Exploracises
PREFACE
Welcome to a presentation of the body as something integrated rather than separate from personhood. Welcome to the inspiration that brings a very different sense of how we can enter into deeper relationship with ourselves. Welcome to the uplifting concept of tensegrity, uniting us with the greater cosmos. Welcome to the wonder and immediacy of Heaven and Earth meeting in synchronized embodiment.
This book expands on the simple but profound concepts and exploratory movements introduced in HUMANUAL, with a more free- flowing form of exploration that I call “EXploracises.” The presentation and the practices are lighter and often open-ended. I hope they are also inviting and accessible. For those who want more concrete detail, information, and explanations, please read HUMANUAL, An Epic Journey to your Expanded Self. It poses and suggests some answers to the following questions: “Each of us has an everyday self that we assume our self to be. But what if there is more to us than meets eye? What if there is an expanded version of our self that includes not only the habitual patterns, the lost parts, and the innate organization but also a connection to the grand, scintillating space of the universe and the possibilities it offers us?” On to EXploracises.
To use this book you can either read it in the order it was written, as it does follow a logical (to me) sequence, or you can read and do the EXploracises in any order. Pick the book up any time and select what is of interest or relevance to you, perhaps to match what is happening in your life.
Sometimes it may seem like “EXs” are randomly suggested, but in truth they are inextricably connected. There is an EX for the tongue followed by an EX for the shoulder. It is not random because there is a muscle called the omohyoid that goes from the shoulder to the hyoid bone, near the base of the tongue. And if we stay consistent with the unity and oneness point of view, our concepts merge with the image and reality of the fascial system, where everything is in fact materially and energetically connected to everything else.
After every EX when something has changed, you always want to integrate that change or sensation into the rhythm of the whole system. Otherwise, it may not last or remain accessible. The new energy must be welcomed at all levels. If we consider our whole physicality to be 100 percent, then an injury in the arm might be 5 percent. Even if you “fix” the injury, the other 95 percent is still in the pattern of what caused the injury. So, integrating your innate rhythm and wholeness invites more flow and life force to your system. The EXploracises will help you do this.
Off you go with a sense of wonder at the synchronicities, complexities, and magnificence of life. An appreciation for contact, a smile, or just communication. A recognition of the injustice, and the suffering. And remember the children, such blessed beings, here at this unique time of transformation on the planet. Youthful, innocent faces, all over the world, all looking up at the same sky. It is said that the longest journey is the one from your head to your heart. Let’s embark on that journey together.
“I always look forward to working closely with Betsy Polatin. I greatly appreciate her profound understanding of how our bodies hold trauma and stress in our connective tissues, muscles, and organs, and how to release them through the ingenious exercises, postures, and practices she teaches.”
—Gabor Maté, MD, author, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture.
Exploracises is about unity. We is the new me. Unity of heaven and earth, of macrocosm and microcosm, of self and other. We are connected in ourselves with fascial elasticity, and to each other with breath, touch, and movement, in synchronized embodiment.
Praise
From the FOREWORD
“This book is about saying YES to the physicality of life. In a world where it is tempting to turn away from our bodies, where enhancing ourselves with silicon-based consciousness seems appealing to some, Betsy invites us to inquire deeply into the organic experience of bodily sensations as they work in collaborative unity with mindful awareness and spiritual presence.
Following Betsy’s precise inquiry process, I felt a growing excitement stir. A choir of voices arose: Someone knows we exist! Someone is talking to ME! My bio-intelligent story was being called out of the shadows. Finally, my body was honored as essential, and my DNA was directly spoken to.”
—Dr. Aline LaPierre, Founder, The NeuroAffective Touch Institute.
“I always look forward to working closely with Betsy Polatin. I greatly appreciate her profound understanding of how our bodies hold trauma and stress in our connective tissues, muscles, and organs, and how to release them through the ingenious exercises, postures, and practices she teaches.”
—Gabor Maté, MD, author, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture.
“EXPLORACISES® by Betsy Polatin is a transformative guide that merges body, mind, and spirit. Through her unique approach—Exploracises—Polatin provides exercises that integrate physicality, breathwork, and spiritual practices to foster mental health, creativity, and wellbeing. Focusing on wholeness, tensegrity, fascia, and connection, she invites readers to explore the sacredness of the body and reconnect with the energy of the universe. This book offers powerful tools for healing, self-awareness, and alignment, inspiring a grounded and harmonious life.”
—Stephen Porges, PhD, author of The Polyvagal Theory, creator of the Safe, Sound Protocol (SSP), co-inventor of Sonocea®
“Beautifully written, expansive, and compassionate, EXPLORACISES is an essential resource for restoration and transformation of body, mind, and spirit. This eloquently organized, practical guide reshapes the conversation about the body as a core pathway for healing and transformation. Polatin articulately explains numerous somatic practices that we can immediately apply to gently help us explore and reconnect to ourselves. EXPLORACISES empowers us to reclaim self-agency through movement, rhythm, breath, attunement, enactment, playfulness, curiosity, and synchrony in restoration, recovery, and health.”
—Dr. Cathy Malchiodi, author of Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy.
“In this insightful book, Betsy Polatin delves deeper into the marvels of embodiment as it unfolds within relationships, fields of gravity, and the broader universe. She masterfully interweaves the subsystems of tensegrity, the nervous system, and fascia. This brilliant and invaluable resource offers profound support to healing professionals, body-oriented therapists, and anyone seeking to understand their true ‘home’—their living, sensing, and knowing body—and its remarkable connection to both heaven and earth.”
—Peter A. Levine, PhD, author of An Autobiography of Trauma, and Waking the Tiger.
“In this brilliant yet practical book, Betsy Polatin guides us in exercises in how to re-member and honor the wisdom of our bodies and the meaning of our synchronized embodiment, reminding us that we are spiritual beings having a human and physical experience. With her wealth of knowledge and experience, she reweaves the unity of Heaven and Earth and our spirituality and embodiment and shows how we can heal and move into wholeness. She then helps us to remember and reconnect with the consciousness and oneness of all of life and guides us in how we can align with that consciousness, wisdom, and love of the Earth and Cosmos and live it in the present moment in an embodied way.”
—Heather Ensworth, PhD, internationally known astrologer, clinical psychologist.
“ ‘There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.’ ― Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In EXPLORACISES we are offered novel insights into the hidden wisdom of the body. In this remarkable book Betsy Polatin brings Nietzsche’s famous quote forward to the 21st century with specific advice and exercises teaching us how to access physiological and anatomical systems that lie largely unrecognized in the human body.”
—Sue Carter, PhD, Distinguished Research Scientist.
EXPLORACISES® by Betsy Polatin is a groundbreaking exploration of embodiment, offering a treasure trove of practical exercises that invite deeper connection to body, mind, and breath. Betsy’s expert guidance blends science, somatic awareness, and artistry, empowering readers to discover profound calm, resilience, and vitality.
“At Sonocea®, we are passionate about advancing wellbeing through sound, and I see immense synergy between Betsy’s work and our mission. Her approach resonates deeply with our understanding of how the nervous system responds to mindful practice, making this book an invaluable resource for anyone seeking transformation and balance in their lives. Whether you’re navigating daily stress or supporting others in healing professions, EXPLORACISES® will equip you with powerful tools for embodied living.
A must-read for anyone who wants to embody greater presence, ease, and strength.”
—Anthony Gorry, world-renowned musician and producer, co-inventor of Sonocea®
“Engaging and practical, the book is infused with wisdom and curiosity, encouraging readers to embrace its meaningful lessons in their daily routines. Through a masterful blend of rich information and experiential exercises, it charts a transformative path toward living in wholeness and embracing the fullness of being human. Whether for personal growth or professional practice, Betsy’s latest work serves as a valuable resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of what it means to live in harmony with oneself and the world.”
—Liz Charles, MD, creator of Sensitive Approach for Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
“Betsy shares a deeply felt understanding of her life’s work through a unique blend of science, spirituality, and the physical body. She explores a question that many are also fascinated with—how we use our body, inhabit it, and move it for health and wellbeing, ultimately connecting with our individual and collective ‘why.’ We must genuinely embody knowledge to reach simplicity. Betsy grounds the complex and abstract topics of spirituality, healing, emotions, and trauma in the physicality of our body—our movements, rhythms, breath, fascia, and vagus nerve. She guides us into our own physicality through helpful metaphors, intentional acts, conscious movements, and pragmatic exercises. It’s profoundly evident that Betsy holds everything she teaches us within her own body, breath, movement, presence, and daily practice.
—Michael Allison, Polyvagal Performance Consultant, and founder of The Play Zone.
“Betsy Polatin exhibits a deep well of knowledge and wisdom in the somatics field. Betsy has taken her decades-long passion and has continued to explore, innovate, and integrate not just herself but also the somatics field, as this book clearly shows. I especially found it creative that Betsy does not just have us read about somatics but instead incorporates the body, spirit, and mind with each page one reads. Instead of reading about health and wellbeing, you are somatically experiencing it as you journey through this book.”
—Donnalea Van Vleet Goelz, PhD, Executive Director of Continuum Movement®
“We live in a time where information comes at a faster rate than we can ever discern, sort, or integrate. Much less tell fact from fiction. The surest way to find our center and bring ourselves into a place of peace is through being present and being in our body.”
—Alexsys Thompson, MLC, BCC, executive coach and best-selling author.
“A bit blown away by the fascia image with the fibres and the water droplets and the similarity to the Energy lines and nodes.”
—Rory Duff, geobiologist and author, Grail Found and Grail Bound.
Videos
Coming Soon