 Welcome to the third and final video in this series. In the first video, I introduced somatic intelligence and different ways of knowing in relation to the body, as well as some versions of embodied scholarship. And perhaps you took the opportunity to move with lines and circles in the previous video to explore an abstract concept through movement. Now I will discuss how you can concretely implement this within your research activities. The somatic toolkit which I mentioned in the beginning of video one is freely available online. It includes explorations to support a healthy relationship to your research in mental, emotional as well as physical terms. It helps you to be aware of not sitting too long behind your desk and move with your ideas. This will support you as a researcher in the longer term. Whatever methodology we use, every research will move through a cycle of familiar stations. There will be a phase of preparation, data collection and dissemination. We all have to deal with literature review, observations or interviews, analysis, writing and presentation. The somatic toolkit offers ten concrete exercises regarding such research activities and how improvised movement can support your thinking, analysis and the interconnection between all of them. But we also face questions about our identity and confidence as a researcher, about being in the unknown, dealing with polarities in our data or emotional responses that our work might bring up. Guest contributions include working with gender, blood, practices to quiet the mind, deal with discomfort and challenging research situations and emotional states such as overwhelm, stress and exhaustion. Rather than repeating those resources here, I'd like to use our remaining time to highlight a specific aspect you might consider exploring to enhance your bodily relationship to your research. Place. Where is your research taking place? What type of landscape or urban environment are you in? And how does that environment affect your somatic experience? Your breath, your senses, your movements? What view or observations do your position afford you? How technology-intense is the space? And how does this affect your body? How natural or wild is the space? And how does this affect your body? You might find yourself in a familiar environment, but equally you might have never been there or somewhere similar before. So what types of body skills are necessary to navigate this space? In the podcast series of the Somatics Toolkit, for example, Dr. Jerome Lewis speaks about ways to embody different environments, especially the forest. The soil and the sounds are different, and the sense of the space around you is different. Also, where are you analyzing your data afterwards? Can you find a nice place to work that is not office-like? How can changing your environment help you gaining a different perspective over your data? Or help you be more comfortable in your body while you're at it? It often helps me to put my work around me in a circle and sit on a meditation cushion while I read, analyze, or edit my writing. People, who are you with? And what do you know about their somatic experience? How do they move, connect, talk, touch, express themselves? What topics are important to them? And what might they think about what you are studying? And from what angles or vantage points do they observe the world? Do they sit in chairs? Do they sit on the ground? Is most of the time spent being active or sedentary? And how does your body respond to this way of being? What experience or knowledge is expressed in their movements? Again, try to find an embodied expression of these questions. So, for example, if your research takes place in a hospital, you'll meet patients, staff and visitors. And each of these groups will have their own presence. And imagine how each role affects their movement and emotional state. What different speeds and postures, levels of anxiety or confidence do you discern? And how does this affect you? The role of the doctor allows freedom to move from one ward to another. People in this role will be pressed for time and often experience exhaustingly long days. Movement effects might be staccato-like, efficient, tired, stressed, spacious or full of compassion. Patients have much more restrictions in their movements. They might be stationary in bed. They might be linked up with medical instruments. And there is a lot of waiting. Waiting for food, for visiting hours, a test result, for bandages to be changed. Patients might feel nauseous, but they're still pressed to eat something. Perhaps they can't go to the toilet unassisted. Notice how in this role your movements and sensations are different to how you moved in the role of doctor. And finally, you can move as a visitor who comes to see a relative or a friend. You enter the room slightly anxious. There's a strong smell of chemicals and medication. You might be unsure of what to say, unsure of where to sit. Your breathing is shallow. And where should you leave the flowers? Is it appropriate to share something about life outside the hospital? Again, these movements and sensations are very different to those both of the doctor and the patient. And bringing an awareness of these roles into your moving body will help you with your research participants in a different way. And it will help you understand more of what they're telling you. So it adds a different layer to your observations and your data. Aspects. Also, what aspects or phenomena are relevant to your investigation? This can include animals, art forms, healing practices, educational systems, rituals, or approaches to food security, social media use, robots and artificial intelligence. Can you represent or enact these? And how do these influence your movement? What sensations do they allow you to experience? For example, you might be investigating music, instruments, sounds and performances. Imagine the instrument as a living thing just like your body. Try and mimic the shape of the instrument with your body. Curving or stretching. And allow it to breathe. How does it produce its sound? Is it an air instrument or a string instrument? Does it make sound when stamping on the ground like ankle bells? Can you mimic the sound with your voice? Can you express the quality of the sound in your movements? And then, what bodily techniques are used to play this instrument? Is the musician sitting or standing? And with what body part does the musician connect to the instrument? Are their movements symmetrical? Or do different parts of the body make different movements? Are they playing solo or in a group? Is there an audience? How are their bodies involved? Analytical concepts. Like the exploration of lines and circles in the previous video, you can work with any set of concepts. To start with, it is easiest to inquire into two distinct categories in your research, such as group individual, past and present, researcher-researched, man-woman, carer-patient or parent-child. And there will be several such categories present in your research. They can also be more abstract, such as objectivity, subjectivity. Tangible, intangible. Belonging or separation. Closeness or distance. And you can move with them almost like a dance partner. Pay attention how they move your body in turn and see what that exploration shows you. You could use the following structure. Mark each concept on a separate piece of paper through a word or a drawing. For example, you could write prison and freedom on the two sheets of paper. Place the two sheets in the room with you, some space apart. And then you move towards each of the pieces in turn, and you imagine stepping into that particular concept. And notice what changes in your body. Again, sense your breath, the feeling texture of your body and a possible emotional response. Your body will respond to the concept when you engage with it. If I move with prison, my body becomes stiff, tight, locked. My breathing gets shallow and I feel scared. I look for a way out. When I engage with freedom, my breath gets deeper. My body relaxes, my eyes look up and I'm curious. Such sensations can inform your understanding of the concept you chose. Notice if you feel neutral towards both or feel drawn to or distance from one of the polarities. Swap between them a few times. Do they feel different? What associations do you have with each? Is there one you feel more comfortable with? Is there one you might be avoiding? Is there one that feels like a friend and another like an adversary? Is there one that supports and one that challenges? Keep reflecting on the differences. What do they teach you? And remember that there is no right or wrong. This is simply your very own and personal inquiry into your topic and in the polarities you chose for today. To complete, always return to the center. Try to find a still point inside yourself. And despite what you have experienced, acknowledge the polarities without judgment as phenomena that simply exist, like day and night. And if you're not there yet, ask yourself what is necessary to find balance inside yourself. The idea is to create space from which you can deal with these polarities in the responses to your research efficiently and skillfully through artistry, poise and integrity. Emotions. You can adapt the previous exploration of concepts to work with polarity within the personal emotional sphere related to your research. For example, between being stressed or relaxed. Between acting now or later. Between hope and despair. Again, you can write them on pieces of paper and swap between the different qualities to explore what they can teach you. In the guest contributions of the somatic toolkit, you will find an extended practice to deal with challenging research situations developed by Lena Faust and Simone Pfeiffer. A simple version of this could be to select an object or image that expresses an emotional state or specific situation during your research. Externalizing the situation creates some distance between you and your experience and the strength of your emotional charge. See how your body responds to that object or even to the memory of that situation or emotion. Locate where the emotion is situated in your body and give it shape. How does it affect your posture? Your breath. You can also move closer or further away from the object and see if that changes your feelings regarding the situation. What if you fully embody this emotion without hurting yourself or your surroundings? Does that bring insight of how to deal with it? What is needed to flow with this more gracefully? Does it bring relief or a call to action? And to complete, try to find your center again. Remember that emotions do not need to be hidden or ignored. You do not need to be ashamed of them. They're simply part of your research process. And if necessary, ask yourself, what is necessary to find balance inside yourself? Perhaps simply paying attention to this will have been enough. Perhaps you can do some uncensored writing. Perhaps you call a friend or professional if you realize that you need a bit more contained space to dance with this. These are some general ideas to approach your research in an embodied way. You can imply this to any aspect and occurrence within your research. Allow yourself to move freely with your chosen exploration topic in mind. And switch between the various elements of your study, whether they are people, materials, natural or other phenomena, or any emotion that you might experience in relation to your research. Be creative and allow ample time. Remember that there is no right or wrong. You are simply investigating something through the unique instrument that is your body. Now after each exploration, make sure you consciously come back to yourself. Feel your feet on the ground. Take a few deep breaths and consciously step out of the exploration. You can mark this spatially by taking a step back and turn around. Take some time to reflect on what you experienced. And if you are working with strong emotional content, make sure you have ways to navigate what comes up. You can find more guidance on how to complete a session on the Somatics Toolkit website. Have a great journey and even allow for the possibility of enjoying yourself. Thank you for your time and remember your body.