The Art and Yoga of Touch: Another Path to Peace

By Paula Jeane

Healing is an inside job!

Consider this: If people received compassionate, therapeutic touch every day, could the anxiety and abuse that happens in the world be mitigated?

"The Art and Yoga of Touch: Another Path to Peace" explores the many benefits of mindful touch for our health and well-being and asserts that we can realize greater peace and calm through observing our inner world, as well as the intricacies of our breath, how we use both the forces of gravity and anti-gravity, and how we naturally move in patterns of waves and spirals.

Coming from the perspective that physical and emotional pain too often closes and tightens our bodies so that our movements become unnatural, "The Art and Yoga of Touch" includes detailed instructions for nine therapeutic SOMA Yoga exercises that have been designed to increase your somatic mindfulness, your ability to give and receive compassionate touch, and your overall sense of peace. The book also includes links to videos that feature the author, Dr. Paula, demonstrating each of these wonderful exercises.

Touch and movement awareness exercises move you into places where you can discover and explore realms beyond even what you thought could not be physically changed.

When we connect more deeply with our own body, and the bodies of others, with loving intention and attention, we experience and know that we belong in this world and we are not alone.

Exposed to a world of regular compassionate, loving touch how could anyone do harm?

Listen with love to your body’s messages: healing is an inside job.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paula Jeane
• Release date: Oct 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311735362

Paula Jeane

Dr. Paula Jeane received a message about 30 years ago that simply stated, “Teach touch.” After starting a book by that name and going through several editions of putting together 30 years of research, articles, and points of interest about touch, she finally narrowed it down to one chapter, which became this little book. “This is really the core of what I want to share,” she says.Her background includes a Master’s in Special Education, specializing in the visually impaired. She is also credentialed in learning disabilities and the severely handicapped. She has practiced yoga since the late 1960s, and began teaching yoga in 1980. She is also a Certified Massage Therapist. Dr. Paula has a Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in healing through movement and touch. She has spent decades teaching people of all ages and a diverse variety of learners. After moving to Denver for 11 years to follow her daughter and grandchildren, she is now back at her home in Joshua Tree, CA, doing her unique teaching and healing work.She has studied with a variety of teachers: Process Work with Drs. Arny and Amy Mindell and colleagues for 25 years, Somatic Learning with Dr. Risa Kaparo for 11 years, and a great variety of other teachers and spiritual masters. Presently, her main spiritual teacher is Dr. David R. Hawkins. She says, “He sums up all I’ve learned throughout a lifetime of studying spiritual growth. He speaks directly to here and now. ”

Book preview

The Art and Yoga of Touch:

Another Path to Peace

By Paula Jeane, Ph.D

© 2014 All rights reserved

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews. To obtain the publisher’s permission please send your request to: [e-mail].

Cover photo by P. Jeane from the Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway

Table Of Contents

Prologue to The Heart of Touch Series

Principle One: Touch Artistry is Empowering

Principle Two: Touch Impacts Our Self-Esteem

Principle Three: Social Touch Can Be Categorized

Category One: Routine Touch

Category Two: Medical Touch

Category Three: Healing Touch

Category Four: Sensual and Sexual Touch

Principle Four: Touch Integrates Body, Mind and Spirit

Principle Five: Touch Can Be Taught—Ways to Build Your Skills

Practice One: Breathing

Exercise One: Feel Your Breath

Exercise Two: An Elongating Breath and Block Breathing and Sounding

Practice Two: Doing Gravity

Exercise Three: Snow-Covered Tree with Deep Feet

Practice Three: Awakening the Spine

Exercise Four: Spine Like a Slinky on the floor and at the wall

Exercise Five: Seated Spinal C’s

Practice Four: Preparing to Touch

Practice Five: Fun Starter Partner Exercises

Exercise Six: Beating Up

Exercise Seven: Happy Feet

Exercise Eight: Loosening neck and shoulders

Practice Six: Staying Within the Safe Touch Boundary

Practice Seven: The Touch of Nature

Exercise Nine: Nature Nurturing

TouchAble TIP

ENDNOTES

About the Author

The Art and Yoga of Touch:

Another Path to Peace

Prologue to the Heart of Touch Series

Once upon a time a very young girl couldn’t understand why her life seemed so good when so many suffered in the world. Brutality appalled her and, at the same time, intrigued her. Over the years she wondered how people could commit heinous crimes, which drove her to study psychology, science and spirituality, alongside her teaching profession. After many years of trying to figure it out, observing habitual patterns, thoughts and consequences, she deepened her understanding of the power of the mind to create situations that attract hope, trust, and love or, in contrast, hate, revenge, and repressed feelings. As her knowledge of human nature evolved, she naively assumed others would agree with her position, see the light of responsibility, and choose to improve their lives.

While receiving her first massage during her discovery process, a crystal clear question arose: If a person were touched regularly with such love and care, then how could that person be brutal? A crystal clear response followed: It probably wouldn’t be possible except in an extreme life or death situation. Prone to getting messages out of the blue and looking up at the sky, she heard the words teach touch, which sounded like an order. That experience became filed somewhere in her mind as she prioritized parenting and working, and simply getting through each day. However, she collected articles about heinous crimes and the usual explanations regarding the life history of the perpetrators. She also became certified in massage therapy.

Later, familial abuse issues surfaced and persistent personal work and healing followed, ultimately providing opportunities to help others. The theme that has continued for her to this day is to teach touch to reduce abuse. She discovered, however, that putting this combination of words together did not make sense to most people.

The above is my story and I’m sticking to it (for now).

HOW MIGHT THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT?

I know I want to help people heal through movement and touch, which increases body awareness and leads to the brain/body connection, a portal to Soul. Being out of mind and into body continually leads me to a deeper knowingness and trust that all answers are within: we are innately endowed with a somatic intelligence that heals. In Reality, the nonlinear, non-duality realm of God, there is no separation between anything (or anyone) as All That Is is ALL.

How might the world be different, therefore, if everyone both gave and received compassionate touch every day? Close your eyes and imagine being touched as if you are the most precious being in the world. Feel your breath and any sensations that arise. What is that like? What feelings are activated? What thoughts come up? Then, imagine touching a loved one, (or anyone or anything for that matter, pets…the steering wheel…garden produce…the refrigerator handle…a piece of art…) as if you are touching divinity. Perhaps, may