Engaging and Aligning the Endocrine Glands: Including Their Spinal Energy Centers and Other Somatic Connections (2025 Winter Series)

Get 10% off all on-demand courses! Discount automatically applied at checkout. CLASS 1 OF THIS COURSE IS FREE! In this course, we delve into the fascinating world of the endocrine glands and their profound impact on the body, movement, touch, breath, voice, and consciousness. Each gland will be explored along with its associated spinal energy centers, reflex points, and connections to movement of the limbs. We also uncover how the glands influence our special senses and shape our perception of the world. This course offers an integrated approach to understanding the intricate interplay between the physical glands, their energy centers, and their influence on the body and consciousness. ENDOCRINE GLANDS Endocrine glands are our major chemical governing system. They communicate with the rest of our body through our fluids and act as a bridge between the organs and nervous system. Each gland offers highly different and distinct psychophysical states, ranging from internal stillness, to surges of disorganization/balance. The endocrine glands underlie intuition, the crystallization of energy into archetypal experiences, and the perceiving and understanding of the universal aspect of self. ENERGY CENTERS ALONG THE SPINE The central energy channel forms the midline axis of the body. It is derived from the embryological notochord. The notochord is the central organizing structure of the embryo. As other structures develop, they calibrate their location and pathways of migration in the body in relation to the notochord. Although the notochord eventually transforms into other structures as it matures, its essential energetic channel remains as the feltsense axis of presence. Parallel to this energetic axis are distinct vibrational centers along the spine that correspond to different states of consciousness and relate to other specific areas of the body.   The endocrine glands are key physical landmarks that correspond to these vibrational levels within the notochordal central energy channel. When in balance, they stimulate overall vitality and sense of aliveness.  CORRESPONDENCES WITH OTHER ANATOMICAL STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS From an embodiment perspective, the endocrine glands have relationships to other structures and functions. They have corresponding connections to the spine, the bones and joints of the upper and lower limbs, the voice, and the special senses of the head. These connections provide structural stability and form to the vibrational energy expressed through the glands and bodies and contribute to integrated movement and perception. The lower glands energize and support the lower limbs, the middle glands energize and support the upper limbs and the voice, and the upper glands energize and support the brain and special sense organs of the head (mouth, nose, ears, and eyes). As all the glands synchronize, the inner neural organ of perception (spinal cord and brain) becomes increasingly restful and clear. REFLEX POINTS There are specific reflex points that, when touched, can open awareness to their related gland. THEMES AND MATERIAL This course explores opening awareness to and embodying the physical and expressive foundation of the endocrine glands and their contribution to alignment and connectivity of the whole body. Explorations will also draw from other body systems, embryological development, and additional somatic relationships. The list of glands covered includes other anatomical bodies — physical centers that carry the vibrational feltsense of endocrine glands. Classes draw from: Initiating breath, touch, voice, and movement from each of the following glands and bodies: perineal body, ganglion impar, coccygeal body, gonads, adrenals, pancreas, thoracobody, heart body, thymus, thyroid, parathyroids, carotid bodies, pituitary, mammillary bodies, pineal gland Aligning their energy centers along the spine Distinguishing their reflex points Establishing their relationships to peripheral bones and joints Analyzing and engaging the glandular support of the spine and head Balancing the special sense organs of the head Identifying the anatomical location of the glands, spinal energy centers, and reflex points Exploring key aspects of embryological development related to the glands Moving with support of the glands Breathing and vocalizing from the glands Recognizing the influence of the glands on the special senses of the head Sensing the contribution of the glands in the perception of weight, space, and time Integrating cellular (micro) and system-wide (macro) communication THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO: Gain an understanding of the glands and bodies and their relationship to movement, breath, voice, touch, and consciousness Find the connections between the glands and their spinal energy centers Embody and understand from inner experience how glands engage in both stillness and action Expand awareness through the inherent consciousness of the glands Discover how the glands can facilitate pathways of ease Move more naturally with greater technical skill This course is for anyone working in or exploring a discipline involving movement, touch, breath, voice, and/or consciousness, including: somatic movement educators and therapists yoga practitioners dancers, athletes, and martial artists  bodyworkers occupational and physical therapists somatic psychotherapists meditators singers and musicians those from other body-mind disciplines CLASSES There are no prerequisites for taking this course. Participants should have some experience with movement practices, somatic approaches, or psychophysical disciplines. Some experience with the Body-Mind Centering® approach can be helpful but is not necessary. Bonnie may return to the same material in some classes and present it again from different perspectives. The specific principles explored in each class can be helpful, even life changing, in themselves, but the essence that she would like to transmit is that there is a way to learn, a way to access your body and mind, a way to relate to yourself and others that emerges from the deeply rooted experience and knowing of your cells. Insights and principles are drawn from Bonnie’s more than 50 years of pioneering work in an embodied approach to anatomy, developmental movement, embryological development, and psychophysical integration. In each class, cellular consciousness guides our explorations. Join Bonnie with a sense of curiosity and inquiry about movement, the body, and consciousness. REGISTRATION INCLUDES 12 recorded classes (90 – 96 minutes each, English captions) Unlimited lifetime access to the class recordings 120+ illustrations and documents The classes were taught and recorded between February 13 – May 22, 2025. A list of the material Bonnie presented in each class can be found on the 2025 Winter Series Class Index.