About Somatics

Somatic movement techniques teach us how to release pain and tension from within our bodies.

Most pain comes from tense, unrelaxed muscles.

When we use our muscles to make a movement the muscle contracts ie. grows shorter, when we finish the movement the muscle stops contracting and relaxes back to it's former length and softens completely.

However, most people contract the muscles of their back/shoulders/hips to move but when the movement is finished they do not relax the muscles back to their full length. The muscles remain a little contracted.

Tonus

This remaining contraction or tonus, (tonus is the muscles
ability to stretch and contract in response to stimuli, not to be confused with muscle tone which gives muscle it's shape) goes unoticed. When our muscles are fully resting they are at zero percent tonus.

0% tonus = rested, relaxed muscle

10% tonus = tired, firm muscle

20% tonus = tired, firm and sore muscle

40% tonus = tired, hard and painful muscle

So depending on the amount of tonus remaining in the muscles we can feel anything from a little tired and stiff to chronic pain within our bodies.

We become so accustomed to this tonus that
we are unable to relax our muscles fully, even when we are
asleep, the muscles are still using energy and producing lactic
acid. This leaves us tired and sore.

Somatics has the answer

We have the ability to unlearn what we have learned ie.(to hold tension and pain within our muscles) and to remember what has been forgotten ie.(how to move freely and without pain, as we do naturally when we are young children). Through gentle and easy somatic exercises, we slowly and consciously contract and shorten our muscles then we slowly and consciously lengthen and relax the muscles. This teaches our brain to take back voluntary control of our muscles. Pain and tension are released and comfortable, easy movement is restored.

Modern, urban lifestyles, by their very nature are stressful and demanding. Somatics provides us with the tools to live in a stressful environment and remain healthy, physically and
mentally.