We Are The Movement

Master Class
Polyvagal-informed Somatic, Movement &
Dance Practices for All
February 7, 2023
The Embody Lab
©DR. AMBER ELIZABETH GRAY
RESTORATIVERESOURCES@GMAIL.COM
WWW.AMBERGRAY.COM

PLEASE REFERENCE THESE MATERIALS RESPECTFULLY

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 We Are The Movement

—  Neurons in the brain fire 5-50 times/second

—  Heart beats approximately 60-80 beats per minute
—  Respiration – 12-20 breaths per minute
—  Blood Pressure Feedback Loops (Vascular
Rhythmicity) – every 15-30 seconds
—  Beta waves have a frequency wave of between 12.5
and 30 HX (cycles per second)
 InBody | EmBody
Self Regulation is Co-Regulation
Be the Predictability

Photo courtesy Google Images: Search nautilus shell

Practice: Source your center for nourishment
 Inner Wisdom (interoceptive) Pathways

÷  Spine: Lamina I spinothalamic Pathway

÷  Vagus ( “Nomadic”) Nerve
÷  Noble Pathway: The Brains
¡  Primal/animal/intuitive/belly brain

¡  Emotional/Heart brain

¡  Intelligence Brain/Integration brain/Social brain

÷  = KNOWING (Konysans)

© Dr. Amber E Gray, RRT&C, 2020

 Core Principles of Polyvagal-informed DMT:
A Human Rights Framework

—  Primary Portals &

Secondary Portals
¡  Breath Space
¡  Spine Time
Dignity ¡  Weight Rhythmicity
—  Pathways
¡  Interoception
÷  Noble Pathway
¡  Self Reciprocity

Reciprocal ¡  Neuro-Predictability
Belonging ¡  Micro Empowerments
Alliance
¡  Micro-Mobilizations
¡  Bio or Core Rhythmicity
¡  State Shifting

© Dr Amber Gray, RRT&C, 2019

 Core Principles of Restorative Movement Psychotherapy
Polyvagal Informed DMT

—  Psychological state shifts are not possible without

physiological state shifts. This is a bi-directional multi-
dimensional relationship that guides our perception and
buoys reciprocity
—  Breath, movement and rhythmic activities provide an
immediate resource for creating physiological shifts.
—  Sacral Movement and Vagal Tone
—  Heart and compassion, primary bio-rhythm
—  Healing, therapy, treatment, empowerment, the
restorative process—can occur working simply and
effectively with the direct experience of the body.
—  Social Engagement (social and relational capacity), Play,
and Rest & Settle, as states and actions

©Amber Gray, 2016

 Restorative Movement Psychotherapy
A Human Rights Polyvagal-informed Somatic & Movement
Approach
SHIFTING STATES
— Primary Portals & Their Emergent
Processes
¡ Breath – Attention. Spirit. State-shifts.

¡ Spine: Inner Knowing. Centering the

Universe. State-shifts.
¡ Weight – Ground. Place. Refuge. State
shifts.
© Dr Amber Gray, RRT&C, 2018
 Practice: Spinal Breathing

—  Take baseline of your spine, in any shape. How

comfortable is your spine? If you want to be more
specific: Compare areas of pain, compression, tension
with areas that are comfortably pain free, open, relaxed.
—  Begin with regulation breath (hand on sternum, gently—
with 5-10% of strength—pressing the sternum towards
inner spine on the exhale.
—  “Meet” the other side of this pressing by alternatively
pressing the sacrum inwards (toward the inner body) on
the inhale.
—  Take plenty of pauses and rests in between.
Practice: Spinal Breathing into Pandiculation

—  Beginning from the last place in your spine your breath/

movement traveled to and “exited” in Spinal breathing,
begin “animal stretching”:
¡  Feel the juiciness of this place in your fascia/connective tissue rich
spine and begin to gently “squeeze” and release into a l-o-n-g stretch
to another part of your body. Go s-l-o-w.
¡  Keep “traveling” these slow, spacious, extended and flowing stretch
movements. Let these movements initiate from the last place
movement “landed”, and travel freely through your body, from point
to point, moment to moment, place to place….
¡  Pandiculate for as long as you feel its beneficial for you. Be sure to
“rewind” the movement slowly to move to pause and stillness.
¡  NOTE: you can also begin from your center.
Practice: Core Rhythmicity Movement Adventure
Photo Pixabay (Pexels)

—  Sitting or standing, take a baseline of your

weight.
—  Check in with the rhythms of your body:
Breath. Heartbeat. Cerebro-spinal fluid etc…
—  Pick one rhythm to “express” (i.e. be your
own personal choreographer). Slowly and
“small-ley”, begin to pulse, shape, move,
express this rhythm visibly in your body.
—  Invite this inner-rhythm initiated movement
to grow as much as is comfortable, including
as much of your body as is keen to join. Its ok
if some parts don’t want to join. OPTIONAL:
Add music!
—  When your movement feels complete, rewind
it slowly to a pause and then stillness.
—  Re-visit the rhythm you began with. Note any
changes (or not).
—  Compare your weight now to your baseline.
 —  Know your states! State shifting
and self regulating is multi-
dimensional.
Body as —  Micro-empowerments aid the
implicit and the interoceptive to
Resource & buoy the explicit and exteroceptive
and to build bridges
Refuge, —  Recruit gravity to find ground. We
belong to the earth and with each
other
Movement as —  Exercise and tone your core and
peripheral strength.
Liberation: ¡ 
¡ 
Spine + breath are core support
Connective tissue is the web that contains,
Be the supports, connects and communicates.

Predictability

©Amber Gray, 2020