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YOGA JOURNAL, Winter 1999 Excerpt from Somatics: Yogas of the West, by Larry Sokoloff

CONTINUUM

Continuum’s founder Emilie Conrad says that its emphasis is on “the body as a process rather than a bounded form.” Conrad believes that the teachings of Continuum can help us to explore all the interconnected levels of existence, from the movement of our smallest cell to what she calls “the dynamic flow of a human being,” to larger groupings such as society, the planet, and beyond. As Bonnie Gintis, an osteopath and Continuum associate in Soquel, California, says, “Continuum is more a philosophy of life than an exercise technique.”
Since bodies are mostly made up of water, Continuum emphasizes fluidity. The breath is considered the source of all movement. Creating wave motions within the body by using a variety of breaths and sounds is an important component of the discipline. Continuum can help anyone, including yoga practitioners, gain mobility and fluidity. Also, because Continuum can be approached so gently, it can be especially useful in healing from very serious injuries like spinal cord trauma.