Somatic Movement is based on body awareness. Using an attitude of exploration we investigate what the movement feels like rather than the position of the body.
We concentrate on the sensations of the movements.
While much of Traditional Yoga Asana involve statically stretching the muscles, Somatic Movements focus on feeling them.
Somatic Movements provide a sensory feedback loop from the brain.
With practise, you’ll teach your brain to notice when muscles are contracted then educate the muscles to fully release and work in a more energy-efficient and pain-free manner. This is great news if you currently rely on a chiropractor or massage therapist for muscle/joint pain relief!
Somatic Movement classes address many back, shoulder, hip and neck issues. As an added bonus, your mind and body will feel calm and centered by the time class ends!
Somatic Movement involves a series of specific exercises that reconnect the brain with the muscles so you can let go of tightness in the body.
The movements are slow and mindful. Many are performed on the floor, so your body is more comfortable and isn’t fighting against gravity.
Somatic Movement classes do not involve stretching
Contrary to popular belief, stretching does not lengthen your muscles and does not make you “flexible”.
When we statically stretch a muscle, a message is sent to the spinal cord, indicating that there is a change in it’s length. The spinal cord responds by sending the stretched muscle a message to shorten and contract. This is known as the Stretch Reflex and it is there to protect the muscle from overstretching. (Over stretching can lead to joint instability!)
With a Somatic approach known as Pandiculation, you will consciously contract and release your muscles. In this way, a message is sent to the brain where it can be sensed and felt. New learning takes place and you begin to have conscious control of your muscles. You can then retrain your brain how to move your body correctly and efficiently.
If you have chronic muscle or joint pain:
Somatic Movement addresses the root cause of WHY you are in pain and teaches you HOW to reverse it.
When a muscle has been contracted over a long period of time, the brain accepts this as “normal” and doesn’t know it’s contracted – this is known as Muscle Motor Amnesia.
You are in pain because the muscles are constantly over-contracted, causing them to be weak and tired. These contracted muscles can then compress the joints and trap nerves (ex. osteo-arthritis & sciatica), causing further pain. Your body then tries to compensate, changing the way you move and uses other muscles instead. This sets up a further pattern of pain.
The specific Somatic movements that we do in class “wake up” the brain to the reality of the contracted muscles, and retrain them to release and move in a more efficient way.
The result is a pain-free body that moves well ,ages gracefully and is more relaxed!
