Alfred University dance professor Colleen Wahl explores the intelligence available through sensation, movement, and the lived experience of the body in new book Embodied Knowing: Somatic Wisdom in Motion, published by Satiama Publishing.
Embodied Knowing combines personal stories, movement explorations, reflection, and practical guidance to help readers become more attentive to the ways their bodies participate in how they perceive, respond to, and make meaning of their lives.
At the heart of the book is Wahl’s Embodied Knowing Model, a practical framework for exploring the relationships between body, mind, and spirit. Rather than treating the body simply as something to exercise, manage, or observe, Wahl encourages readers to experience movement from within and discover what their own physical experience can reveal.
“We move our bodies all day long, but less common is deeply attending to our movement from inside,” Wahl says. “When I wrote this book, I hoped it would help others make meaning of their own embodied lives, and I hope my writing will model that process. Satiama Publishing made this dream true.”
Throughout the book, Wahl draws upon decades of experience in somatic movement education, dance, fitness, yoga, boxing, and teaching, as well as experiences from her own life. Each chapter offers reflection questions and “For You” prompts that invite readers to explore bodily experience, mental reflection, and spiritual contemplation for themselves.
The book also includes a series of QR codes providing a link to videos provided by the author to see and experience movements she also describes in writing. The result is not simply a book about movement, but an invitation to become more conscious of a form of knowledge that is always present.
Colleen Wahl is an internationally recognized somatic movement educator, author, and dance artist. She serves as Director of Integrated Movement Studies, an organization offering graduate certification programs in Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analysis. Through this role, she also serves on the Leadership Council of ISMETA, the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association.
Wahl is the author of two editions of Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies: Contemporary Applications and co-host of the podcast Embodied People. She is an Associate Professor of Dance at Alfred University, where she serves as Dance Department Co-Coordinator.
Early in her career, Wahl founded Move Into Greatness, a movement education and fitness business. She continues to maintain an active private somatic practice, offering individual sessions, workshops, and retreats grounded in the Embodied Knowing Model. She also teaches yoga and boxing.
She is recognized as a master somatic educator through ISMETA and is a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She holds an MFA in dance from SUNY Brockport, an MS in liberal studies from SUNY Empire State College, and a BS in Dance and Arts Education from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Embodied Knowing: Somatic Wisdom in Motion is now available in paperback and ebook through Amazon.com and SatiamaPublishing.com Wholesale ordering is available through Faire.
