ABSTRACT
An increasing appreciation for the situated nature of learning and the value of tacit knowledge lends credence to an educational approach that recognizes the body as a legitimate source of knowledge. To begin with, a brief historical and cross-cultural overview of philosophies of the body may be useful, particularly since the understandings of the body have changed over time and differ across cultures. Phenomenology offers perhaps the most significant philosophical challenge to Cartesian dualism's approach to the body. According to Hanna, a number of philosophical and theoretical perspectives are congruent with, and inform, somatic theories of embodiment. Somatic education can be understood from a variety of perspectives, depending on the disciplinary context within which it is viewed. Beyond the somatic methods in themselves, however, the embodied knowledge of the somatic educator is a significant element of the process. The chapter explains some components of a somatic approach, namely interoception, exteroception, proprioception, felt sense and intercorporeality.
