Reimagining the Body: Somatic Practice, Embodiment, and the Science of Movement

Reimagining the Body offers an innovative exploration of embodiment and somatics, allowing us to understand our bodies in a grounded and holistic way. With over 40 years of practice and teaching, Aline Newton offers an engaging blend of client-based storytelling, scientific research, and embodiment practices that will fascinate anyone working with the mind and body, including yoga teachers, massage therapists, Rolfers, psychologists, social workers, dancers and movement therapists.

Through these accounts, the book also provides the first comprehensive overview of esteemed French somatic practitioner, dancer and researcher, Hubert Godard's seminal work. Godard is a highly influential leader in the overlapping communities of Rolfing, Alexander, dance and rehabilitative medicine.

Insights from physics, robotics, neuroscience, and movement science reveal a refreshing, evidence-based perspective on how our bodies are not just objects, they are dynamic, living systems deeply intertwined with the environment around us. Section one unravels the prevailing idea of the body as an object through robotics and neuroscience. Section two invites us to reimagine our understanding of the body through a new framework of thinking. Section three focuses on our psychologies, exploring the intricate connection between emotion, perception, and the body.

In weaving together the concepts of movement, self, and the world, Reimagining the Body allows us to nurture a more profound and interconnected understanding of ourselves.

Aline Newton's career as an Advanced Certified Rolfer and Rolf Movement Educator spans nearly four decades. During that time, she has never stopped exploring the ideas, contexts, and effects of Rolfing, movement, and bodywork. A prominent teacher and celebrated contributor to the Rolfing community, Aline specializes in bringing movement concepts and practices to a broad, mainstream audience.
As well as certifications for Rolfing, therapeutic massage and bodywork, Aline holds a BA in Philosophy and Psychology from Johns Hopkins University and an MA in Education from the University of Toronto. She studied with renowned French Rolfer Hubert Godard for 30 years.
In addition to seeing clients privately, Aline is a highly in-demand speaker. She has been a guest lecturer at Harvard University, the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the Kahn Institute of Smith College. Aline has taught at MIT, and currently teaches at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee's Alexander Training Institute and the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration, where she is the Rolf Movement Faculty Chair.