The Body of Life: Creating New Pathways for Sensory Awareness and Fluid Movement

In this classic book on bodywork education, Thomas Hanna builds on the theoories of Functional Integration, a method that applies gentle physical manipulation to fine-tune the nervous system and eliminate involuntary responses to tension, anxiety, and emotional pain. Through case histories, the author describes methods for improving bodily coordination, balance, and range of movement. With enhanced awareness, we gain a greater understanding of our internal states and our ability to affect them. He also surveys the pioneering work of Moshe Feldenkrais, who devised the system of Functional Integration, and many other somatic educators. Hanna’s engaging account offers a profound understanding of the precise relationship between mind and body that can be applied in our day-to-day living.

Author of the groundbreaking book, Somatics: Reawakening the Mind’s Control of Movement, Flexibility, and Health, Thomas Hanna (1928-1990) was the director of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training in San Francisco and the founder and editor of Somatics: Magazine-Journal of the Bodily Arts and Sciences.