Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training, LLC

Mission of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training

The Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training exists to honor, preserve, and advance the original work of Thomas Hanna, whose synthesis of evolutionary science, humanistic psychology, existential philosophy, and somatic learning reshaped how human beings understand movement, awareness, and voluntary control. Our mission is to uphold the clarity, rigor, and intellectual depth of his teaching, ensuring that the discipline known as Hanna Somatics remains a reliable and coherent source of learning for generations to come.

We safeguard the original materials of this work, including Thomas Hanna’s writings, recordings, curriculum, and philosophical foundations, and make them accessible to those seeking an authentic encounter with the discipline. In doing so, we protect the lineage without limiting its spirit, the spirit of inquiry, curiosity, and human agency that defined Hanna’s life and work.

The Hanna family, through the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training, LLC, holds the core intellectual property of Hanna Somatics. This includes trademarks associated with Hanna Somatics and the Novato Institute, the copyrights in the published and unpublished works of Thomas Hanna and Eleanor Criswell Hanna, and the rights to their names, images, and likenesses. These assets are stewarded to preserve the integrity of Hanna Somatic Education and to ensure that its teaching, licensing, and future development remain faithful to its original principles and purpose.

The Institute serves as the archival home of the discipline and as a place where students, practitioners, and scholars can engage directly with the original sources of this work, grounded in accuracy and free from distortion.

Statement of Lineage and Authenticity

Hanna Somatics refers specifically to the system developed by Thomas Hanna between 1970 and 1990. The Novato Institute preserves this lineage by maintaining access to the original source materials and ensuring accuracy in the presentation of its concepts, methods, and philosophy. We recognize and respect the existence of many somatic disciplines while providing a clear and stable reference point for Thomas Hanna’s original ideas.

The Novato Institute serves as the responsible steward of this lineage, holding the original source materials and associated intellectual property so that Hanna Somatics may be taught, referenced, and developed with accuracy and continuity.

Legacy Statement

Thomas Hanna offered a radical and hopeful insight: that human beings, through voluntary awareness, can reclaim freedom in movement, perception, and life. His work emerged from a rare combination of philosophical depth and embodied exploration. The Novato Institute exists to preserve this legacy not as a static monument, but as a living body of knowledge and practice that continues to invite learning, responsibility, and change.

Vision

We envision a world in which people have access to the clarity that comes from learning to sense and move with awareness. Hanna Somatics offers a pathway toward agency through voluntary control, embodied understanding, and the capacity to act with intention in one’s own life.

The Novato Institute aspires to carry this lineage forward with fidelity while honoring the exploratory spirit that shaped its creation. In a culture where information is often fragmented, generalized, or diluted, we provide a stable reference point where the discipline may be encountered as it was conceived: precise, thoughtful, and grounded in the human capacity to learn and transform.

The Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training, LLC holds trademarks related to Hanna Somatics and the Novato Institute, as well as copyrights in the published and unpublished works of Thomas Hanna and Eleanor Criswell Hanna, and rights to their names, images, and likenesses.