Today we’d like to introduce you to Sondra Fraleigh.
Hi Sondra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a dancer, writer, yoga teacher, and retired university professor. I founded Eastwest Somatics Institute for Dance, Yoga, and Somatic Therapies in 1990. Now we have a faculty of nine who teach our work in the USA, Japan, and Mexico. We are based in the amazing color country of St. George Utah, and often take students to dance in nearby Snow Canyon. We certify graduates who register with ISMETA, the International Somatic Movement and Therapy Association. Our graduates also qualify as Registered Yoga Teachers with Yoga Alliance, RYT 200 and RYT 500.
Our practices include Sondra Fraleigh’s unique “Land to Water Yoga,” based on infant movement development. This yoga is presented in her book, “Land to Water Yoga,” initially published in 2008, and recently republished in its 2nd edition. Sondra is a prolific author of books on philosophy of dance, somatics topics, and the healing power of movement. All of her books are available on Amazon. “Moving Consciously” is her book on somatic transformation through movement and touch.
At the age of 86, Sondra continues to manage her institute, along with others who will continue her work in the future. Sondra still teaches the methods she has developed in Depth Movement Dance, Somatic Yoga, and Restorative Touch..
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a fascinating journey that has taken me on 11 trips to Japan to study Butoh, a form of dance that developed after WWII, an extended stay in India to choreograph at the University of Baroda, two trips to New Zeland to teach there, and far flug travels in the USA as my international teaching developed.
This has taken energy and commitment, but has also been my joy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My Eastwest Institute is a business, but it is sustained by a love of dance and movement as practiced through somatic methods. So what is somatics? Soma refers to the body. Somatics is how we feel, how we move, and how we do. In its methods, somatics is both educational and therapeutic. People study with us for personal development and professional purposes. Our methods often appeal to dancers who want to extend their work to a broader public. But somatics is for everyone, as we prove with out teaching of yoga from the ease of somatic practice. I taught a group of seniors in St. George, Utah for 14 years. I was the oldest in the group. I discovered how much I enjoyed teaching older adults. They have incorporated the capacity to pay attention and to try now things, even as it might be difficult at first. They inspired me to be my own best teacher and theirs. I have taught all age groups by now, and enjoy them all, as we work with what they “can do” not what they “can’t do.” Can-do guides our Eastwest Somatics work with movement.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I leave that to them. Eastwest Somatics Institute: www.eastwestsomatics.com is a large website explaining our work. Ideas for us are welcome.
Pricing:
- Prices for our workshops are shown on our website. A good way to become acquainted with us is on our Virtual Studio, which can be found on our website.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eastwestsomatics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastwestsomatics/
