Somatics: Sense it, Change it & Regain Control

This is Part 2 of my Somatic Movement series, teaching you to let go of stress and regain control of your muscles to rid your body of pain and help you gain greater freedom of movement.

“I started this a few weeks ago because of tightness (stress) around my mid back and sides. After 10 months of trying stretches and other exercise – all beneficial but didn’t seem to affect the tightness – this is having an effect. I thought I was good at relaxing but this course has added a different dimension. The best thing is that I now feel it can get better instead of feeling so negative and depressed about it.”

You will use what you have learned in the Introduction and apply that knowledge and experience to tackle 3 specific reflex patterns that affect our posture and movement quality.  Thomas Hanna, the founder of somatic movement, believed that activation of these reflexes in adults contributes to postural problems muscular imbalances and pain.

You will also learn 14 new exercises and work your way through classes which will ultimately help reshape you.

“I’ve been using the somatic movements for a few weeks now, and I am excited about the the preliminary results. My medical professional can also see the beginning of things changing, which may make it possible to progress my treatment.”

Somatic movement is a neuromuscular re-education technique which teaches you to release and relax your muscles so that you can regain proper muscle function again. The movements are slow and gentle and promote sensory awareness to increase brain-muscle coordination. The exercises are performed consciously with the intention of focusing on the internal experience of the movement rather than the external appearance and are very helpful in improving body awareness.

Through a method of slowly contracting, releasing, lengthening and relaxing a muscle or group of muscles, you will re-educate your body to move in an efficient and pain-free way.

Based on the original teachings of Thomas Hanna, these exercises can change unhelpful learned muscular patterns. Some benefits of somatic movement methods are:

• A reduction of chronic pain

• Improvement in bodily function

• Recovery from common musculoskeletal conditions

• Increased flexibility and range of motion

• Reduction in muscular tension and awareness of unhealthy postural habits

• Heightened body awareness and reduction in stress and anxiety

Somatic movement is enormously beneficial for anyone:

• A perfect way to introduce yourself to exercise if you are new to fitness

• A useful tool to help improve the mind/body connection – beneficial for those who are already exercising in some way and want to improve their performance and focus

• The ideal way to aid recovery from injury or illness, including providing a bridge back to regular fitness levels

• Effective in helping clients prepare for class or cooldown

• The best choice for the aging client who is either finding regular exercise to be too aggressive/ineffective or the older client who is new to exercise