The extraordinary nature of the nervous tissues

The other day, when I spoke with my pal and Feldenkrais colleague, Becci Parsons, she told me about attending The Nerve Tour in Seattle. This workshop, she explained, had fundamentally altered her understanding of the nervous system, deepening her practice in ways she hadn't imagined.

This event — subtitled Exploring the Nerve Tree in Relationship — was one of the early stops on Gil Hedley’s two-year, 111-city tour of the US and Canada. For those unfamiliar with Gil, he's an internationally renowned anatomist who leads insightful, hands-on dissection courses and lectures. He has coined the term "integral anatomy" to describe his extraordinary approach to understanding human structure. As Gil writes, “Integral anatomy sees nature as a mirror reflecting self, rather than other, and looks to develop an understanding of the whole person as well as the whole body.”

The Nerve Tour, a five-hour live presentation specifically designed for practitioners of the somatic arts and sciences, unveils the groundbreaking, heartfelt insights gleaned from a meticulous five-month dissection undertaken by Gil and his team at the Institute for Anatomical Research. Combining footage, slides, talks, experiential exercises, and Q&A sessions, the immersive workshop offers an illuminating exploration of the nervous system's profound nature.

I’m so looking forward to attending The Nerve Tour when it arrives in central California in November 2024. While I have yet to decide whether to attend San Francisco, San Jose, or Monterey, I'm thrilled at the prospect of joining colleagues for what promises to be a uniquely captivating and enriching learning experience.

Whether or not you will be able to participate, you can find Gil’s videos on his somanaut YouTube channel. If you’d like to learn more about the materials he’s created and the courses he offers, please check out his website.

I created the image at the top of today’s post with the Perchance AI image generator to change things up. In case you’re wondering, I used the following prompts: technical drawing showcasing an anatomical illustration of the human nervous system in the style of Leonard da Vinci, muted color grading, annotation details, pencil strokes, and concept art sketch. Thanks to Becci for the somanaut patch and to Beth Riley for turning me onto Gil’s free verse poem, which is from his book Beyond the Leaving (2011).