somatic(adj.)

"pertaining to the material body"

(as distinct from the soul, spirit, or mind),

1753, from Latinized form of Greek sōmatikos "of the body," from sōma (genitive sōmatos) "the body

What Is Somatics?

Somatics is a broad term that covers varied practices that explore the connection between the mind and body, focusing on internal awareness and movement as a means of improving physical and mental well-being. It promotes exercises that build interoception, helping individuals to experience their bodies in a more integrated and conscious way.

Below is a look a some of the techniques we use and the science behind them. Scroll through to explore them all.

What Is A Pandiculation?

Pandiculation is generally defined as the act of stretching oneself and yawning, especially upon waking. They must be done consciously to achieve the desired release.

Pandiculation is the nervous system’s natural way of waking up the sensory-motor system and preparing for movement. Humans, and all vertebrate animals, tend to automatically pandiculate when we wake up or when we have been sedentary for a while. If you’ve ever seen a dog or cat arch their back when they get up from a nap, you’ve witnessed the pandicular response.

Pandiculation contracts and releases muscles in such a way that the alpha-gamma feedback loop (a feedback loop in the nervous system that regulates resting muscle tension) is naturally reset. Preventing the buildup of tension in our muscles is critical to maintaining healthy posture and movement throughout our lives.

Better Than Stretching

Some sensory nerves send information all the way to your brain, these you can process and respond consciously too like an itch or tickle.

Others only send the information as far as the spinal cord or brain stem, triggering automatic reflexes like sneezing or pulling away from something hot.

Stretching causes one of these reflex responces. When we over stretch a muscle it responds by tensing to keep itself safe. This is obviously the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve.

However when we tense a muscle, the information makes it all the way to the brain, so when we begin to relax it again with a pandiculation our brain can learn what the resting muscle should feel like, effectively resetting the base level of tension in the muscle

The Mind Body Connection

Every thought releases some type of chemical. When positive thoughts are generated, at times we’re feeling happy or optimistic, cortisol decreases and the brain produces serotonin, creating a feeling of well-being. This puts our bodies into the parasympathetic part of our autonomic nervous system, which relaxes our muscles, lowers our heart rate, improves sleep, optimises digestion, relaxes muscles and creates a feeling of calm.

However repeated negative thoughts, such as worry, anger, resentment, fear, or depression, may cause our bodies to release the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. This can trigger the sympathetic side of the automatic nervous system, it’s known as fight or flight and it readies us for danger, gives us extra strength and speed to keep us safe. But the down side is that it puts strain on the body by pausing it’s other activities, this can cause insomnia, poor digestion, muscle tension, low immunity, elevated heart rate and anxiety.

So we know that thoughts and feelings effect the body, what many people don’t consider is that the exchange goes both ways.

Exercises is known to produce endorphins, decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilise mood, improve sleep, and build self-esteem. Various studies have noted the importance of posture in affecting one’s personally and relationships to people and the world. A straight backed open posture that takes up space can boost confidence and increases social interactions, whilst a slouched, contained and closed off posture can isolate and contribute to depression and low self esteem.

Working on the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety and understanding how to shift your nervous system out of fight and flight mode can significantly improve not only your physical but also your mental health.

UnderstandingYour Nervous System

Mapping

Nervous system mapping is the process of identifying and understanding the responses and regulatory patterns that you’ve developed and the physical and emotional reactions they cause. It involves observing the shifts between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system states, to gain insight into how these autonomic patterns influence your physical & mental health.

Becoming conscious of your patterns and which states you most often find yourself in, can help you reprogram dysregulated nervous system responses and improve capacity, self-awareness, and resilience.

Regulating

Nervous system regulation techniques are methods used to help your body’s stress response stay balanced. They can help you feel calmer, focused and less overwhelmed during challenging situations.

Examples include

Havening

Tapping

Co-Regulation

Sensory Stimulation

Breath-work

Stimming

Grounding

Bilateral activation

Vagus Nerve Massage

For a more detailed explanation on some of these topics
Please check out the blog or session handbook

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