What does “somatic” even mean?
The Greek word 'soma,' means body.
A somatic practice is anything that helps you tune into your body's wisdom-- connecting with sensations, learning to listen & understand what its telling you.
The idea is to cultivate an attentive relationship not only with your body, but with your present experience.
Why would we do that? It helps integrate our mind and body. When they’re in sync, our feelings are seen and supported by us. This allows us to make choices that align with our true Self, rather than being driven by fear or other reactive emotions. We’re able to work through and release, rather than being controlled by them.
Many of our patterns are rooted in unconscious bodily responses. Somatic practices help us identify and transform these patterns. Most of the time, understanding why isn't enough. Somatic work helps us move beyond thinking into embodiment. Which, if we’ve spent a lot of time stuck in our minds, this can feel a lot like actually taking action.
And it doesn’t always mean being in your body. If you've experienced trauma or are very disconnected from your body, “feeling” may not always be helpful. Sometimes, it's about first building just enough awareness of your internal landscape so you can recognize when it's safe to 'drop in’ and when it might be overwhelming.
When it’s overwhelming, we attune to the external environment—what we see, hear, and touch—also part of somatic awareness and an embodied experience.
In therapy, this may look like:
Mindfulness exercises or body scans
Describing shifts in your body during processing
Learning how posture influences emotional states (eg: sitting upright for empowerment)
Expressing emotions through intuitive movement, like shaking or sighing
Pendulation: Moving between states of tension/relaxation to regulate the nervous system
Resourcing: Identifying positive sensations or memories to create safety
In yoga, this may look like:
Flowing through intuitive movements to release + express emotion
Pranayama (breath) to connect with the present
Somatic yoga prioritizes internal experience & what feels good, whereas traditional yoga may focus more on “correct” alignment
Includes exploratory, non-linear movement patterns
Visualizations to deepen interoceptive awareness
Moving between dynamic and restorative yoga poses to regulate the nervous system
Be cautious of claims like, “do this one exercise to release all of your trauma.” A somatic approach is a continual homecoming. Like any relationship, it takes time to cultivate a curious and compassionate connection with your body… no quick fix. And no, trauma does not live in specific places in your body (or only in your hips!)
Building somatic awareness looks different for everyone. Yes, tapping is great. Shaking is great. Working with a therapist is great. So is dancing and any movement that is accessible to you! There’s no one “right” way or one specific somatic course you need to buy for you to gain access to your body and “heal all your wounds.” It’s super trendy right now —somatic workouts, somatic dancing… And that’s amazing! As a society, we need to get more into our bodies.
When things become trendy, they can lose their meaning and make us feel like we need to “consume” a specific thing. But a somatic practice is always there for you.
It’s not movement alone that makes something somatic; it’s the intentional tuning in to your internal experience.
What does connecting with your body look like for you?
