Introduction

Somatic yoga is a form of mindful movement intended to cultivate greater movement awareness, and release tension that may be held in the body. The term “somatic” stems from the Greek word soma which means “living body.” In contrast to most other styles of yoga that emphasize movement, somatic yoga is focused on sensations internally rather than on the form externally.

This practice has become more popular as people look for alternatives to help them manage stress, chronic pain, and emotional tension. Recent years show a significant increase in interest in mind body therapies. Surveys indicate more than a third of adults seek out movement therapies for stress related issues.

Somatic yoga uses movement and breath to help shift the body’s nervous system.

How Is Somatic Yoga Different From Yoga?

Traditional yoga classes may emphasize the importance of alignment, range of motion, muscular control, and yoga related endurance. While some of these components might also be present in somatic yoga, the purpose is usually different.

Here’s how somatic yoga differs from others:

Movement is slower and smaller
There’s less emphasis on “perfect” alignment
Focus is on internal sensation
Poses are adjusted to support comfort
The nervous system is emphasized

Instead of forcing your body into deeper stretches, somatic yoga encourages participants to gently explore movement and release tension. Neuromuscular re-education studies highlight the importance of slow, deliberate movement to reduce tightness and improve mobility.

To summarize, somatic yoga is more about awareness and less about performance.

Somatic Yoga Exercises

Easy and relaxing movement encourages tension release. Here are some commonly practiced poses.

Corpse Pose

Somatic yoga may incorporate this pose at the start or finish of a class. When practiced as an example of active awareness, participants are instructed to lie on their back, relax their arms, and carefully scan their entire body to help locate and identify areas of tension. Relaxation techniques have been shown to reduce some individual’s cortisol levels by 20-30%, aiding participants in recovering from stress.

Children’s Pose

Children’s pose helps gain a feeling of safety and groundness. Within the context of somatic practices, small movements and/or rocking and breathing may be used to relieve tension in the lower back and hips.

This pose can ease the nervous system and reduce heart rate, which can benefit those feeling anxious and emotionally overwhelmed.

Seated Windshield Wiper Pose

For this pose, you sit and keep knees bent then rotate them side to side, like a windshield wiper. The movement is to be done slowly and in a controlled manner.

This exercise is known to do the following:

Release hip tension
Improve mobility of the pelvis
Increase relaxation of the lower back.

Due to the modern way of living, the type of lifestyle many lead today, and the considerable amount of sitting that is involved, inflexibility of the hips is a common issue, especially. Gentle rotational movements help to bring back normal mobility.

Bridge Pose

Bridge pose is a way of strengthening and activating the muscles of the posterior chain and also aids in the improvement of the mobility of the spine.

In somatic yoga, the lift and lower motion is performed slowly and may involve repetition of small portions of the overall movement. This can recondition muscle memory and can be effective in the alleviation of chronic tightness.

Mindful strengthening exercises such as bridge pose can facilitate long-term relief of back pain, which nearly 40% of adults experience at some point in their lives.

Cat-Cow Pose

Cat-cow consists of a gentle extension and flexion of the spine while on all fours.

In somatic practice, movement happens very slowly, breath is what leads movement, and the focus is on sensations around the spine.

This pose can increase blood flow to the spine and decrease stiffness. Research shows that movement in the spine can increase flexibility and decrease the protective muscle spasms that occur due to stress.

Benefits of somatic yoga

Because somatic yoga works directly with the nervous system, the practice has both physical and emotional benefits.

Relief of stress and anxiety

One of the primary benefits of somatic yoga is stress relief. Somatic movement encourages activation of the body’s rest system.

Because chronic stress leads to high levels of cortisol and the stress, reduction leads to an increase in calm. Participants notice improvement in sleep and reduction in anxiety as a result of consistent practice.

Aid the release of emotional tension

The hips, shoulders and jaw are a few of the areas that typically store emotional tension. Somatic practice tends to focus on these areas.

The gentle movement creates a safe space to process emotions without feeling overwhelmed.

Ease Chronic Pain

Chronic pain frequently leads to muscle tightness and nervous system over-sensitivity. Through somatic yoga, one can retrain the brain to respond better to the tension associated with the particular muscles.

By doing quick and precise movements, the focus is to lessen the effect of muscular spasms that lead to pain.

Research has shown that somatic movement therapy has led to improvements in pain management, specifically with pain in the lower back, neck, and shoulders.

Improve Flexibility and Mobility

Unlike aggressive stretching, somatic yoga improves flexibility in a way that decreases the neurological resistance instead of pulling muscles to their ends.

When the nervous system feels secure, the muscles will release on their own. This leads to a strain free improvement in movement.

Over the course of the practice, many participants observe a significant improvement in their posture and the overall fluidity of their movements during everyday tasks.

Final Thoughts

In contrast to customary yoga techniques that chord performance and over stretching, somatic yoga promotes more listening to the body.

This method is a safe and easy way to deal with chronic pain, stress, emotional blocks, and limited mobility. Many people report better sleep, more pain free movement, and a greater range of motion. This can be attributed to the method’s unique practice of regulating the nervous system, and gradually releasing tension. In a world that advocates for relentless productivity and progress, somatic yoga shows us that sometimes, the body needs us to slow down.