What is Somatic Yoga ?
Somatic, a word derived from the Greek word “Soma” meaning “Body”. The word used to describe physical aspects from mental or psychological one. Somatic Yoga or Embodied Yoga or Yoga from the inside out is a mindful practice that focuses on brain-body connection. It mainly focus on the internal awareness of the body, release one from tension, improve flexibility, and overall well-being.
Principles of Somatic Yoga
Somatic Yoga holds some core principles such as Interoception, Exteroception, Proprioception, and Mind-Body Integration, Let’s discuss each one in detail
1. Interoception
Interoception refers to the practice that helps you to become aware of your body’s internal sensations such as breathing, heart rate, pain, or the muscular activities. By harmonizing these internal beacons, practitioners can gain a greater understanding of their physical and emotional states and it helps them to quickly response to stressors and discomfort.
2. Exteroception
Exteroception is another crucial principle of Somatic yoga. It refers to the awareness of external perceptions of the body such as touch, vibrations, taste, temperature, and sound.
3. Proprioception
Proprioception or Kinesthesia is the key part of Somatic yoga. It emphasize the awareness of body’s position in space, balance, motion and focuses on improving the body‘s ability to realize its position and movement through exercise that helps to balance, coordination and spatial awareness.
4. Mind-Body Integration
Mind-Body Integration refers to the holistic approach of connecting body and mind to enhance overall well-being. By integrating these two, practitioners can reduce stress; enhance physical flexibility, increased self-awareness and self-acceptance.
Somatic Yoga Poses
Somatic Yoga poses are mindful helping individual to improve mental strength and increase a deeper connection between the mind and body.
Let’s see the different poses of Somatic yoga and how to do it:
1. Child Pose (Balasana)
Child pose or Balasana is a somatic yoga pose helps you to relax and focus on your breathing, it understands your need for rest.
How to do it
- Begin on your hands and knees: Place yourself on your hands and knees, with your wrists underneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips
- Kneel and sit back: Kneel back and sit on your heels, keeping knees slightly apart
- Stretch your arms out in frond: Extend your arms out in front of you, laying your forehead on the ground
- Relax and breath: Relax your body, discharge any tension, and breathe
- Stay for 5-10 breaths: Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths, experiencing the release of tension and relaxation
2. Legs up The Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
Legs up the Wall or Viparita Karani is a refreshing Somatic Yoga pose that promotes relaxation and helps to calm the mind.
How to practice it
- Find out a quiet and comfortable space: Find a space that is comfortable and calm to you
- Place a mat or blanket: Place a yoga mat on the ground
- Sit with your back to the wall: Sit with your back against the wall, straighten your legs out in front of you
- Sway your legs up the wall: Lightly swing your legs up against the wall, with your legs still straight
- Change your position: Make any needed shift to feel relaxed and comfortable
- Relax and breathe: Shut your eyes, relax your physique, and bring your attention to your breath
- Remain the pose for 5-15 minute: Remain the pose for 5-15 minutes, taking deep breath and relaxing
3. Seated Torso Circles
Seated Torso Circles, a Somatic Yoga pose that reunite you with the natural movement of your body, inviting conscious finding of how your body moves in all directions.
How to do it properly
- Sit cozy with your back straight: Sit on the floor or on a chair with your back straight and your feet strongly set out
- Place your hands on your thighs or knees: Place your hands softly on your knees or thighs, with your arms at ease
- Breathe in and expand your spine: Take a deep breath, expanding your spine and feeling expanded
- Breathe out and curve your torso: Breathe out slowly, permitting your torso to curve to one side, with your hips and legs remaining stationary
- Repeat on the other side: Breath in and expand your spine again, then breath out and rotate your torso to the other side
4. Wind-Relieving Pose
Wind-Relieving, a restorative pose that reduce tension, pain, and gas in the stomach region.
How to practice
- Recline on your back: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides
- Bring one knee towards your chest: Bring one knee slowly towards your chest, charge your foot flexed
- Holding onto your knee: Holding onto your knee using your hand while having a relaxed elbow
- Rock and release: Softly rocking your knee side, releasing any tension or pain in your stomach region.
- Repeat it on the opposite side: Repeating the pose on the opposite side, drawing your other knee toward your chest
5. Corpse Pose (Savasana)
In Somatic Yoga, Corpse or Savasana is a restorative, calm pose that allows rooted relaxation, release out of tension, and restoration.
How to do it
- Lie on your back: Lie on your back with your arms and legs loose
- Close your eyes: Start relaxing with close your eyes
- Focus on the breath: Focus on your breath, feel the perception of air coming in and going out of your body
- Let out of tension and relax: As you breathe in, observe any tension or stress come into your body. As you breathe out, notice it let go and relax
- Stay for 5-15 minutes: Stay in the pose for 5-15 minutes, relax and breathe deeply
When to practice Somatic Yoga
Moring: To get a positive tone for the day and enhance energy level, practice somatic yoga in the morning.
Evening: Practice Somatic Yoga in the evening to relax and for proper sleep.
As needed: When you feel stress or if you want to release tension, practice Somatic Yoga.
Read more : Thing you should aware before doing Surya Namskar
Benefits of Somatic Yoga
Somatic yoga helps individuals to release pain, stress, and mobility, improve posture, better sleep, and overall well-being of the body. Let’s discuss the benefits in a brief way:
- Pain Management: Somatic Yoga helps to relief pain and identify the pain triggers through bodily perceptions.
- Stress Reduction: Somatic yoga practices reduce stress hormones and expand the release of feel-good hormones. It helps to find the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Improved Mobility: By enhancing flexibility, and releasing tension, somatic Yoga re-educates the brain for smoother movement.
- Better Sleep: It helps to address the issues of sleep and provide better sleep.
- Trauma Healing: It helps to regulate the nerve system, release tension, and strengthen your mind and body.
- Improved Mind-Body Connection: Somatic Yoga helps to build a deeper mind-body connection. It nurtures the connection between the body and mind.
Somatic Yoga for Weight Loss
Somatic Yoga is great practice for reducing weight. By releasing stress, it improves flexibility and helps to become more aware of the body.
- Body Scan: Sit comfortably and mentally scan your body from the head to toe.
- Conscious Breathing: Center on how you puff and puff out.
- Three Dimensional Breathing: A calming breathing technique.
- Stimulate Point release: Use Props to reduce tension in stimulate points.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): Stiff and then release a muscle group for five seconds
Conclusion
In short, Somatic Yoga practices helps to deeply understand the sensations of body and it mainly centering on to release tension, improve flexibility, and overall well-being. By integrating the mind-body connection, Somatic Yoga practice expands self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-regulation and improves sleep quality.
Regular practice of Somatic Yoga can lead to calm mind, clarity and the connection to the body of mind. If you face any issues while doing the practice, connect with a doctor. And follow Hidden Mantra for more blogs…
