Autism On the Go 👍

# 🌿Sensing Before Naming

## Somatic Tools for Alexithymia

✨ Please RSVP — attendance will be limited to support depth and safety. ✨

There is a moment before language.

Before we say “I’m anxious.”
Before we say “I’m hurt.”
Before we say “I’m fine.”

There is sensation. 🌿

In this gathering, we explore the practice of sensing before naming — gently strengthening our capacity to notice internal experience prior to conceptual labeling.

Many of us — especially those who identify as autistic, analytical, highly cognitive, or trauma-adapted — learned to move quickly into thought. 🧠
But the body often speaks first. 🤍

When we cannot easily identify or describe our feelings (often called alexithymia), it is not a defect.
It is usually a developmental gap in interoceptive awareness — and research shows this can expand meaningfully over time. 📈

This evening we will:

• Explore the difference between sensation and story 🔍
• Practice simple somatic tracking exercises 🌊
• Strengthen interoceptive awareness (without pressure to perform) 🌱
• Expand emotional granularity gradually 🎨
• Build relational capacity through embodied presence 🤝

This is not about “fixing” anything.
It is about expansion — often just 5% at a time — which compounds over months into noticeable change. ✨

We’ll move slowly. 🕊️
We’ll practice curiosity. 🔎

We’ll normalize the awkwardness of learning to feel more clearly.
Because when we can sense more precisely,
we can regulate more skillfully,
connect more authentically,
and respond rather than react.

And that changes companionship. 💛

### Discussion Prompts

• What do you notice in your body before you form a thought?
• Is there a sensation you tend to override?
• What feels easier to name — thoughts or feelings?
• What would expansion (not perfection) look like for you here?

# 🌿Sensing Before Naming

## Somatic Tools for Alexithymia

✨ Please RSVP — attendance will be limited to support depth and safety. ✨

There is a moment before language.

Before we say “I’m anxious.”
Before we say “I’m hurt.”
Before we say “I’m fine.”

There is sensation. 🌿

In this gathering, we explore the practice of sensing before naming — gently strengthening our capacity to notice internal experience prior to conceptual labeling.

Many of us — especially those who identify as autistic, analytical, highly cognitive, or trauma-adapted — learned to move quickly into thought. 🧠
But the body often speaks first. 🤍

When we cannot easily identify or describe our feelings (often called alexithymia), it is not a defect.
It is usually a developmental gap in interoceptive awareness — and research shows this can expand meaningfully over time. 📈

This evening we will:

• Explore the difference between sensation and story 🔍
• Practice simple somatic tracking exercises 🌊
• Strengthen interoceptive awareness (without pressure to perform) 🌱
• Expand emotional granularity gradually 🎨
• Build relational capacity through embodied presence 🤝

This is not about “fixing” anything.
It is about expansion — often just 5% at a time — which compounds over months into noticeable change. ✨

We’ll move slowly. 🕊️
We’ll practice curiosity. 🔎

We’ll normalize the awkwardness of learning to feel more clearly.
Because when we can sense more precisely,
we can regulate more skillfully,
connect more authentically,
and respond rather than react.

And that changes companionship. 💛

### Discussion Prompts

• What do you notice in your body before you form a thought?
• Is there a sensation you tend to override?
• What feels easier to name — thoughts or feelings?
• What would expansion (not perfection) look like for you here?

🧡 The Yamas & Niyamas Book Club
Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele

Join us for a thoughtful and structured exploration of the 10 foundational ethical principles of yoga — and it’s first two limbs - the Yamas and Niyamas — not as abstract philosophy, but as living practices for modern relational life.

We will move through the book slowly and deliberately, allowing time for reflection, discussion, and maximal comprehension. This is not a race — it is a deep dive.

Throughout the series, we will explore each principle through multiple lenses:

• The Eight Limbs of Yoga — how ethical foundations support meditation and integration
• The Attributes of Companionship — what creates steadiness, warmth, and repair in relationships
• The Framework of Relational Capacities — curiosity, regulation, empathy, attunement, meta-awareness, and expansion
• Attachment Patterns — how early bonding shapes adult connection
• Childhood Development — how adaptive strategies and nervous system learning influence behavior
• Psychological Integration — movement from fragmentation toward coherence
• Contemporary Neuroscience — including the role of left-dominant Default Mode Network activity, overthinking loops, narrative selfing, and how deeper mindfulness practices soften reactivity

We will examine feeling tone, subtle reactive pulses, and stimulus-independent thought — learning to notice the micro-movements of the mind before they crystallize into behavior. This adds a modern layer of contemplative science to the ethical foundations of yoga.

Meetings will also include guest speakers from a variety of disciplines — psychology, neuroscience, contemplative practice, somatics, and relational development — offering cross-disciplinary insight and practical application.

This is not about perfection.
It is about expansion.

Expect:
📖 deep reading
🧠 psychological insight
🧘 contemplative grounding
🤝 relational skill-building
✨ reflective dialogue

If you are interested in expanding awareness, strengthening companionship, and cultivating steadier presence in your relationships, we invite you to join us.

Meeting Day & Time: To Be Determined
Details coming soon.

Come curious.
Come reflective.
Come willing to grow.

# 🌿Sensing Before Naming

## Somatic Tools for Alexithymia

✨ Please RSVP — attendance will be limited to support depth and safety. ✨

There is a moment before language.

Before we say “I’m anxious.”
Before we say “I’m hurt.”
Before we say “I’m fine.”

There is sensation. 🌿

In this gathering, we explore the practice of sensing before naming — gently strengthening our capacity to notice internal experience prior to conceptual labeling.

Many of us — especially those who identify as autistic, analytical, highly cognitive, or trauma-adapted — learned to move quickly into thought. 🧠
But the body often speaks first. 🤍

When we cannot easily identify or describe our feelings (often called alexithymia), it is not a defect.
It is usually a developmental gap in interoceptive awareness — and research shows this can expand meaningfully over time. 📈

This evening we will:

• Explore the difference between sensation and story 🔍
• Practice simple somatic tracking exercises 🌊
• Strengthen interoceptive awareness (without pressure to perform) 🌱
• Expand emotional granularity gradually 🎨
• Build relational capacity through embodied presence 🤝

This is not about “fixing” anything.
It is about expansion — often just 5% at a time — which compounds over months into noticeable change. ✨

We’ll move slowly. 🕊️
We’ll practice curiosity. 🔎

We’ll normalize the awkwardness of learning to feel more clearly.
Because when we can sense more precisely,
we can regulate more skillfully,
connect more authentically,
and respond rather than react.

And that changes companionship. 💛

### Discussion Prompts

• What do you notice in your body before you form a thought?
• Is there a sensation you tend to override?
• What feels easier to name — thoughts or feelings?
• What would expansion (not perfection) look like for you here?