As music teachers, we spend a great deal of time caring for and with our students-but often neglect caring for ourselves (Hendricks, 2018; Kelley et al. 2022). Practicing self-compassion is an essential part of staying healthy, reducing teaching-related stress, and being able to show up fully for others (Gibbons & Newberry, 2022; Jennings, 2015; Walton et al. 2025). One powerful way to build self-compassion is through somatic self-care-tuning into our bodies and learning to listen to what we need.In the first part of this workshop, I’ll introduce the idea of Somaesthetics, a philosophy that highlights the importance of lived, bodily experience (Shusterman, 2008). From this perspective, taking care of oneself not only includes physical health, but also our capacity for clearer awareness, better function, and deeper well-being. To bring this to life, we’ll explore the Feldenkrais Method, a unique approach to movement and learning that helps people notice how they move, sharpen their senses, and grow their self-awareness (Feldenkrais, 1990). In the second part of the workshop, I’ll guide participants through a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson, where they will experience this method firsthand. They will discover how paying closer attention to their body can improve their self-understanding, nurture self-compassion, and even strengthen the way they connect with their students.We’ll conclude by looking at practical ways music teachers can bring somatic self-care into both their personal lives and classrooms. These practices can help foster trust, empathy, patience, inclusivity, community, and genuine connection—qualities that not only support our own well-being, but also help us grow into more compassionate and effective teachers.