Building a Movement of Caring through Movement.

I celebrate the Beauty of our planet and bring an ethos of caring through mindfulness and compassion.

My Approach

Seónagh Kummer, Ph.D., RSMT

The link between stress and burnout is prominent in society. Many of us turn inward to find deeper meaning amidst the inhumanity of war and global crises. Most people learn to habitually suffer from and internalize stress with a fight or flight response, but there is a way out—and it begins through skillful movement inquiry. Our bodies already know and remember the importance of attuning to the earth’s deeper rhythms.

The skills of attunement and mindfully regulating the nervous system are important both individually and in community. These skills are taught, an awareness of the dancer and somatic therapist who is trained in embodied anatomy, developmental movement, fascia, fluid systems, dance practices, breathwork and other methods are used for self-awareness and release of muscular tension. My method of attunement and self-regulation is also aided by my rootedness in culture, and practices of cultural awareness and interpersonal communication.

I was lucky to have a long tenure teaching dance at universities in New York, Philadelphia, Hawaii and then Los Angeles. In LA I taught the art of dance–a personal expression of culture, identity, history, and a means of communication–for 12 years until 2020. I loved my students in LA, many of whom were both powerful artists and first and second generation immigrants. I value my ongoing relationships with the students, colleagues, and artists, but I preferred to be independent of the university system and my mother’s needs also demanded that I spend time in the Northwest. I trained in somatic therapeutic practices for several years while making this transition, and now offer workshops on Salt Spring Island and internationally.

I can share how a lens of research and experience guides my dance and therapeutic practices. My primary language is dance somatics, but alongside this I spent years conducting specialised research interviews and activism for indigenous self-determination. I lived among both African and North American indigenous cultures, and learned the skills of releasing trauma and regulating my nervous system in ceremony with elders. Now a person who lives on unceded Hul’q’umi’num and SENCOTEN speaking territories in North America, I embrace concepts of unlearning racism and other habitual or unconscious holding patterns. Decolonisation is a lifelong journey that is vital for living fully in our bodies and community building. We need to be able to articulate this work for community resilience and for a feeling safety in all our relationships. What is perhaps most touching about studying my own ancestral culture, or doing research in Kenya (Luo) dance or Bayangi ceremony,  is how central movement and music are to communal practices. All of this understanding is woven into my work as a dance educator, therapist and activist.

Community building and collaboration is at the heart of how we will all move forward in our global and local communities, and dance brings people together. When we gather to practice movement mindfully, we can embody the future we want to hold. Movement practices are a valuable portal for personal spiritual and community growth. My work is about building a movement with movement. I develop a community that grows and thrives together through collaboration and mentorship. I organize mindful movement classes, both in-person and online. These classes integrate a somatic awareness of fascia, organs, bones, fluids, and the nervous system, so that as we limber up and pivot, we learn how to intentionally move with different qualities. This can change our nervous system responses, aiding feelings of peace.  The practice of dancing online with a global community helps us cultivate the courage to share our authentic selves and we support each other in work toward the grater good. We learn both what we stand for and how to express it in our own way.

As a dance movement therapist I offer individual sessions, mentorship bundles and group classes. I specialize in the intersection between embodied ecology and developmental movement, using these along with other somatic tools  like authentic movement and fascia work to help people toward greater authenticity and to feel empowered in their bodies. I may work through guided movement exercises or use therapeutic touch may to help a client release negative energies that become rooted in the body. In this way, clients move away from tightness, shallow breathing, restriction of motion, or the feelings of being lost, numb and disassociated. It then becomes possible to reset physical/emotional holding patterns and individuals can feel more resourced in handling stress.

Movement is important to our organic development because it is through movement that we identify ourselves as human beings. Various movement patterns are built into our anatomy that are important for creating neural pathways, and our brains develop through play and interaction. But a number of things might affect how we develop as children and interfere with how neurons are enabled to be vitalized and register. As children we might not have had helpful adult interaction and guidance, we may not have had agency when playing, or we might have needed to be perfect instead of being allowed to explore a new skill. Trauma, oppression, neglect or something that happens later in life can contribute to blockage in our system.  Our bodies carry somatic histories, and through direct observation and skilled movement analysis I can help individuals in a non-shame non-blame way to discover where an energy or skill was blocked and show them how it can be re-patterned.