Discover a transformative journey as we guide you through three powerful somatic exercises designed to help you break free from mental chatter and reconnect with your body’s wisdom. Whether you’re seeking stress relief, mindfulness, or simply a deeper sense of presence, these exercises are your gateway.
Join us as we explore gentle movements, breath awareness, and mindful stretches that will anchor you to the present moment.
As you may have observed in some of my other videos, when we talk about somatic experiencing or somatic therapy, we’re considering a bodily approach to emotional and mental health. In the realm of mental health, we often tend to think of a top-down approach, such as cognitive-based methods that involve trying to rationalize or talk ourselves out of our emotions. However, what our bodies are very accustomed to evolutionarily is non-verbal communication – about 93% of our communication is non-verbal. Therefore, using movement to address mental health can be incredibly potent. Today, I want to discuss three of my personal favorites.
3 Somatic Exercises
1. Butterfly Hug
If you’re experiencing sadness or feeling down and you’re seeking comfort or soothing, this technique is perfect for you. Begin by interlacing your thumbs, then bring your hands across your chest and let your fingers reach toward your shoulders. Remember, there’s no definitive right or wrong way to do this. Start by allowing yourself to settle in, feeling the comfort and soothing sensation in your arms. When you’re prepared, gently alternate tapping your hands in a rhythmic motion that feels comfortable for you. Do this for as long as you desire.
It’s important to note that this practice can lead to a significant emotional release. If you find yourself becoming emotional or on the verge of tears, that’s perfectly okay and welcome. Allow yourself to embrace those feelings and offer yourself some grace. On the other hand, if the technique simply feels soothing without evoking strong emotions, continue for as long as you find it beneficial.
2. Wipe Away
If you’re feeling a little frustrated and annoyed and just need to vent some emotions, there are a couple of options to consider. One option is to find a comfortable position that suits your body and then imagine wiping away the frustrations. Bend over and ensure your posture is comfortable. As you wipe away, allow any frustrations you’re experiencing to flow through your body. You can increase the intensity of this movement as you become more at ease.
Shaking
Simultaneously, another technique you can try is a simple activity called “shaking.” This idea is reminiscent of how animals in the wild deal with fight-or-flight responses. They literally shake off the stress and return to a state of homeostasis swiftly.
So, if you’re feeling frustrated and want to release some pent-up energy, try shaking your body. Shake as needed, and then give yourself a moment to settle down. Take a moment to connect with yourself and observe the sensations in your body.
3. Goddess
The third one, which is one of my favorites, is the goddess. If you’re male, you can refer to this as something different, but it can be very empowering. Turn your feet out and bring your hands – let’s say, to heart center if you’re into yoga. Inhale as you come down, letting your knees go out, and then exhale, letting your arms go up to the ceiling. Do this at a pace that feels good for you. This is a great technique if you feel like you want to evoke a sense of happiness and empowerment.
We hope you can appreciate these three simple strategies. They show how we can shift our emotions and thoughts by moving and getting into our body physically, feeling our body.
These are just a few examples out of many of how to do that. If you’d like to learn more, please make sure to reach out to us. We would love to help, and as always, thank you so much for joining. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.
Check out our app, the Movement Paradigm app, for lots of programs and really creating a community of people that want to enhance their lives in all ways and make it accessible to you.
Other things that might interest you:
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The Body’s Emotional Landscape: Exploring Fascia, Interoception, and Trauma
The term “Somatics” was coined by professor and theorist Thomas Hanna in 1976 and it has come to represent a field of movement studies and bodywork that foregrounds the internal physical sensations, perceptions, and experiences of the body.
Four sets of Somatic Exercises that could be useful for trauma survivors are grounding; quieting and flow; mindful breathing and progressive relaxation in the body. Each exercise focuses on moving your body mindfully, all the while observing the physical sensations and how they develop.
Somatic movement is moving with full-body awareness, focusing more on how you're feeling rather than meeting a specific fitness goal. It's a way to connect your emotions to how you're feeling physically. When done regularly, somatic movement can benefit both the body and mind in profound ways.
Although more studies are warranted, some research shows that it's effective in improving pain and even strength. And, best of all, you're very unlikely to get injured in the process. Keep reading to learn more about somatic exercise, including some stretches you can try at home.
This well-known relaxation exercise is actually a great example of somatics; by clenching and releasing each muscle group, you're moving your muscles - just ever so slightly - to decrease tension in your body and your mind.
Second, as you release muscles, it affects the alignment and movement of your entire body. You may feel soreness or discomfort in seemingly unrelated parts of your body as your posture and movement patterns change, and muscles throughout your body begin working in new ways.
One of the most common types of Trauma Release Exercises is stretching, which can relieve muscle tension. These stretches might include sitting in a hip squat to release chronic stress or doing wall sits to lessen deep tension. The Spiral Technique is another common Trauma Release Exercise.
As a quick summary, here are the signs your body is releasing trauma: Gut muscles relax and unclench. Breathing patterns change. Shoulder, neck, jaw, and head muscles can be engaged & upright, yet comfortably relaxed.
Several studies show the positive effects of a type of somatic therapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). In EMDR, the client recalls traumatic experiences while moving their eyes from left to right.
Before you do any other somatic stretches, Warren recommends simply standing and bringing awareness to various muscles in your body. Stand up straight with your feet rooted and notice how your feet grip the floor, she says. Try to contract and release those foot muscles.
I recommend practicing the exercises for 20-30 minutes per day. The results are cumulative, so you'll experience the most benefits from the exercises if you practice them every day.
Although by itself, somatic movement will likely not result in weight loss, it can be a great addition to your usual fitness routine, because of all the benefits we listed above. The truth is that losing weight is a mental game just as much as it is physical.
You will always remain fully clothed and we will be asking for consent to touch you. Co-Regulating Touch begins with holding the kidneys, brain stem, and ankles. This therapeutic touch is passive, meaning that the practitioner will not move their hands around like a massage therapist would.
Somatic yoga is an offshoot of these therapies. A somatic yoga practice is more intuitive than a standard yoga class, which often asks you to move mechanically—flex this way, extend that way, stretch, hold, push. Somatics is about becoming more of an expert in yourself.
So, technically any movement can be somatic if you focus your attention on what you're feeling in your body as you move. Forget about what you look like while you're moving, and don't think about the end result of your movement, like lifting your leg to a certain height. That doesn't matter.
The core aim of somatic stretching is to release stress, trauma, and discomfort held in the body through mindful movement and stretching. Somatic stretching involves various forms of intuitive movement, often based on pandiculation (muscle contraction and release).
Gentle, deliberate movements can facilitate emotional release and reduce physical tension. Somatic movement exercises, such as shaking or rocking, encourage the body to release held trauma, restoring the natural flow of energy.
Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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