In a world of fitness fads, somatic workout is one term that has been gaining popularity by the day. However, what does it mean, and how does it differ from other forms of exercise? In this article, we will explain the basics and their unique advantages.
What Are Somatic Exercises? How Helpful Are They?
Somatic workouts enhance movement quality, body awareness, and general well-being. Many traditional exercise routines focus on burning calories or building muscles. However, these workouts emphasize internal awareness and mindfulness.
Somatic means “of the body” in the Greek language. They teach better body mechanics, release muscle tension, and improve posture via gentle, mindful movements.
Mind-body connection
These kinds of exercises focus on the mind-body interactions. It encourages individuals to notice their bodily sensations, movements, and breath patterns. It also helps you stay in peace and enjoy your life to the fullest.
Slow, Gentle Movements
These exercises differ from others in high intensity as they involve slow, gentle motions to create relaxation. As a result, one might notice activated muscles.
Relaxation of Muscular Tension
These workouts help in loosening tight muscles through gentle (somatic stretching). Thus, making them more flexible than before.
Focus on Sensation
Somatic workouts, moreover, encourage clients to concentrate on the feelings experienced within their bodies during each action. It is easier for people to have a better grasp of their physical abilities and limitations.
Enhancement of Body Awareness
People refer to proprioception as your body’s ability to detect location and motion within space. This is what the workouts aim to improve. People can move more smoothly and with less effort in this fashion.
Source: Freepik
What Are The 7 Amazing Benefits Of Somatic Exercises?
Somatic movement is any kind of movement that concentrates on the mind-body connection. These kinds of activities provide a lot of advantages. Below are the following benefits.
1. Somatic Movement Helps with Chronic Pain
Many people who suffer from chronic pain can benefit from bodily movement. After having done somatic movement for one year, those who were suffering from chronic pain experienced less pain than those who did not.
2. It Can Enhance Flexibility and Mobility
One of the significant reasons why somatic movements help reduce chronic pains is because they promote flexibility. Balance and mobility are other areas that get worked out as well—activities such as soma stretching, yoga, and tai chi fall under somatic movement.
3. It Reduces Anxiety and Improves Mood
As mentioned earlier, how emotions affect your body physically, it is essential to practice somatic breathing exercises to see fewer adverse effects. Notice where the anxiety sits in your body, and then do the breathwork and meditation to deal with anxiety problems and enhance your Mood.
Source: Freepik
4. It Can Help You Relax More
After doing soma-based exercises, most individuals will often feel relaxed or at peace. Soma-based exercises can control breathing, decrease heart rates, And take away stress response signals initiated by the cortisol hormone within our bodies. In other words, we could say that breathwork, which is usually a critical part of bodily exercises, slows down the heart rate and promotes relaxation.
5. It Can Help You Understand Your Emotions Better
People do not always know how exactly the mind-body connection affects their physical well-being. With the help of somatic stretching, people engage in mind-body exercises, they can identify emotions in their bodies through bodily movement. This is especially useful for those who neglect their feelings until such moments surprise them.
Yoga vs. Somatic Workouts.
Both workouts are about mindfulness and body awareness. However, there are still very definite differences between the two. Somatic workouts suggest moving in a way that feels natural to the individual. People practice it in response to sensations that arise from their bodies rather than sticking to specific poses or sequences of movements. On the other hand, yoga follows certain sets of positions known as “asanas,” which are guided either by an instructor or a class plan. These asanas require personal adaptation since they generally stick to a predefined sequence.
Somatic exercises have a unique approach towards emotional release. They emphasize releasing emotions through movement by paying attention to your body’s sensations and letting feelings emerge. This can relieve stress, as stored feelings can be released from the body’s tissues.
Yoga, on the other hand, usually helps people with emotional release through breathwork and meditation techniques. Nevertheless, yoga is less likely to be used as a somatic workout when dealing with emotional issues.
Furthermore, many people also indulge in isotonic exercise for weight loss and staying in shape. Even you can gain knowledge about it and include it in your fitness routine.
To Sum It Up
Somatic exercises provide many pain relief benefits. Enhanced flexibility, reduced anxiety, relaxation, and improved emotional awareness are some of them. However, more research is needed to ensure whether these improve physical and mental well-being. To conclude, adopting somatic practices may be a helpful move towards a healthier connection between mind and body.
References
IWA Coaching. (n.d.). What Is a Somatic Workout & What Are The Benefits?
Laurence, E. (2024, February 6). 6 Ways Somatic Movement Can Benefit Your Mind and Body. One Peloton
