Allow for at least 30 minutes. You will need one small soft, light and warm piece of material (such as a feather, swath of fur or felt) and two solid, heavy and cool pieces of material (such as two potatoes or two smooth river stones). The two types of materials ideally contrast with each other in their tactile experience.
This Somatic Act can be done as a solo, duet, or group. If done as a duet or group, please touch yourself before touching others with the materials. Also, at any point, the touch can be stopped if not wanted.
Begin in a comfortable position lying or sitting
with eyes closed.
You are welcome to adjust
your position at any time
to support the comfort
and care of your body.
Begin with your soft and light material.
Gently and slowly first touch the surfaces
of the skin that are not
covered by clothing
such as the face
or the hands.
Trace the landscape of the skin
contacting all the details
and surfaces
noticing if any touch
is slightly ticklish
and then adjusting
the place or the pressure
of the contact
where needed…
Gradually the touch
of the material
travels to the surfaces
covered with clothing
noticing the change
of not only the touch sensation,
but gradually
how your body begins
to adapt and adjust
to sensing touch details
the pressure passing
through your clothing
to touch your skin.
Allowing time…
Allow a little movement
to begin to emerge
from this quality of touch.
How does this soft and light material
call attention to the skin
or certain areas of the body
as you move?
Allowing time…
And then pausing for a moment…
Allowing the touch sensations
to resonate
along the skin and surfaces of the body.
And then finding a transition
to changing to
your solid and heavier materials.
As you are ready,
placing this material, such as the potato
in stillness
on your body to rest,
perhaps on the belly, or the forehead, or the upper leg.
Noticing the quality of this touch,
the temperature, the weight…
Allowing time for the material´s touch
to seep into the skin and tissues
or even to meet bone
before adding another potato
to a different place on the body.
This begins a gentle dance of
moving potatoes
from one body area
to another area
to rest,
offering time to sense
the connection between the
two places of contact
before shifting the material
to another place
on the body.
For example, one potato on the hand,
the other at the chest
or one potato on the solar plexus,
the other at the lower leg.
The material, inviting awareness,
to the places, it touches.
And at any point,
you are welcome to change
your body position
to touch or more easily
access another body area.
For example, rolling onto your back or your belly.
Allowing time...
And gradually, finding a transition
to moving the materials
off your body
allowing for a moment
to rest.
What do you notice now?
Are there touch sensations
resonating anywhere?
How does the material and its touch
call a different way of attending to the body?
Does a light touch,
such as a feather,
awaken the surface – at the skin?
Does a heavier touch,
such as a potato,
seep a bit deeper meeting tissues and possibly
the presence of bone?
How does a soft touch vs. a solid touch
or a warm touch vs. a cold touch
transform
the way in which you experience your body?
As you are ready,
finding a transition
to allowing the eyes to open.
Share through speaking or writing your bodily experiences and sensations from the contrasting tactile materials. Refer to the Appendix called ´Tactile Vocabulary´ if needing support to describe your tactile experiences.