I could not rave enough about a particular somatic practice session I attended through the An Offering Rewiring Community. It was so powerful, it melted away the tension I had been holding for weeks. I felt so much relief afterward. I later found out that what we did was called somatic tracking.
Cedar Brown, the somatic practitioner who led us through the process, asked us to choose a sensation we were experiencing and pay close attention to it. We were invited to observe its different properties, like color and shape, which I don’t typically associate with sensations.
Somatic Tracking
“It’s basically just bringing our awareness to the sensations of the body and specifically trying to do that from a place of what I call kind curiosity or kind curious awareness,” Cedar defines somatic tracking for me during a virtual interview. “Often, our attention on the body is very judgmental, we want it to be different. So bringing this awareness that’s just curious, just noticing what’s here, is really healing and really powerful for the nervous system and for ourselves in general,” they add.
An important tip is to not simply categorize sensations as good or bad; it is recommended to use words based on the five senses. There are lists available online to help you out with this. “Those kinds of words have a little bit less judgment with them, and are actually describing what the sensation is, because pain could be like any number of different things and it is not actually a sensation, it’s just an interpretation of it,” Cedar explains.
While somatic tracking can also be a useful tool for pain, especially chronic pain, it can become overwhelming or difficult if the sensations are too intense. It is advised to start easy and not choose the worst sensation you have or, better yet, have a practitioner guide you as you go through the process.
“I would say somatic tracking is a little bit more of an advanced practice. So if it doesn’t feel good, or you struggle with it, then there are a lot of other somatic practices that are easier to access,” they suggest. “Don’t feel like you have to force yourself just because someone said, ‘oh, this is the best kind or the best practitioner.’ It’s going to be different from person to person.”
Supporting the nervous system
Somatic practice (soma means body) is a huge umbrella covering what are essentially body-based ways intended to support the nervous system, which influences our organs and bodily functions. “I think of nervous system work as creating safety, but that can look a lot of different ways. So there’s top-down safety, like I’m telling myself I’m safe, I know that I’m safe. There’s bottom-up safety of the somatic practices. I’m showing my body that I’m safe. Somatics makes sure that we’re meeting the nervous system where it is, in the body,” they explain.
Somatic practitioner Cedar Brown describes feeling safe in the body as being fully grounded and present, rather than stuck in the mind. It’s like being able to drop down and be home, with a sense of peace, ease, and capability.
Cedar reveals that many of these practices aren’t new at all. They are actually innate to the human body and to human culture. The problem is that, over time, many of us have learned to hold back some of those natural responses because they might look strange or feel socially unacceptable. Somatic practice can be a way of reconnecting with some of those things the body already knows how to do. “I think it’s important to relearn them and to find ways to practice them regularly, because our body needs to release stress. And if we don’t do that, it can have a really big impact on our health.”
Cedar Brown’s Programs and Coaching
If your doctor has ever told you that you need to manage stress and you have no idea what to do with that information, Cedar is someone you can turn to. “I can help you change your relationship with stress and help your body release that stress that’s built up.”
They provide support in several ways. There’s one-on-one coaching for a personalized approach tailored to your specific needs. Then there’s what’s called the Cedar Grove Community, their group coaching platform. For a reasonable membership fee (there’s currently a special $1 trial), you get access to a bunch of things, including the 30 Days to Ease Somatics Program, a library of resources, guides and meditations, a monthly live call for coaching and co-regulation, and the opportunity to interact with fellow members. They also offer courses, with the Five Keys Program as the centerpiece. It promises to take you from feeling broken and thinking of yourself as the victim of your illness to embodying unshakable self-worth. For something you can access for free, check out the mini masterclass “Decode Your Nervous System.” It covers the impact of the nervous system on our health, how to identify if you’re stuck in a chronic survival state, and simple tools to quickly shift into calm, grounded energy that enables healing. Out of the gazillion of videos I’ve watched and talks I’ve attended, Cedar’s masterclass is the master of them all. It’s comprehensive without being difficult to understand.
They really know their business and are always eager to share what they’ve learned. Cedar has always been interested in holding healing spaces, and that’s taken a lot of different forms over the years. There was a time they were into essential oils and Chinese medicine. They are a Reiki Master as well. But right now, the focus is on somatics. The newest certification under their belt is in Somatic Parts Work, which is based on Internal Family Systems (IFS), a trauma therapy modality that helps us connect with struggling parts of ourselves and meet them with love and compassion. It looks at where and how these parts show up in the body and explores what may be behind them. Cedar is also trauma-informed certified. “Trauma lives in the body. And when we’re working with embodiment practices, we’re often touching on those places that are holding old wounds,” they rationalize.
Cedar Brown is a certified, trauma-informed Somatic Healing Practitioner and Reiki Master. They also have a certification in Somatic Parts Work. They believe that it doesn’t have to be either-or. We can support ourselves through nervous system and mind-body work while also seeing a doctor and using supplements or medications.
Healing Journey
I think their strongest qualification of all is that they’ve personally experienced these modalities and made great strides in their own healing.
Cedar went through seven years of health issues: chronic pain from a car accident injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, and effects of mold exposure. They tried many things, including going the medical route and getting support from naturopathic doctors, and found things that helped a little but nothing major. The trajectory began to really change when they had a big internal shift toward acceptance. They realized they could build a life they loved, even while dealing with health challenges. From there, they focused on five words: surrender, rest, care, adapt, and hope. Those eventually became the foundation of their Five Keys of Healing program. Up until that point, Cedar had been pushing themselves to keep their physically demanding job and continue doing all the things they mistakenly thought defined them. “I think that inner place of acceptance is the ground where recovery can come from because it’s really hard to recover when you’re in a battle with yourself,” they recall.
Finding Their Way to Somatics
While there was a significant improvement in their condition, things still weren’t quite steady, and there were still ups and downs.. It was during this time that Cedar attended a Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome program with Anj Granieri and first encountered the word “somatics.”
“When I did these somatic tools, they were just really simple, basic tools that you could learn anywhere, I was like, ‘oh, something different is happening in my body.’ I had done a brain retraining program before, and it just didn’t really do anything for me. But when I started with the body, I actually felt a shift.” Curious to learn more so they could help themselves, Cedar followed that thread, dove deeper into somatics, and the rest is history! “It was the somatics and just really understanding the nervous system on a so much deeper level that enabled me to put the rest of the pieces in place to start to expand, to recover, and eventually be able to backpack 150 miles and spend three weeks traveling around Europe, and build a second business while I’m working full-time,” beams the Oregon resident.
Somatic practitioner Cedar Brown: From seven years of chronic pain, fatigue, and health issues to backpacking 150 miles, traveling around Europe for three weeks, and building a second business while working full-time.
I don’t find that hard to believe because a mere 20 minutes of somatics works wonders for me, and I’ve noticed that a lot of my issues are resolved by regulating my nervous system.
If you’re navigating illness, running on empty, feeling like your body can’t keep up, or ready to stop simply coping and start building greater energy, calm, trust, and confidence from within, get in touch with Cedar! Visit their website. Or follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Insight Timer or subscribe to their YouTube channel.
All images are courtesy of Cedar Brown.
