Hi, I’m Tess.
I’m a teacher and practitioner of Yoga and Somatics.
My offerings grow from my explorations of therapeutic and embodied movement, meditation, dance, sound and music therapy, Body-Mind Centering somatics, and the ancient tradition of Non-dual Śaiva Tantra (Kashmir Shaivism).
My journey as a “somanaut” has led me to see the body-mind not as something to fix or transcend, but as a microcosm of life’s forces, cycles, and mysteries.
I’m devoted to the path from doing to being, and from me to we.
I’m interested in what happens when we make ourselves at home in the space of not knowing.
I’m curious about what moves at the moment when we are seen, not solved—felt, not fixed.
I want to welcome the stories hidden in livers and cerebrospinal rivers—the stuff that speaks when we lay down what could or should be and listen deeply to what is.
I want to offer my ocean of cells at the feet of life’s flow—to let the great mystery move me, breathe me, return me to what I can only call Love.
“Tess Kennedy must simply be floating above the floorboards as she teaches – or so soft yet intentional is her step that my awareness narrows to only my own body and the sensations of exactly this moment. A collective preternatural grace envelops all of us in the room, and we have been so skillfully guided into her workshop that the world has dropped away. She gazes out at all of us, with a knowing smile, through the backs of her eyes.
I’ve been so fortunate to share many different spaces throughout many different seasons alongside Tess Kennedy and the beautiful communities gravitating to her and her teachings. Myofascial Release transformed an afternoon in the sunniest shala into a deeply personal exploration of memories and fears that had been waiting patiently for their moment of attention and care. Embodied Yin and Yang began with a conversation, not a presentation. The energy of the curated chaos and expertly coordinated music selections for Shake the Dust encouraged flames to engulf insecurities and lingering demons – leaving only a fertile void characterized by the deepest, darkest soil that has proven to be the best for real growth.”
— Meghan
“Words are not sufficient to encompass the deeply spiritual and renewing (both in mind and body) nature of Tess’s instruction. Tess’s maturity evokes the notion of a soul that has returned to earth many times over, storing centuries of lessons along the way. Her existence is a gift and her presence alone offers a detox from all that is wrong with the world. Her classes ring me out and open my body to the potential of the moment, offering me the skills in the studio to deal with stress outside of it a little better. I feel like a new person, physically and mentally, every time I take her class.”
— Carly
