Henrietta Brice-Smith

I started my somatic journey in 1999 when my first daughter was born as a way of getting back into shape after the birth. I had tried various forms of group class exercises and always came away with sore hips and knees, a flushed red face and feeling that I was missing something.

A friend of mine suggested I try yoga, I laughed saying something along the lines that I am not bendy or flexible. She simply pointed out that you don’t need to be either to practice so I gave it a try. I was immediately struck by this ancient art form and very quickly decided that I wanted to teach as a way of fully embodying what I was learning.

I dabbled over the years in various forms of yoga such as Iyengar, Astanga, Vinyasa (tried Bikram twice) amongst others but felt dissatisfied, there was still something missing. My practice had consisted of shape making, going from one posture to another, I felt like a failure when I couldn’t do some of the fancy arm balances or so called advanced poses. It was whilst trying a so called ‘advanced pose’ that I injured my knee badly. The surgeon at the hospital advised me to have an operation. This was the time I came across Godfrey Devereux. It was through his practice that I realised what it was that I was missing. I decided not to go for the operation and instead began to practice Dynamic Yoga, with an emphasis on protecting my knee joint and about a year later, I went back to my surgeon who was surprised and delighted to see that my knee was totally healed and no longer needed the op.

It became clear very quickly to me thereof, that the importance of posture practice is to FEEL, feel what is actually happening in your body. I was becoming aware of the sensations my body was generating and it felt delicious. And so I began my training into The Dynamic Yoga Training Method, a powerful methodology of Somatic Intimacy. Through this practice I became really intimate with my body, I became less and less concerned about obtaining shapes that were not serving me and immersed myself into feeling sensations deeply, I was creating new healthy neuro-muscular pathways that were nourishing my body, whilst protecting my joints.

Over the years I have continued my personal development with Godfri and Olivia and have earned myself the title of Senior Somatic Awareness (Dynamic Yoga) Teacher (only 10 of us worldwide), continuously mastering the art of progressive instruction in Dynamic and Tantra Yoga, and more recently in Embodied Resilience of which I am only one of 12 presenters worldwide.

As we grow older, we let go of competitiveness, striving to be where we think we ought to be, we become more accepting of where we are. Through Somatic Movement Education we age gracefully and with fluidity. Protecting the spine that keeps us upright throughout our lives is done through sensitivity to what we can feel in our joints. 

Further more, and based directly on the potent simplicity of Dynamic Yoga, Embodied Resilience Training presents a somatic approach to living peacefully in turbulent times. It is an experiential training based on the body. Its purpose is to make available the stability, security and resilience of your spiritual nature. As only one of a few Embodied Resilience Teachers, my authority as Presenter is based on the authenticity and commitment of my own practical experience. Presenting the comprehensive vision of Radical Ecology in my own unique but complementary way.

Having spent many years working with somatic awareness and integration techniques, teaching workshops, classes and courses locally and abroad, teaching in prisons, and running international retreats, it brings me great joy and pleasure to guide you into this somatic intimate practice for enhancing the human experience. My teaching is clearly grounded in vinyasakrama (step-by-step instruction) which deeply supports the body within the postures and invites each person to become more intimate with their personal experience, as they journey towards a deeper relationship and understanding of the inherent intelligence of their body.

Due to Covid 19, I took my teaching online, a godsend for those wishing to continue their practice. I pondered on how to make this work, I want to be able to offer online tutorials and videos for students to practice to but had no idea or the confidence to produce my own. Video production is in the making, a huge learning curve and much refinement still needed but I hope to be able to release some videos soon so that students who have an interest can register from any part of the globe.

So here we are, with a new website up and running and with the beginning of a series of recorded classes, courses and workshops for students to sign up to. Practice in your own time or in real time, whatever you prefer!

“RECHARGE, REPLENISH AND NOURISH YOUR WHOLE LIFE, AND STAY CONNECTED TO NATURE AND THE WORLD AROUND YOU”