exercise · all tools
What's Here Now?
One person lies down and places their partner's hand somewhere on their own body; the hand stays exactly there, relaxed, in pure witness, while the partner asks 'what's here now?' every few seconds to a minute, and the receiver answers at the level of sensation or emotion, moving the hand elsewhere if called to. After several minutes the receiver's own hand replaces it and they rest. Offered for somatic games nights and client work — brains on sticks, brought back into the body.
- The receiver places the hand, which is the consent design, and the manual's 'if comfortable' about lying down should be honoured literally
- A resting hand on the body and repeated inquiry into sensation can surface more than expected; the manual mentions client work, and a facilitator should be able to stay with what arises
- The manual offers a choice between feedback between rounds and 'sacred silence' throughout; silence removes the check-in, so choose it knowingly
Practical
- Time
- 20-30 min
- Group
- 2–∞ · pairs
- Settings
- in-person
- Mechanisms
- somatic-awareness, attention-training, dialogic-encounter
- Change scope
- state → skill · repeatable
Instructions
- Where
- authrev.org/ar-games-manual — Authentic Relating Games Manual, paid
- Availability
- In the source document — the instructions live inside the material linked, on its terms
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 4.0 (Authentic Relating Games Manual)
Source link checked 31 Aug 2026 — unchanged since we recorded it on 29 Aug 2026
This directory describes and points home; the instructions stay with the people who made them.
Origin
Submitted by Rachel Santos (HeartOn.life and The Connection Movement) — Somatic inquiry; carried into Authentic Relating (Authentic Relating Games Manual, 2025 edition)
In this directory via Authentic Relating Games Manual
status: checked · added 2026-08-31