Erin Lingo - Somatics, Coaching, Yoga

What is somatics anyway? It's such a buzzword – it's out there in IG-ready offers to solve all your problems through gentle exercise and vague descriptions of mindfulness.

I grappled with my own definition for a while, but this is it:

Somatics is a body-based mindfulness practice that cultivates resilience and choice. It's a practice that connects us with our full humanity, and has implications for our own lives, those around us, and our communities. It's transformative and liberatory.

Somatic exercise won't solve all your problems, but it's a great practice in releasing stress, even working through trauma on a body level, and building self-awareness. But it's when we take that self-awareness into our decisions, our communication, our reactions and habitual patterns, and start to practice something new, that we start to see how much choice we actually have.

I'm excited to announce a new yoga class in partnership with in Church Hill! Sunrise Flow is an accessible, all-levels class that incorporates movement and breathwork to energize the body, clear the mind, and help you start your day with intention. This class is a "yin-vin" style, beginning with savasana (resting pose) and some longer holds to increase range of motion and stimulate energy flow, then building the pace into an active flow before culminating in a short meditation. No prior experience is necessary, and all bodies are welcome!

Class is at the expanded Robinson space @2900 Q St - across the street from Robinson Theater main space - Friday mornings 7:30-8:30am.

Sign up on my website (link in bio)!

Yoga from the community - for the community.

Somatics is a body-based mindfulness practice that cultivates self-reflection, capacity to choose, and intuition. We combine this with an accessible yoga practice, journaling, and community sharing to help you start your weekend off with intention and compassion. Please join us! Register with the Innerwork Center (link in bio).

Last week was the final week of the spring session of group somatic coaching, which has met as a cohort for the past seven months to learn together, share challenges and successes, and celebrate each other. It's really such an honor to facilitate this journey, and it had me reflecting on endings, transitions, and the liminal space between two states of being.

Why are transitions so hard? Imagine this: you are holding onto something that requires both hands – it's heavy, solid, and has served you well, but you're ready for something new. In fact, you can see something else you want to pick up, right in front of you! But, you realize you need to set down the current thing first. Even though you've been carrying it for some time now, and you know it's served its purpose and you're ready for something new, it's actually quite familiar and you realize it's a little scary to think about putting it down. In order to take this brave step forward, the new thing you want to hold has to become more important to you, to justify the change. You take a deep breath, put it down, and the momentary weightlessness of not carrying anything almost knocks you off balance. It's easy in this moment to revert back to old ways of thinking, old patterns, pick up old objects.

So how do you support yourself? Let me know in the comments! And check out my latest newsletter for more thoughts on transitions, a supportive centering practice, and where to find me – link in bio!

Curious about somatics? Join me on the mat for an exploration of mindful movement, self-reflection, and community building - with some familiar yoga poses, intuitive and expressive movement, journaling, and optional sharing.

This exploration of somatics and yoga has become a highlight of my month - hope you check it out! Registration link is in my bio.

I'm very excited to partner with to offer a 4-wk Somatics and Yoga series! This trauma-informed exploration will help you connect mind and body through traditional yoga poses and intuitive movement and learn skills for calming your nervous system, within a safe space for self-reflection and community building.

Registration info in my bio!

Memo to self

Join me Saturday for Somatics and Yoga! This class introduces yoga and somatic movement as practices for mindfulness, self-reflection, and self-expression. This month we'll experience the back body as reflective of our past experiences, wisdom, and resilience.

Bring a journal and a curious mind!

Curious about group coaching? I'm offering an info session this Friday at noon to discuss the upcoming spring session. Folks are already registering but there are still a few spots left! Find out what's so powerful about somatics, why group coaching might be the right fit, and get your questions answered. Sign up at the link in my bio, or DM for the link!

I started my first coaching group last spring as a sort of pilot, recognizing that I was hearing a deep need for connection, for new tools, and a desire to think about things differently -- and hoping that the somatic tools that have helped me so much would be of benefit. The six months this small group has worked together has been so much more - I've watched them build true community and trust, share their struggles and their learnings, learn from each other's experience and wisdom, and grow together toward the boldness, grace, and self compassion they want to embody. It's a challenging and important time to be authentic, values-aligned, and to live into our full influence while caring for ourselves and those closest to us.

So with that, I'm so excited to open up the next round! The group is capped at 6-8, so the feeling is intimate, personal, and supportive for each participant. Sessions are in person and we work with each other to practice what we long to create out in the world.

If you're curious, please hop onto an info session - this week on Wednesday evening and Dec 8 midday. And if this all sounds like just what you've been looking for, reach out! We have some wonderful folks already signed up and there are just a few spots left.

Info session registration link is on my bio! Hope to see you there.

With love - E

I'm so very honored and excited to bring together my two loves into one accessible offering: Somatics and Yoga at The Innerwork Center! This class is mat-based and will include exploratory movement, self-reflection through journaling and some discussion, and building awareness of self as a body.

My intention is best summed up by Bernie Clark: "We don't use the body to get into a pose. We use the pose to get into the body."

Check out RSVP link to learn more and to sign up!

The only thing we ever have full control over is where we put our attention

What an honor to spend the weekend in practice with these wonderful humans, leading them in the deep work of self-inquiry, compassion, and a little bit of stress relief via silliness, somatics, and mindful movement. Thanks for supporting these students in this work. Looking forward to next time!

There are still a few spots available for the upcoming beginners yoga series - starting next Sunday! If you've been curious about the practice of yoga, have practiced a little at home with videos and want to make sure you're setting a solid foundation for a balanced practice, or wonder how it can compliment other physical activity or spiritual traditions, and want to learn in community with other beginners, this is for you!

Registration link in bio, or zoom into that QR code.

I don't actually remember the first time I walked into a yoga class. I know it was a prenatal series at the Y, and that it feels like a literal lifetime ago. But those few gentle classes were just enough that I was intrigued when a friend later invited me to join her at an Iyengar class. I practiced on and off, and on, and off again, for years before committing myself to a more regular practice and ultimately to teaching. I experimented with different styles, purely based on what was convenient or affordable, and over time was exposed to meditation, breathwork, and the fundamental ideas that now help me live a more contented life.

Practicing first at the Y was an easy, non-intimidating entry point for me, and I was fortunate to have decent, if forgettable, early teachers. But I still felt for years like there was something I wasn't quite getting, or there was context I was missing. I didn't understand the names of poses, why certain poses went together, why different teachers would cue differently (and sometimes contradicting), or the culture of devotion in certain classes or studios. Frankly, it's hard to try something new, and it's harder still to connect with it (whatever it is) or navigate your options if you feel like the only beginner.

While my practice is now so familiar, I've found myself intrigued by the idea of going through that initial learning process with a curriculum, an intentional program designed to help the student feel empowered and connect with the practice in a much shorter time than it took me.

So here's what I know, and what I'll teach in my upcoming beginners series:
- yoga is a practice that originated in India, and is also ever-changing, ever-evolving - I believe we can acknowledge that while also honoring its roots
- it's a big, deep practice that many people spend their lives studying - I will never not be a student of yoga
- it's challenging, and it should also feel good - there are a million ways to practice and with dedication you'll find or create the only that feels right to you

You can sign up now, or share this with your yoga-intrigued friends who need a little support. Link in bio, or on the alignrva site.

So stoked to be offering a beginners yoga workshop next month at Align Yoga, Rocks, & Reiki

🌻 Beginners Mind:
A feel-good-in-your-body yoga workshop for beginners

🌻 Four consecutive Sundays
Feb. 19th, 26th, March 5th & 12th 1pm-2:15pm

🌻 Have you been curious about yoga but unsure where to begin? Been invited to a yoga class but afraid you're not flexible/fit/calm/(fill-in-the-blank!) enough? Want to learn in community with other beginners? Cultivate a beginner's mind with a workshop series designed just for you! This workshop is for you if you're completely new to yoga, are coming back to yoga after a hiatus and need a refresher on the basics, or have taken a few classes but would like a more detailed breakdown and personalized guidance than you're able to get in a regular class. You will learn the foundational building blocks of yoga: focus on breath, proper alignment, use of props, how to find options that work for your body, and an introduction to yoga philosophy to take your yoga off the mat - all within the comfort and support of other learners. You can expect each class to include community building, new knowledge about poses and alignment, optional hands-on assists, and a short flow linking it all together.

🌻 Join Erin Lingo, RYT500 and Somatic Coach, for a four-week beginners series designed to prepare you physically and emotionally to take a Level 1 or all-levels class at Align or another studio

$111 for all 4 sessions
Sign up on alignrva.com

Bliss Out at Align Yoga, Rocks, & Reiki Massage, Reiki, and Yoga studio, combined with a metaphysical retail shop. Align is equipped with all the healing modalities for visitors to connect with their inner bliss. Metaphysical shop sells crystals to assist you on your healing journey, decorate homes and offices and project a vibratory fiel