Meet Sonya Barriere | Sensate Wizard of Breath and Body

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sonya Barriere and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sonya, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
In my business, I focus on how I can reconnect people to their inner awareness and feeling state at the level of the body. As a deeply kinesthetically driven human, I often feel a lack of refection externally in our culture. That’s not to say I want my work to produce more people like me, its to say that I see many people floating around out of tune with what’s going on in their bodies. I see it show itself as anxiety, restlessness, and often as chronic pain or disease that comes from not listening to the first inklings that something is wrong. Beyond avoiding pain or discmfort, I see the work of tuning folks into their bodies as highly transformational, compassionate and even revolutionary. When a person is tuned into the truth of their body and what it needs, it becomes very clear what external systems need to change in order to support those needs. When we are aligned with what is good for our bodies, we can more readily tap into the joy and resilience available to us, and that, my friends, radiates into all the rest of your life.

I think its really easy to look at someone in “wellness” and think we know what that means. We also have so many examples of people who don’t feel authenically aligned to the real service that is asked of being in this work. I trust myself so deeply that this work is needed and can catalyze evolution in the lives of those in my community, and potentially for the world. May it be so,

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Maybe one of my greatest strengths – which also translates to a fun challenge in what I offer – is defining my work to be able to find clients who understand what it is I’m offering. I’ve found that my specific gentle approach to bodywork is usually confusing for people. Take bodywork and massage for example. Most people hear massage and they think they’re supposed to experience “no pain no gain.” While deep work can be incredible – heck I love receiving it when done well – there’s so much juice in a subtle experience.

Before anything else, I’m a channel for energy. I don’t adhere to any strict spiritual dogmas except that I do no harm, and that I honor others’ sovereignty. I’m here to open you up to the stream of lifeforce you can invite into your body, to the possibility of expanding past any patterns or limits you believe you have. Maybe you’re asking for deeper work because you don’t know how to feel the true edges of your body. Maybe your body is holding patterns of movement that were built to support you in another time, but aren’t relevant anymore. Together we can shake that loose.

Going back to my mission in this work; Most folks don’t have a very strong tether to what’s happening in their body, so the only experience they might be able to recognize has to be highly stimulating – things like pain or deep pressure. What’s interesting about what I’m offering is the deeper you go into subtle work, the more you are able to feel into subtle stimulation. There’s so much nuance to feel. I’ve called my work “lines of energy,” “gentle bodywork,” “hands of light,” but always find myself needing to have a deeper conversation with folks about what that means.

Plus, I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but there’s a lot of bodyworkers out there who will do the “deep” work you’re asking for, and it will rip your tissues apart. You might feel relief for a couple weeks, but you’ll have to keep coming back as your muscles repair the damage over and over again creating a cycle of tension rather than actual relief. Some don’t even realize this is what they’re doing. My work is specifically for relaxation at the level of the nervous system. I think that’s where true healing can happen.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh my gosh, my best friend is actually visiting and I will be taking her to some of my favorite local spots to hang out, as well as an adventure through Topanga!

I would start with a Sunday Meditation at Lake Shrine, lunch at Sweet Maple in Santa Monica, maybe an afternoon dance with Ecstatic Dance LA. Dinner at Tu Madre for some amazing tacos. We would spend the week lounging at the beaches, Santa Monica, Temescal, all the way up to Zuma, which I frequently bring my signing bowls to for little gatherings, taking bike rides between Venice pier and Temescal. Maybe meet up with my friends at Superbloom Collective for some of their amazing wellness activities throughout the week. I’ll take her driving through Topanga to eat at Endless Color, hike up to Eagle Rock one day. Maybe another secret little waterfall hike I know about, perhaps go to Will Rogers state park for a picnic. I’m not much of a drinker, so we’d probably visit Moon Juice, and Anima Mundi for yummy juices and elixer ingredients. Probably head to Sunlife up in Malibu for smoothies and good vibes. For some fancy meals I’ll probably take her to Planta in Venice, or Shojin, two favorite plant based spots of mine. For other meals the hot bar at Erewhon is just so good, if you’ve had their buffalo cauliflower you know what I mean. Many of my friends are musicians so I would definitely be taking her to jams and song circles at my friends’ houses all over LA. Maybe go see the LA Philharmonic

And then I would take her up to Santa Barbara where the hiking, good friends and good food are overflowing. A little Savoy for the best salad bar I’ve ever had, Lazy Acres for a poke bowl, Mesa Produce for the best fruit you can find. Backyard Bowls and Chocolate Maya for the best acai and chocolate you can experience (try to convince me otherwise). Visit the good folks at Yoga Soup where I teach breathwork once a month, check out their amazing selection of books and good local products. Go up to Chaucers, the last good book store standing anywhere nearby. Take her to a Wednesday ecstatic dance by the beach hosted by Ean Golden, the literal best dancefloor I’ve ever had the pleasure to move on. Tons of friends who make music and tend the land, so spending a lot of time with all of them. Every beach and hiking spot is incredible so we’d find some of each. Sounds like a perfect week.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow, there are so many hands that have lent themselves to this road. My mom was the first, just an incredibly activated OG 70s hippie who instilled curiosity and self exploration in me right from the start. She continues to ask me to question my motivation, to stay in my body and trust my gut. I also can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t dance, and that’s because of her. My first mentor down the line as I got older was Crickett Cimino, an incredible massage therapist in Maryland where I spent a lot of growing up years. She was one of my first inspirations toward moving into this work and the first person outside my family to see the gifts I was growing into as a teenager. She helped intstill radical integrity and accountability in my teenaged brain. She also got me introduced to an the path of Reiki, and facilitated my attunement at 19. Wow there’s so many more incredible women and others to name but these were the first that got me started. I continue to find myself surrounded by impeccable quality people, who contantly inspire and support me in becoming a better person.

Website: https://bornformorefamily.com

Instagram: @bornformorefamily

Image Credits
Kate Bowen @lightbeacon_photo
Kyra Glover @wovenlens
Josh Roberts @the.aleph__
Kali @eius.terrra