What is somatic yoga and why you should try it!

So quite often I get told that my way of teaching yoga is “different”, and my answer is that I teach somatic yoga. This leads to the question “what is somatic yoga?”. And that’s the question we’re going to dive into today and discuss in a nutshell the difference. Learning about using somatics in my yoga practice years ago was a game-changer in my own body and I hope you see and feel the benefits too!

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So what is somatic yoga?

When we think about somatics as it relates to yoga we’re talking about sending our practice inwards to notice the body and reeducate the nervous system. The problem really is that the typical body now is holding onto trauma which is affecting the way we move, and our posture and then subsequently causing more trauma and often, pain.

Many pain management modalities, like massage and chiropractors, use outside force to help alleviate pain. But, they often treat the symptoms and not the underlying cause. That’s where somatics come in. YOU are doing the movement and rehabilitation exerciss. Through deeply connecting to our body and noticing our bodies.

• How is your body feeling?
• What is it’s connection to the floor?
• Is there a difference in the range of movement?
• Do you feel one side is more flexible?
• Or Stronger?
• Is the difference more control on one side?
• What can you feel?

We do somatic yoga through small, slow, conscious movement patterns. Through noticing our bodies, the difference we feel in somatics transfers to yoga poses. Realizing that we should focus on how we FEEL in a pose, rather than the aesthetics of what it LOOKS like.

So what is somatic yoga? It’s a journey of going inwards to notice your body, how it moves, and what you need to work on BEFORE your yoga asana practice. In order to move better, feel better, reduce pain and live a happier healthier life! Want to try it? You can find all my somatic yoga classes here.

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Questions

• Have you heard of somatics?
• Do you put somatic exercises in your movement practice?
• Are you slow and mindful in your yoga practice?