In this episode of the Red Beard Embodiment podcast, host Alex welcomes Simona Irwin and Layah Jane Singer-Wilson for a genuine conversation about Five Rhythms dance as a pathway to befriending fear and healing trauma.

The guests share their personal stories – Simona recounting her first Five Rhythms experience that brought unexpected tears after years of emotional blockage during her health struggles, and Layah describing how movement became her medicine during a pivotal health crisis in her twenties. Together, they discuss their collaborative course "BEFRIENDING EMBODIED MOVEMENT: AN INTRODUCTION TO 5RHYTHMS™" created to bring this transformative practice to everyone, including those who might be homebound or facing physical limitations.

Through gentle explanations and personal examples, they reveal how the five rhythms – flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness – create a container for our emotional lives, allowing fear and other difficult feelings to move through the body naturally. Their approach honors both the cathartic potential of movement and the importance of regulation, creating a trauma-sensitive framework that meets practitioners exactly where they are.

Whether you're curious about embodied practices or seeking new ways to process old wounds, this conversation offers compassionate insight into how our bodies naturally know the way through fear when given the chance to move with awareness.

Key Highlights:

• [00:00:] Welcome and introduction to our guests
• [01:12] Five Rhythms as embodied healing practice
• [02:39] Simona and Layah's backgrounds and expertise
• [05:46] Simona's moving first dance experience
• [10:20] Understanding the five rhythms wave
• [13:16] How Layah found her calling through movement
• [17:34] Alex shares his dance journey beginnings
• [20:19] The origins with Gabrielle Roth at Esalen
• [27:33] Creating trauma-sensitive movement spaces
• [31:12] Inside their accessible online course
• [33:35] Movement and nervous system regulation
• [37:27] Mindfulness principles in movement practice
• [41:16] Adaptations for all bodies and abilities
• [46:31] A personal healing story through dance
• [51:11] How to join the movement community

Links & Resources

Layah Jane

• Website: layahjane.com
• Instagram: @layahjane.movement

Simona

• Website: turningtowards.me
• Instagram: @turningtowards

Find us Online:

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandermgreene

What if your client’s tremor, stretch, or undulation wasn’t a symptom—but a sign of healing? In this episode, Alex sits down with physical therapist, somatic educator and TRE Provider, Joel Begin to explore the natural, spontaneous movements that often arise in bodywork, movement therapy, and somatic healing—but are still largely misunderstood.

Joel shares the story behind his 2022 paper, “Characterizing a Common Class of Spontaneous Movements,” a collaborative work that brings together perspectives from across the globe to map out how tremors, shakes, and fluid movements emerge across therapeutic, spiritual, and cultural contexts. From TRE® and myofascial unwinding to Qigong and authentic movement, Joel helps us reframe these expressions not as random or pathological—but as beneceptive and healing.

Together, we explore the potential of spontaneous movement as a doorway into nervous system regulation, trauma resolution, and embodied intelligence. This episode invites you to see what might already be happening in your sessions with new eyes—and perhaps, to trust the body just a little more.

Key Highlights:

• [00:02:00] The Paper That Sparked It All: Characterizing a Common Class of Spontaneous Movements
• [00:08:00] What Is Myofascial Unwinding?
• [00:14:30] Modalities That Evoke Spontaneous Movement
• [00:17:45] Spiritual Practices & Movement States
• [00:24:00] Case Study: Spontaneous Movement After Surgery
• [00:27:00] When Movement Feels Uncomfortable
• [00:33:00] TRE®, Trauma, and the Polyvagal Lens
• [00:38:45] Understanding Freeze Through Biotensegrity
• [00:41:00] What Makes These Movements Arise?
• [00:43:30] Creating a Container for Curiosity

Links & Resources

• Joel Begin’s 2022 Paper:
  “Characterizing a Common Class of Spontaneous Movements”
  Read the full paper in the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
• Joel Begin’s Practice – Creative Pathways PT
• Continuum Movement: https://continuummovement.com/
• Somatic Experiencing by Peter Levine: https://www.somaticexperiencing.com/about-peter
• Polyvagal Theory by Dr. Stephen Porges: https://www.stephenporges.com/
• Myofascial Release John F. Barnes

Find us Online:

Sign up for our newsletter to learn more about the power of embodiment:

https://www.redbeardsomatictherapy.com/

Follow us on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedBeardSomaticTherapy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redbeardsomatictherapy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandermgreene

What happens when your body calls for change—and you actually listen? In this powerful episode, Alex sits down with Matthew Cooke, founder of Body-Based Breakthrough (B3), to explore how burnout led him away from the tech hustle and into the healing world of somatic coaching. With roots in high-performance culture and a life-changing crash into chronic stress, Matthew shares how he pieced together his own path to nervous system healing—one breath, one journal entry, and one movement at a time.

Matthew opens up about the unexpected clarity he found in yoga classes and long walks, how he began listening to his body in new ways, and the moment a client told him, “It’s a shame there’s only one of you.” That nudge sparked the creation of B3—a replicable somatic system now used by coaches, therapists, and leaders around the world. From working with senior tech execs to certifying a new generation of somatic practitioners, Matthew’s approach is both deeply personal and highly practical.

Together, Alex and Matthew unpack the principles of B3, the importance of orientation and regulation, and how somatic practices are transforming how we live, lead, and heal. Whether you’re a practitioner or someone simply curious about nervous system work, this episode is full of insights that will land in your body as much as your mind.

Key Highlights:

• [00:00:05] Introducing Matthew Cooke and Body-Based Breakthrough (B3)
• [00:03:32] From tech startup to burnout at 24
• [00:05:38] Body and mind at war—seeking deeper understanding
• [00:06:33] Yoga and long walks spark clarity and insight
• [00:07:27] Journaling during movement—early seeds of B3
• [00:08:31] Clients experience reduced anxiety and imposter syndrome
• [00:09:47] “It’s a damn shame there’s only one of you”
• [00:10:25] B3 is born—systematizing somatic coaching
• [00:11:07] The endless curiosity of the nervous system
• [00:12:09] B3 practice components: movement, journaling, breathwork, coaching
• [00:12:31] The role of orientation—start and end of the practice
• [00:12:54] Nervous system safety and external environment

Links & Resources

• Body-Based Breakthrough (B3) Website: https://www.bodybasedbreakthrough.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodybasedbreakthrough/
• Somatic Experiencing by Peter Levine: https://www.somaticexperiencing.com/about-peter
• Polyvagal Theory by Dr. Stephen Porges: https://www.stephenporges.com/
• Organic Intelligence by Steve Hoskinson
• DARe (Dynamic Attachment Repatterning experience) – Diane Poole Heller: https://traumasolutions.com/learn-dare-approach/
• Irene Lyon’s Nervous System Work – irenelyon.com

Find us Online:

Website: https://www.redbeardsomatictherapy.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redbeardsomatictherapy/