POSES History

The Birth of POSES

POSES emerged from the intersection of various psychosomatic therapies and a deep curiosity about the relationship between body, mind, and spirit. It is a system of self-study centered on intentional observation practiced in front of a mirror, and designed to help you see yourself clearly and become the conscious and the dynamic being you are.

POSES: Program of Self-Encounters

POSES was created by Renata Abbade, a Brazilian-born artist, researcher, and lifelong explorer of the human experience. Since an early age, Renata has been drawn to the mysteries of the self, studying Do-In (Self-Massage), Astrology, Freud, and Jung before she was even a teenager. At thirteen, she began psychotherapy with a Jungian analyst simply to “meet her subconscious,” and by fifteen, her first experience with Global Posture Reeducation (RPG Method®) — a somatic therapy developed by French physiotherapist Philippe Souchard — changed her forever.

Her curiosity for the ways the body speaks continued to expand through the study and practice of Pilates, the Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method®, Body-Mind Centering®, and other somatic disciplines. In 2009, this ongoing inquiry crystallized into what would become POSES, a practice of deep observation and embodied awareness — a way to meet oneself through movement, sensation, and reflection.

Renata’s journey has taken her from Brazil to the U.S., from the bustle of São Paulo and New York to the stillness of Mendocino County, California, where she now lives surrounded by ancient redwoods. Her professional path has been as multifaceted as her inner one, spanning visual communication, art, fashion, healing, and design, and consistently guided by a devotion to aesthetics, consciousness, and “truth”.

Inspired by movement, relationships, and the natural world, Renata continues to evolve POSES as both a personal and collective invitation to look inward, to listen deeply, and to rise through self-awareness.

Renata Abbade in a swimsuit and wide-brimmed hat swimming in a pool, holding a mirror, on a glittery pink inner tube. Photo by Chris Clinton.

FAQs

Illustration of a human looking at themselves in the mirror

The 8 Senses

Human perception begins with the senses, and in POSES, we work intentionally with all 8: visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory, intuitive, proprioceptive, and interoceptive.

Each sense can stand alone or blend with the others, shaping how we understand ourselves and the world. POSES invites you to explore these senses individually and in connection, creating conscious pathways between them through observation, reflection, and experiential practice.

As you awaken and meet yourself through your senses without judgment, you learn to notice, accept, release, and transform. This inward movement is how we reclaim our power, shift in the direction of our choosing, and return to ourselves renewed, again and again.

A minimalist illustration by Camila Levy of a person holding a broken mirror reflecting their face with their hand, accompanied by the POSES logo.

The 4 Faculties

In POSES, we work to align the four human faculties—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—by refining the way we perceive. Perception is a psychophysical process: a meeting point between what your senses take in, the predictions your mind generates, and the meanings your inner world assigns. Every moment of perception is shaped by imagination, thought, emotional history, environment, and shifting bodily sensations.

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