4 years have passed since you stepped into the light.

The waves of grief no longer carry the weight of a Tsunami,
Sometimes it’s still stormy and sobering
Sometimes it’s a gentle reminder of ebb and flow, of change, of being alive.

4 years can feel like 40 years, or 4 months, or 4 days, or 4 seconds
Somedays I still feel the warmth of your embrace, the tickle of your laughter, the purity of your love
Somedays I still feel your pain, your longings, your strife and your despair, of not being heard, witnessed, understood.

4 years since you closed your eyes and we closed the door
4 years of trying to make sense of who was the one bidding farewell
4 years of walking amidst the shadows of my monsters, of not being able to say I love you once more.

4 years but the time has never been gone
Your hand is always holding mine
As you gently whisper…

Let there be no darkness in your heart.

#griefandexpansion

The post Dear Papa appeared first on Somatic Therapy Asia.

At certain points in our lives, we are bound to experience some form of pain. Chronic pain can become too familiar, and it is easy to fall into the trap of identifying with the state itself – we may even begin to despise the pain, and play the victim.

I share a little on the ability to shift perspectives when we create a relationship with pain. A relationship in which we get curious about our pain, viewing it as a supportive messenger towards greater well-being.

To watch the full conversation, head over to https://youtu.be/id-nm-jN5MA

pain #relationshipwithpain #painasamessenger #curiosity #podcast #journey #stories #experience #nervousystem #polyvagaltheory #homeostasis #mindbody #yogawithdaphne #somatictherapy #somatictherapyasia #somaticswithdaphne #somaticyoga #somaticssg #somaticssingapore #yogasg #sgyogis #resilience #yogatherapist #yogatherapy #neuroplasticity #nervoussystemreset #sgbodywork #somaticbodywork #somatictherapytraining

The post Conversation with Breaking The Spell – Snippet 4 appeared first on Somatic Therapy Asia.

I force my lungs into space
Push into verticality from gravity
Search the upswell for a reason
to try again

Today
Another day like yesterday
Start over again
So tomorrow will be better

Put on my gear
Put on my smile
Put on my gig
For time is commodity in the roulette called Life

Lingering there in the shadows
Heavy, looming darkness
Taunting, mocking
Spinning tales

Of un-belonging
Of never being whole
Of never being met
Of being just too much

Darkness says
I’ve been in your dreams
I’ve been in your wake
Time and again you’ve looked away

Now I’m in your head
Now I’m under your skin
Now I’m screaming in your ears
Now let’s see you plead!

In the deafening silence of suffering
The graveyard of hearts, wings clipped
Drenched in the dense cold liquid of fear
Shackled by the rusted chains of wants

Undress your armour of pretend courage
Untether from your longings and heartaches
Put out the fire of your rage
Let it go let it go let it all go!

Let’s plunge … Into the darkness of metamorphosis
A realm dense with void
A playground of pain to revel in
Till there’s no more …

Oh, the relief, the catharsis!
Of never having to care again
Of never having to try to do better
Of never having to seek an-other

But there…in the distance
A glint of an ember
An echo of reason
In the balm of being
​
Through the dark cold swamp of shadows
I got down on my knees
And offered my mangled heart for keeps
For Love still deserves a place by the light

This post was previously posted on Yogawithdaphne.com on October 30th 2021.

The post Unbeatable (a mental health piece) appeared first on Somatic Therapy Asia.

Found this old video from the archives.

A little exploration of pelvic balance for back pain.

In the video, I also speak about the importance of something very fundamental – how we sit.
How are your sitting bones landing on the chair when you take a seat? Or are you loading on your tailbone instead?

When our body is supported by our sitting bones rather than our tailbone, we free up the spine from overloading and slumping into our lower back (and pushes our head forward) which can result in back pain. It also allows for a sense of differentiation between our pelvis and leg bones, allowing our weight to be released into gravity for greater ease and range of motion.

As we move through our day, we can also begin to notice the position of our pelvis. Do we tend to tuck our pelvis under (fatigue / withdrawal) or push our hips forward (rushed / fight or flight)? Are your knees locked or hyperextended? Adjusting all of these little nuances can too alleviate back tension and discomfort.

I hope you enjoy this little practice.
​
Props Needed:

• 1 Yoga Strap
• 1 Yoga Block

This post was previously posted on Yogawithdaphne.com on October 1st 2021.

The post Exploring Pelvic Balance for Back Pain appeared first on Somatic Therapy Asia.

Live chat with @tonyvuhuynh in which we delve into how and where yoga has led us, our pain journey and our authenticity, as well as our perspectives on guiding people on the healing journey.

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

John E. Sarno is the author referred to in this video with his book Healing Back Pain.

Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen is the founder of Body Mind Centering.

​The quote referred in this video – “The mind is like the wind and the body like the sand; if you want to know how the wind is blowing, you can look at the sand.”

This post was previously posted on Yogawithdaphne.com on July 28th 2021.

The post Somatics meets Ashtanga! appeared first on Somatic Therapy Asia.

The post A Simple Liver Flush appeared first on Somatic Therapy Asia.

Many people come to me to “fix” their pain.

But I often lay my cards bare that I’m not a “fixer”.

Nor am I a “healer” who’s going to make everything bad go away.

Our body / brain holds a treasure trove of information for us to access.

Our nervous system has been conditioned to always scan for danger.

Pain can make us feel our world feel contracted, stuck.

Pain can often consume us, and make us feel alone.

Quick fixes are tempting but they are often not sustainable.

In the somatic work I do, and in my own pain journey, I learn that there is a way to move out of pain into healing.

When we are able to perceive change, we know that pain, like everything else in life, is always morphing and changing.

When we can hone our sensory awareness to allow room for nuances, our brain can reorganise and relearn and build new pathways.

We are dynamic organisms constantly interacting and relating to both our inner and outer environment, and integral part in the web of life.

Our cellular intelligence recognises this.

When we make room for change to be perceived, healing can happen.

This post was previously posted on Yogawithdaphne.com on January 18th 2021.

The post A Short Piece On Pain appeared first on Somatic Therapy Asia.

For a year I tried to learn how to grieve from afar.
Away from family and friends, removed from the sights and smells of the memories we once shared.
I realised my body needed to feel the loss.
Not just in my head, but to physically, viscerally, mourn his absence.

When I made the decision to move back to Singapore, I had to battle with another loss –
Leaving behind the person that I was going to share the rest of my life with.
Someone whom I thought was everything I could ever asked for.

And now another year has gone.
2020 felt like a year of resets on steroids.
Heartbroken. Letting go and letting in. Belief systems crushed. Hopes dashed. Fears transformed. The impossible made possible.

My father taught me to keep things simple, to always look for the silver linings, to move pain into joy, suffering into compassion, fear into hope.

So today I light another candle.
For you, dear Papa.

In this flame we journey together,
into a space
where it’s timeless and boundless.

~~~

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity
It asked a crumb – of me
​
~ Emily Dickinson

This post was previously posted on Yogawithdaphne.com on December 29th 2020.

The post Another year… appeared first on Somatic Therapy Asia.

I was all nerves but it was one hour of full presence, connecting mind to mind, body to body, soul to soul.

The rest is history.

As I delve deeper into how we embody the human condition and each of our own journey into healing, I found the field of Somatics as the relational roadmap to understand why we are how we are – as individual organism, and as collective communities.

I have worked with thousands of individuals since then, from age 0 to age 90+.
I work with people who suffer from chronic pain and help post-stroke patients reconnect their body with their brain.
I assist stressed-out execs in carving out space for quality rest in their busy schedule to get out of their heads and into their bodies.
I help people hone their sensory awareness, to honour the stories written in our body, to reclaim our inherent wholeness.
I teach people how to FEEL again.
(This was way before phrases like Embodiment, Somatics, and Trauma became trendy jargon)

So if you’re on this journey too, or have a sense of curiosity or interest in uncovering how our brain is our body, and how to develop your own roadmap to healing self and others, or if you work privately with clients in the realm of the body and mind, I invite you to join me in this upcoming training.
​
(Only 1 spot left)

This post was previously posted on Yogawithdaphne.com on November 2nd 2020.

The post Journeying into Somatics appeared first on Somatic Therapy Asia.