Being a Yoga teacher, I had already studied and worked with anatomy, particularly the pelvic floor. This course went far beyond simply mapping the body from table to mat. The implementation of the exercises allowed me to deeply feel the implications of anatomical constructs and how they reshape our human experience. What made it truly engaging was how it connected not just to physical awareness but also to regulating the nervous system, offering a more holistic and transformative approach than I had anticipated. Now I have a new and effective tool at my disposal both as a practitioner and as a yoga teacher! The group dynamic created a unique space that allowed for both active participation and quiet reflection. It offered the freedom to engage through conversation or simply through presence, without the pressure to speak. It opened a window into understanding the profound impact these techniques have on others, offering deeper insights into how somatic work resonates on different levels for each individual. It added a richness to the learning experience, as observing and sharing within the group deepened my own understanding of the material and the experience itself. Overall, the somatic approach has significantly enhanced my abilities, both as a therapist and a teacher. It has deepened my attunement to the language clients use during the Rolfing sessions I impart, allowing me to connect more intuitively with their needs. Additionally, it has shifted the way I emphasize the importance of rest and stillness—particularly in the final resting pose, Shavasana, after a yoga practice.

Santiago Pinto
Yoga Teacher Trainer and Rolfing Therapist

The IoAS in person training was an incredible experience that I could not have imagined at all. I had no expectations when I arrived because I had never studied anything like this but what I experienced was magical and gigantic. I didn't know that we could access so much information through the body and somatic consciousness and that we could not only discover traumas and unheard information but also tune in to our wisdom and love. The dreamtime journey technique was incredibly magical to me. It was a great way to integrate everything that the body releases through an intuitive path but that continues to pass through the subconscious mind. Being able to share ideas, doubts, and experiences with other people in the group helped me a lot to integrate the information and obtain other points of view. Simply by listening to my classmates, many doubts were resolved or new ways of seeing something were born.

Paula Medina
Dancer

After months of hardly sleeping because of mood swings, a racing mind, anxiety, and insomnia, I was able to sleep through the night without interruption during the entire time of the training. It felt like a miracle. Just the benefit of sleeping well for the first time in months made the entire experience invaluable to me. Andrea answered everyone’s questions in a way that was comprehensive and yet humble. On the rare occasions when he didn’t have an answer, he would say that he would think about it, or look into it, and then get back to the group with his thoughts or information, which he did. His knowledge of psychology, anatomy, and somatics all seemed very comprehensive to me. Most importantly, he has the ability to take abstract concepts – or visualizations in the case of anatomy – and make the explanations simple and straight-forward. I found that the group-dynamics made the concept of synchronicity come alive. Many times, I heard other people in the workshop talking about something that I had just felt or experienced. Or even if I had not just gone through the same thing, often what was being discussed called back to something that had occurred or happened to me earlier in life. The way the group felt open and free to share often very personal things heightened my feeling that this really works because we were all quite different from one another and yet we were all benefiting from the same process.

Robert Strauss
Writer and Gardener