant question, was how to be in balance in this dance of opposites that oriented my life. 

In 2014 I needed to pause and be quiet, be still with all the information to have time to integrate all the knowledge I received from my teachers. I spent 4 years practicing in silence at home, alone, where I was reintegrating many of those codes of body awareness in the dynamics of movement and exploration of stillness.This somatic approach in yoga has integrated Osseus, a method I’ve developed, and has been my journey in the last years. This path is being made together with my students, learning from their bodies and experiences and giving back to life, integrating Hatha Yoga, Vipassana Meditation and Somatic Education Techniques. 

What is Somatic approach to Yoga? 

Somatic Awareness 
A practice based on somatic education that allows to recover the structural and functional integrity of the body in an organic way, approaching the movement from the inside out. To walk the path of self-inquiry and understanding of our nature with sensitivity means to integrate somatic awareness into any practice of Hatha Yoga.A process of somatic re-education that approaches the body in full attention through Asanas and Pranayama, allowing each person to respect their own rhythm.In the mat, we explore the deep muscles that support the vertebral column, which will allow us to organize and stabilize our joint spaces. Along the way we discover a new structural and functional organisation that allows to free our breathing and to find the inner balance that is essential to release emotional tension.

Integration
The somatic approach recognises that the outcome of each intervention is determined by the current state of consciousness of the whole person and the context in which they live.Integration is achieved by addressing the structure and function of the whole body in mindfulness, helping the person to find higher levels of performance and body well-being. Their mind is present to their possibilities and limitations by recognizing sensations in each moment.

Adaptability and organisation 
A person can only stay organised to the extent that they are able to adapt to their current environment, as well as to their ever-changing personal possibilities.
Osseus is a method that show how we can use gravity to our advantage by understanding functional mobility.

Basis and balance
Movement has to be supported from the base of the body by structural integration,  which is a path of muscular balance between the body parts. When each part of the body receives sufficient muscular support to cope with, the constant pressure of gravity is where we found functional ease.

Practising with sensitivity and honesty allowed me to embrace who I am, to gradually accept everything that came my way, day by day. To be patient and equanimous to face the inevitable challenges of life. 

“Every path must be undertaken progressively and with prudence”

Krishnamacharya

Liliana Nuño

Read Liliana’s biography, see her class schedules and workshops here. In the next weeks, Liliana is guiding two Somatic Awareness workshops. See workshop schedule here.