Aude & Steve. Cinematography, Lilli Brininger / Editing, Alexandre Do
Our manifesto
Healing, in its very essence, is nothing but reconnection — to ourselves, to others, to the Earth. If we reflect on this simple idea, we will realise that we can all be healers: as we walk our paths, when we talk to others, in how we do things, why, and for what reason. It is along this idea that we share our work, offering a platform to people from all walks of life, to deepen in connection as we reclaim that which brings us together. We do this without imposing a form, dogma, or belief system, but through an open space that allows infinite possibilities and creativity to flourish. Where we can walk together and learn from each other.
From WATER TEXTURES by Steve Karle
Our values
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Being in a position of power entails responsibility, especially within a healing context where one treads into a space of vulnerability. We strive to establish an empowering dialogue by honouring each person’s truth through the way we listen, speak, and connect through touch. This also involves demystifying our processes, being transparent, and creating a safe space where we ourselves may be challenged. We think that the guru figure is outdated, and that includes all forms of patriarchal structures. Our role is not to impose our beliefs but to acknowledge the immense wisdom that already exists within each of us, while gently guiding each other there.
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In a world where the education system is often linear and productivity-driven, where a sedentary lifestyle erodes our instincts, and where society often shapes our will, we recognise the importance of nurturing creativity, both within learning as well as within a healing process. We commit to providing a space for free exploration, spontaneity, and self-discovery, allowing each individual to find their own unique path. This means breaking down fixed structures, letting go of control and hierarchies, listening deeply, and being open to new possibilities while reminding ourselves that as leaders we are forever students.
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We believe that journeys such as ours, that facilitate connection and human intimacy, where we can sit in a circle with one another and just be, where we can process wounds and fears, indulge in touch and togetherness, and play as children do, are elemental towards recognising our interconnectedness. This in turn can develop our ability to step into another and understand and feel them from their perspective, not ours. We believe this is key towards making our world a better place. As facilitators, we strive to lead the way by continuously developing our ability to hold space with greater empathy.
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We believe a sense of community begins in the individual, when seeking integration between the various parts that make up the self. Because inner awareness will naturally translate into outer awareness and in our ability to resonate with others, as different as we may be. We aim to facilitate the grounds to develop such awareness and we find it vital to being inclusive and promoting diversity across age, race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, nationality, class, and religion. It also means offering opportunities to marginalised sectors of society and in countries with depressed economies.
Our founder
Hello, I’m Steve. I’m a Somatic Movement Educator, Craniosacral Therapist, and Aquatic Bodywork Specialist. I grew up between Germany and Mexico, and initially studied music and drama. Then life threw me off script in search of healing, where I eventually rediscovered my art — in water. I live as a nomad these days as I offer my work around the world.
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My calling was always in the arts – I began studying music in Havana, then went to acting school in Rome while working as a waiter in the evenings, continuing with a postgrad in classical theatre in London and with plans to study filmmaking. But after a major traumatic event, I developed an autoimmune condition that resulted in years of severe chronic fatigue accompanied by cognitive weakness. Unable to follow my passion, I began a quest to restore my vitality, exploring many holistic practices, from bodywork and meditation to somatics and shamanism, which slowly got me doing what I do today.
In my 15 years of practice, I've developed a process that came about mainly by observing the spontaneous way in which my clients' bodies moved in water when I offered a neutral touch and simply listened. By following their expressions, I noticed how they gradually entered a very organic and autonomous healing process, like a river that gains strength in its wake and through its own movement, washes through obstacles and cleanses itself, as it moves towards a state of flow. And so I learnt the art of listening -with my hands- and to be a medium more than anything.
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I pioneered Watsu in London in 2010 at the Connaught Hotel. A year later I introduced it to Aman, traveling extensively as a visiting specialist, trainer, and retreat leader across several of its international resorts. I was later key towards the opening of London's first two treatment pools — at the South Kensington Club and at Hotel Cafe Royal — where I established a long-term private practice, working with hundreds of clients. In 2014, I founded the British School of Aquatic Bodywork, the first such training institute in England certified by the Worldwide Aquatic Bodywork Association, through which I taught programs in 10+ countries in Europe as well as in Japan. I later separated from the association due to my preference for a less methodical and more creative educational approach, which paved the way for the Primordial Expression curriculum. Between 2011 and 2019, I developed the treatment program for Liquid Listening, a charity that works with children with special needs across UK schools, leading trainings for senior physiotherapists and carers. I have also offered my work at festivals, such as the Boom Festival in Portugal. Since 2020 I’ve been based in Mexico. Alongside my teaching, I’ve been developing two video-art projects: VULNERABILITY, a series of long'-form portraits, and BODY STORIES, an art and research initiative exploring somatic phenomena. I’ve continued to expand my work at the intersection of contemporary arts, such as with butoh, and creating nature-based immersions and creative retreats in collaboration with artists.
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I dropped out of high school to focus on music, which led me to the music conservatory in Havana in 2001. After selling a few boxes of cigars, I went to study Italian in Florence, a dream of mine, and later found a little acting school in Rome based on Stanislavsky's Method Acting, which I attended for 3 years. This was followed by a postgraduate in Classical Theatre at LAMDA in London, as well as various workshops at RADA. In 2008, after experiencing a Shiatsu session to alleviate my fatigue, I began studying Shiatsu at the British School of Shiatsu. The following year I certified in Holistic Massage and started working full time as a masseur while continuing to study other forms of bodywork, including Chavutti Thirumal, Thai massage, treatment for sports injuries, and Watsu which became a major interest. In 2010, I certified as a Watsu practitioner and the following year as a Watsu teacher, after 1000+ hours of studies between seminars in Europe, Asia, and California, including assisting and co-teaching with Harold Dull, the creator of Watsu, and Theri Thomas, lead teacher trainer.
In 2013, I graduated from a 3-year training in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy at CTET in London with Katherine Ukleja, an experience that revealed to me the transformative power of subtle touch, becoming my major influence in my work today. I then specialised in working with trauma, attending seminars with Peter Levine, author of 'Waking The Tiger', Gabor Maté, author of 'When The Body Says No', Stephen Porges, author of the Polyvagal Theory, William Emerson within the field of pre and perinatal psychology, as well as training in TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) with Steve Haines. I have attended a range of seminars on intimacy and sexuality, including the Wheel of Consent by Betty Martin which I have integrated in my own training. I have explored ancestral and shamanic practices, a fascination I’ve had since experiencing a sweat lodge and pipe circle in the Lakota tradition as a teenager. I also practice Vipassana Meditation and for the past two years I've been exploring Butoh, a japanese form of dance.
Steve, Oaxaca by Heese
How it all began
It began with Poetry in Water in London in 2010. It began as I held, in warm water, men, women and children, as they simply floated and slowly trusted to let themselves go. Their bodies would spontaneously move, I soon discovered. Bodies that would fold into innocent contractions or stretch out and turn in electrifying spirals. Bodies that would suddenly stand still, and would have me there, waiting and observing, until I noticed that the water around them began to vibrate, while space and time disappeared. Bodies that would tremor or shake, like crying or releasing yet in a very physical way. Bodies that would kick and splash, like a wild beast that was only waiting for its freedom to unleash its tail and devour the moment, to exist. Bodies moving in a very primal way, at times resembling some kind of ritual dance, at others a process of gestation. Bodies, that in their continuum of gestures, so unique to each, were uttering truth in profoundly vulnerable ways. Truth in the shape of mysterious somatic forms that would surge from within, only to disappear in that very moment again, in the sublime stillness of the water.
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There is a quote from the Gnostic Gospels, which I first heard from someone who greatly influenced my work, Peter Levine, and that I resonate with in terms of the manner of expression and coming into authenticity that my work invites: “If you bring forth that which is within you, then that which is within you will be your salvation. If you do not bring forth that which is within you, then that which is within you will destroy you”.
My own story around seeking to restore my vitality after a major traumatic event at 21, and a severe chronic fatigue that followed for many years, was key in bringing me into this arena. It asked of me to change my lifestyle, my diet, put a halt to my acting ambitions, and taught me much about patience and being present. In retrospect, I can only feel lucky for this path I’ve trod which has led me to this. This, in turn, has brought me to connect with countless humans that have opened up in so many ways and allowed themselves to be vulnerable, right in front of me. Such moments can only make one grow inside, towards greater empathy, and for that I’m grateful.
Amidst the noise, the hurry, and the constant doing and becoming of our modern way of life, I feel Primordial Expression's raison d’être lies in offering the gift of being with – and whatever wonders and invisible realms may be found on the other side of that journey of togetherness. If this sounds like something rather ethereal, perhaps difficult to grasp in our product-packaged, experience-seeking, results-oriented culture, then let this be an invitation to immerse into the mystery.
— Steve Karle
