What Is Somatic Yoga ?

Somatic yoga is a gentle, mindful approach to movement that focuses on increasing body awareness and helping you connect with the nervous system. If you’re feeling tense, stressed, or stuck in your body, somatic yoga could be the key to releasing those tight areas. Unlike traditional yoga, somatic yoga encourages you to slow down, tune into your body, and move with intention. It’s all about noticing how you feel, where you’re holding tension, and gently letting go.

You might have heard of Thomas Hanna, the creator of Hanna Somatics, or experts like Bessel van der Kolk and Peter Levine, who have explored how trauma gets stored in the body. Somatic yoga takes these principles and applies them to movement, giving you a way to heal through the body. The idea is to work with the nervous system, retrain the body’s muscle memory, and bring balance back to your body.

How Somatic Yoga Differs from Traditional Yoga

One of the main differences between somatic yoga and traditional yoga is the pace. In traditional yoga, you might flow through poses quickly or focus on stretching deeper. In somatic yoga, the movements are slower, more intentional, and less about how the pose looks and more about how it feels.

You’re not trying to force your body into any specific shapes.

Instead, it’s about mind-body connection.

Another key difference is that somatic yoga often focuses on small, subtle movements rather than the large, dynamic ones you might find in a vinyasa class. This makes it perfect for people dealing with chronic pain or recovering from injury because you’re working with your body’s natural range of motion.

Somatic yoga helps release deep-seated tension and improves body awareness, which can have profound effects on the nervous system. It’s also a fantastic way to help manage stress, anxiety, and even trauma, by allowing your body to release old patterns of holding tension.

Key Principles and Benefits of Somatic Yoga

The principles of somatic yoga are rooted in awareness and gentle self-care. At its core, this practice teaches you to listen to your body. It’s about recognising where you’re holding tension and learning how to release it, a process that’s both physical and mental.

Here are some of the main benefits of somatic yoga:

• Improved body awareness: By slowing down and paying attention, you start to notice how your body moves, where it feels stiff, and what movements feel good. This kind of mindfulness helps you understand your body better.
• Reduced muscle tension: Somatic yoga works with the nervous system to release tight muscles, especially in areas like the neck, shoulders, and lower back. It’s perfect if you’ve been dealing with chronic pain or tension.
• Better nervous system regulation: The gentle movements and breathwork help regulate your nervous system, making you feel calmer and more grounded.
• Healing from trauma and stress: Trauma can get stored in the body, and somatic yoga helps release that trapped energy. Experts like Peter Levine and Bessel van der Kolk have studied how somatic practices can help people heal from trauma by working with the body.

How to Practice Somatic Yoga

You don’t need any fancy equipment or prior experience to get started with somatic yoga. The beauty of it is in its simplicity. All you need is a quiet space and a willingness to slow down and listen to your body.

Here’s how a typical somatic yoga session might look:

1. Start with breathwork: Focus on deep, slow breaths, letting your body relax. The breath is a big part of somatic yoga, helping to calm the nervous system and bring awareness to your movements.
2. Move slowly and mindfully: Unlike more fast-paced yoga styles, somatic yoga invites you to move with intention. You might spend several minutes exploring one movement or pose, focusing on how it feels rather than how it looks.
3. Use small, gentle movements: These movements are designed to release tension in the muscles. You’re not trying to push your body into a deep stretch, but rather, to reset the nervous system and restore natural movement patterns.
4. Focus on body awareness: Throughout the practice, your attention is always on how your body feels. It’s less about performing poses and more about noticing the sensations in your body.
5. End with a mindfulness practice: Many somatic yoga sessions end with a short meditation or body scan, helping you fully integrate the movements and relax even more deeply.

If you’re feeling disconnected from your body or dealing with pain, somatic yoga offers a way to come back to yourself. It helps to reset old movement patterns that might be causing discomfort and helps you move with ease again.

Who Can Benefit from Somatic Yoga?

Somatic yoga is for everyone, but it’s especially beneficial if you’re dealing with chronic pain, stress, or trauma. Because the movements are gentle and slow, it’s perfect for anyone who feels like traditional yoga is too intense or who is recovering from an injury.

You don’t need to be flexible or have a background in yoga to practice somatic yoga.

In fact, it’s a great starting point if you’re new to movement-based practices.

It’s also ideal if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or stressed out. By working with the nervous system and focusing on somatic awareness, somatic yoga can help you feel more grounded and present in your body.

If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety, tension, or even trauma, somatic yoga offers a pathway to healing by allowing your body to release what it’s been holding onto.

At certifiedyogateacher.com, we offer some of the best online classes in somatic yoga, helping you practice from the comfort of your own home while still getting the full benefit of this therapeutic approach. Whether you’re looking for an introduction to somatic yoga or are ready to dive deeper into your practice, our certified instructors can guide you every step of the way.

Somatic Yoga in Therapy and Healing

Somatic yoga isn’t just about movement—it’s about healing. One of the most powerful aspects of somatic yoga is its ability to help people heal from trauma, stress, and chronic tension. Experts like Peter Levine, who developed Somatic Experiencing, and Bessel van der Kolk, who wrote extensively about how trauma gets stored in the body, have shown how important it is to work with the body when it comes to emotional healing.

We tend to think of trauma as something that affects only our minds, but it also gets stored in the body. That’s why many people who have experienced trauma may feel tense or disconnected from their bodies. Somatic yoga offers a way to release that stored tension and reconnect with yourself.

If you’ve ever noticed that stress leaves your body feeling tight—whether in your shoulders, neck, or lower back—this is a physical reaction to emotional experiences. Somatic yoga provides a safe space for you to explore those feelings and release tension at your own pace.

In a therapeutic setting, somatic yoga can help people with PTSD, anxiety, or depression. By slowly moving through gentle poses and bringing awareness to the body, individuals can start to process and release trauma without having to relive the emotional pain.

How Somatic Yoga Works With the Nervous System

At the heart of somatic yoga is the idea of working with your nervous system. Most of us go through life in a state of constant stress, where our fight-or-flight response is always on. Over time, this can lead to chronic tension and discomfort. Somatic yoga helps to calm the nervous system by focusing on mindful movement and breathwork.

When you practice somatic yoga, you’re retraining your nervous system to relax. You’re telling your body that it’s safe to let go of tension, which can have a profound effect on your overall well-being. It’s not just about stretching or relaxing your muscles—somatic yoga actually helps your body learn how to release tension on its own.

Here are a few ways somatic yoga works with your nervous system:

• Breath awareness: Slow, mindful breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to calm the body and mind.
• Gentle movements: By moving slowly and mindfully, you’re giving your nervous system a chance to reset. This is especially important for people who are dealing with chronic stress or trauma.
• Body-mind connection: Somatic yoga helps strengthen the connection between your body and mind, so you’re more in tune with how you’re feeling physically and emotionally.

Practical Tips for Getting Started with Somatic Yoga

If you’re feeling ready to try somatic yoga, the good news is that it’s easy to get started. You don’t need to be super flexible or have a lot of experience with yoga—this practice is for everyone.

Here are some practical tips to help you get the most out of your somatic yoga practice:

1. Find a quiet space: Somatic yoga is all about tuning into your body, so it helps to practice in a calm, distraction-free environment. You don’t need much space—just enough to move comfortably.
2. Start with short sessions: You don’t need to commit to an hour-long practice. Even 10-15 minutes of somatic yoga can make a difference. Focus on one or two movements and really explore how they feel in your body.
3. Focus on your breath: Throughout your practice, stay connected to your breath. Notice how your breath changes as you move, and let it guide you through each movement.
4. Move mindfully: The movements in somatic yoga are slow and gentle. Don’t rush. Give yourself time to explore each movement and really tune into how your body feels.
5. Listen to your body: Somatic yoga is all about body awareness, so it’s important to listen to what your body is telling you. If something feels uncomfortable or too intense, back off and modify the movement.

If you’re looking for more guidance, certifiedyogateacher.com offers a variety of online somatic yoga classes designed to help you get started. These classes are perfect for beginners or anyone looking to deepen their connection to their body.

Common Somatic Yoga Movements

Somatic yoga is different from traditional yoga in that the movements are smaller and more subtle. You’re not trying to stretch as deeply as possible—instead, you’re focusing on releasing tension and retraining your muscles to move naturally. Here are a few common somatic yoga movements that you might come across in a class:

• Pelvic tilts: This is a gentle movement that helps to release tension in the lower back and hips. It involves slowly rocking the pelvis forward and backward while paying close attention to how the movement feels.
• Shoulder rolls: Many of us carry tension in our shoulders without even realizing it. In somatic yoga, you might do small, slow shoulder rolls to help release that tension and bring awareness to the upper body.
• Cat-cow stretch: This movement is great for improving flexibility in the spine and releasing tension in the back. It involves moving between arching and rounding the back, while focusing on the breath.
• Somatic breathing exercises: Breathwork is a huge part of somatic yoga. You might practice diaphragmatic breathing or other techniques designed to calm the nervous system and bring more awareness to your body.

These movements may seem small or simple, but they have a big impact on how your body feels.

The key is to move with intention and be fully present in each moment.

If you’re ready to dive in, check out certifiedyogateacher.com for some of the best online somatic yoga classes.