How To do Somatic Exercises

Gently.

With presence and reverence for the life within.

With compassion. Your body contains the story of your life. Accept yourself as you are right now.

With curiosity and willingness to explore. Notice the sensations and feelings of being alive. Pay attention to the qualities of movement and being as they change. Learning is a natural process that takes place deep in your unconscious mind.

Comfortably. You may be invited to do specific things, in a specific way, but the goal is always to connect with yourself and develop inner knowing. Do not push through discomfort. Practice listening and trusting yourself.

Slowly. Give yourself the time it takes to unwind and learn through gentle repetitions. Changes that come from awareness can happen in an instant. There is no rush.

Less is more. Explore in such a way as to feel when your body has done enough, or your mind is tired. You may feel something change, notice you have learned something new, or just done enough for now.

Rest often.

Somatics is about opening to choice and possibility in our lives. Every instruction is an invitation and entirely optional. It is a tool we can use to develop agency and freedom by unlearning unconscious patterns.

There is no limit to how much you can improve.

Be optimistic.

Play.

Use touch to help you to feel more. There will be areas of our bodies that are difficult to feel from the inside. You can use the touch of your hand or a surface to increase sensation and movement. The more you can feel, the more you can move. The more you move, the more you can feel.

Breathe. The movement of breath is always there, for a long as you’re alive. Get to know it. Pay attention as if it were a close friend. Breath provides our bodies with a source of energy, powering our cells. It’s also an intimate, ongoing, exchange with the environment. It is a major way that our bodies release what is no longer needed. Get to know your breathing rhythm important tool for self-regulation and resilience.