Somatic Movement: Why it Matters (and How to Do It)

Somatics and somatic movement are vital components of the yoga learning process. By focusing on the internal feelings of the movement, we can learn new skills more consciously. This is important, as we cannot learn something new if we aren’t aware of what we’re doing. In addition, somatic movement allows us to explore our bodies and activities in a safe and controlled environment. It helps us to develop a better understanding of how our bodies move.

In this article, I will discuss the similarities and differences between these two types of practice.

Yoga and somatics

Many people think of yoga as a way to improve flexibility and strength. However, the practice can also be an excellent tool for learning how to move your body more effectively and with greater awareness. This is where somatics comes in. Somatics is a term that refers to the study of the internal physical perception movement. By focusing on somatic movements, you can learn how to control your body better and create a deeper connection between your mind and body. As a result, you will not only be able to improve your yoga practice, but you will also find it easier to perform everyday activities with greater ease and awareness.

What is somatic movement?

A somatic movement is an action performed consciously to focus on the movement’s internal feelings rather than its external results.

Soma means “body” in Greek and has long referred to things related to the body, including soma cells, somatic nerves, and somatic disorders (e.g., somatisation disorder).

Due to its broad meaning, the term “somatics” can refer to a wide range of movements and healing modalities. These include somatic yoga, somatic dancing, somatics psychotherapy, and somatic education.

Thomas Hanna coined the term somatic education. Hanna used the term somatic education to describe methods of sensory-motor education that use somatic movement to improve motor control, and sensation and change learned muscular patterns. Many people find somatic movement education methods to be highly effective in relieving chronic pain, improving bodily function, and recovering from common musculoskeletal conditions.

Source: somaticmovementcenter.com

How does somatic movement work?

Somatic movement works because it focuses attention on the internal feeling of movement. When you focus your awareness on the inner sense of your movement, you can experience the sensations associated with each muscle group being activated or deactivated.

By paying close attention to the internal feeling of movement, we can learn to feel the muscles working together in a coordinated manner. We can also learn to identify when one muscle group is overactive or underactive. In this way, we can understand how our bodies work and why they may act out of balance.

When we practice somatic movement, we learn to become more aware of our bodies. As we gain greater awareness of our bodies, we can begin to change our lives.

Somatic movement and yoga

Learning modern postural yoga is often no more than applied anatomy. The student is required to do a choreographed sequence of postures, breathing exercises and meditation. This is not the traditional yoga practice as Patanjali initially taught in his Yoga Sutras.

The sutras are a collection of aphorisms that describe how we can attain enlightenment through self-study and contemplation. They were written over 2,000 years ago. In contrast, modern postural yoga has been around for about 100 years. It is an offshoot of Neo Hinduism that developed in India during the 19th century. In addition, it was influenced by Western ideas such as Darwinism, materialism, the physical culture movement, and evolution.

Let us discuss some of the differences between these two types of practice.

1) The Sutras: A Brief History

Sutra means “thread” or “string”. Sutra comes from Sanskrit (the language spoken by ancient Hindus). So, sutra literally translates into thread or string. The sage Patanjali wrote the sutras. He lived in northern India in the third century BC. His teachings became known as the Yoga Sutras.

Patanjali wrote the sutras to explain how one could achieve spiritual liberation through self-study and contemplation. He believed that all human beings had within them the potential to become enlightened. However, he also recognised that each person needed to develop a unique path to enlightenment.

Patanjali divided the sutras into three parts: 1) the yamas, 2) niyamas and 3) asanas. These are discussed below.

2) Modern Postural Yoga

Modern postural yoga is a relatively recent development. It began in the late 1800s with the work of Swami Vivekananda, who introduced it to the West. He called it “Yoga”.

Swami Vivekananda was born in Calcutta in 1863. He studied at the University of Madras, where he met Ramakrishna Paramahansa. After studying under him, he went to England and then back to India, where he founded the Ramakrishna Mission. After that, he travelled extensively throughout Europe and North America, spreading the message of Vedanta.

Swami Vivekananda was a great teacher and a prolific writer. He published many books, including the book titled Raja Yoga. He described yoga as a way of life rather than just a set of poses. He said that yoga is a process of purification that leads us to higher states of consciousness.

3) Differences Between Traditional Yoga and Modern Postural Yoga

Traditional yoga is based on the philosophy of Patanjali. It emphasises the importance of self-discipline, concentration, meditation, and introspection. It teaches that there is a direct relationship between the mind and the body.

Modern postural yoga differs from traditional yoga in several ways:

1. It is an amalgamation of ideas of body movements, physical culture, neo-Vedanta, and new ageism. Early pioneers in India worked hard to sell it as a practical health system for the individual practitioner.
2. It focuses more on developing physical discipline and inner peace.
3. It is more concerned with achieving health and fitness.

Like traditional yoga, modern postural yoga is based on the premise that there is one universal mind or consciousness that pervades all living beings. Perhaps one of the main differences is that traditional yoga focuses on asceticism, the quality of transforming the human experience into something otherworldly. Kuvalayananda, one of the early modern yoga pioneers, coined the term “Yoga Therapeutics” he held that yoga in its modern form could bring health and well-being to the practiontioner.

“Yoga aims at restoring the internal secretions to their normality by securing the health of the endocrine organs through Yoga practices.”

Kuvalayananda

Modern yoga teaches us to use this consciousness to achieve health and well-being. It was fitting for the modern age.

Is Hatha yoga somatic?

Somatic movements are exploratory in nature. We may even practice a somatic movement to improve our posture or mov­ing in a specific way, but we still need to focus on the inten­tional experi­ence of the action rather than on the outcome.

Somatic movement is a method of teaching students how their bodies work. A somatic movement is a form of exercise that uses the principles of proprioception (the sense of where parts of our body are located) and kinesthesia (the understanding of what our body feels like).

Proprioceptive information is derived primarily from the receptors in our joints, tendons, ligaments, skin, and muscles. These receptors send messages to the brain, telling it where our limbs are located. Kinesthetic information comes from the receptors in our muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels and nerves.

The receptors send detailed messages to your brain about your positions and actions when you move. Your brain processes these messages and works with your vision, nervous system, and vestibular system creating your perception of where your body is and how you’re moving.

The brain interprets this information as feelings or sensations.

The felt sense

Focusing on the experience instead of the outcome and the processes involved can be difficult for some to understand. It comes down to how our nervous systems learn new things. If we repeat an action as if it were the first thing we have ever done, we will note something new and learn something different with every attempt. Learning will be most efficient and beneficial when we focus on the experiences and processes involved.

Practising somatically in modern postural yoga presents a challenge when the emphasis of asana is so often on achieving an outcome, a perfect posture or shape. Most Hatha yoga classes teach sequences of movements, and it is not uncommon to do 20-plus poses in a regular class. Do you have enough time to notice kinesthetic intelligence sensations in the body’s movement? Somatic yoga awareness is quite different; it’s not about quantity; it’s about quality.

Any physical activity can be considered a somatic movement if done slowly and consciously, concentrating on the internal experience of moving.

Modern Yoga Foundation Course

I am running a 12-part foundation course in Modern Postural Yoga

The foundation course is designed for those interested in learning more about yoga. This course covers the basics of yoga, including history and movement theories, anatomy, breathing techniques, and somatic movement.
This course also includes introducing Scaravelli-inspired yoga, a style that breaks with the traditional Hatha Yoga principles.

Standard benefits:

• Learn the basics of postural yoga in a supportive environment.
• Benefit from an evidence-based approach to yoga.
  Emotional benefits:
• Transform your life through the practice of yoga.
• Discover your body’s innate intelligence.

Thank you for reading