TS02: FOUNDATIONS Somatic Conversation: The Edges of Consent, Contact, and Connection

Presenter bio: Soleil Hepner, C-IAYT

In yoga therapy, the body is not only a vehicle for awareness but also a living language of experience. Although dialogue and mindfulness practices have long been central tools in our field, embodied contact with consent remains an underused and sometimes misunderstood resource.

For yoga therapists, the power of presence goes beyond techniques. When we skillfully combine the many forms of contact (e.g., proximity, orientation, shapes, props, and, optionally, touch) with present-centered dialogue, we open a channel for clients to reconnect with themselves in ways that words alone cannot reach. This approach strengthens our profession’s distinct contribution to integrative health by providing yoga therapists with effective tools when the body speaks louder than verbal language.

We will explore how this embodied contact and simple somatic dialogue in direct experience work together to deepen client connections and support meaningful, lasting transformation. Layered, touch-optional experiential activities, peer observation, and personal reflection support a range of scopes of practice. Participants will come away from the session with new techniques as well as a renewed sense of how their own body can be their most powerful therapeutic instrument.

Learning Objectives

• Integrate embodied dialogue with consent-based relational contact (including touch-optional approaches) within the individual’s specific scope of practice to deepen therapeutic connection and the possibility of client transformation.
• Apply relational consent practices that move beyond binary, verbal “yes/no” toward attuned, trauma-informed care across a range of therapeutic interactions.