Somatic Learning for Liberation: Engaging the Whole Person in Education

Somatic learning at Creative Praxis begins with the body, helping participants release stress and connect deeply.

Education that supports healing starts with the body. When students feel safe in their bodies, they can learn, connect, and show up more fully. Creative Praxis understands this deeply. That’s why somatic-centered learning is integrated into every training we offer. Whether through movement, breathwork, or grounding exercises, these practices help people release stress, stay present, and build stronger relationships with themselves and others.

Somatic learning at Creative Praxis isn’t about perfection or performance. It’s about coming home to the body. It invites participants to notice what they feel, what they carry, and how they can move through it with support and care. It’s simple, powerful, and rooted in collective liberation.

What Is Somatic Learning?

Somatic learning is body-centered learning. It invites people to listen to their bodies, build awareness of sensation and emotion, and respond with intention. At Creative Praxis, somatic-centered approaches include:

• Breathing exercises that calm the nervous system

• Movement activities that release energy or reconnect participants with joy

• Grounding techniques that build presence and emotional regulation

• Reflection practices that help participants notice how their bodies hold stress, trauma, and resilience

These practices help participants reconnect with themselves, especially in spaces where they may have been told to "push through" or "leave it at the door."

Somatic learning is for everyone. It doesn’t require any prior experience. All it asks is that participants show up with curiosity and care for themselves and each other.

Why Somatics Matter in Liberation-Centered Education

Filename: hands-circle

Alt Text: Multiple hands from diverse individuals forming a circle on a wooden table

Image Caption: Liberation-centered education invites us to bring our full selves—mind, body, and emotion—into the room.

In spaces where healing and justice matter, how we feel in our bodies is just as important as what we learn with our minds. Liberation-centered education invites us to bring our whole selves into the room. That includes not just our intellect, but our emotions, our stories, and our sensations.

Liberation starts with presence. If people can't feel safe in their bodies, they can’t build safety with others. That’s why somatic work is a core part of how Creative Praxis trains educators, youth workers, and community leaders.

By inviting participants to slow down, breathe, and check in with their bodies, Creative Praxis helps:

• Interrupt cycles of burnout and overwhelm

• Support emotional awareness and self-regulation

• Open space for play, connection, and joy

• Create trauma-informed spaces where people feel safe to show up fully

These methods especially support young people, who may carry stress, trauma, or identity-based harm. Somatic tools help them move through difficult emotions and build confidence in their voice, presence, and personal power.

In most classrooms, the body is treated like something to quiet or control. But in truth, our bodies are always talking to us. Somatic work honors this. It gives students tools to notice what they’re feeling (tight shoulders, shallow breath, a racing heart) and to respond with care instead of shame. A 2017 study in a fourth-grade classroom found that just five minutes of somatic movement before lessons helped improve students’ focus, engagement, and short-term productivity.

What Does It Look Like in Practice?

Every day somatic practices like breathing, movement, and grounding are integrated into all Creative Praxis trainings.

Somatic learning at Creative Praxis shows up in small, everyday ways. A typical session might include:

• A short breathing practice to settle into the space

• A collective movement or stretching activity to release tension

• Creative exercises like guided drawing or storytelling that invite body awareness

• Grounding rituals to close, such as affirmations, water breaks, or intention-setting

These aren’t separate from the learning; they are part of it. They help participants process what they’re learning, connect to each other, and return to their own wisdom.

At Creative Praxis, we also integrate somatic work into:

• Trainings for Youth-Based Organizations

• Healing Centered Training

• Trauma-Informed Classroom Management

Each experience is rooted in care, cultural relevance, and collective well-being.

Who Is This For?

Somatic-centered learning supports educators, organizers, and youth workers in showing up with presence and care.

Somatic-centered learning benefits everyone, but it’s especially impactful for:

• Educators navigating stress, burnout, or trauma in their classrooms

• Youth workers supporting young people through crisis or change

• Community organizers building sustainable practices of care and presence

• Young people learning how to understand and trust their bodies

At Creative Praxis, we create spaces that center lived experience. Every training welcomes people of all identities, abilities, and backgrounds.

Creative Praxis Supports Somatic-Centered Learning

Creative Praxis believes that healing and learning are inseparable. Through somatic-centered learning in Philadelphia, we support educators, youth workers, and young people in reconnecting with their bodies, regulating their emotions, and building community grounded in trust.

Our work also connects with broader healing practices, including arts-based professional development for educators, trauma-informed classroom management, and healing-centered training in Philadelphia. Each offering reminds us that liberation isn’t just a goal, but a practice we build together.

Bring this body-centered approach into your school, program, or organization. Contact Creative Praxis today!