Somatic means related to the body, while soma means the body as you perceive it.
Somatic exercises might help with healing when used with conventional medicine.
Somatic movement requires you to focus your attention on how your body feels as you move.
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Examples of somatic exercises include dance, yoga, and Pilates.
You explore movements slowly and pay attention to how those movements feel.
In the study, 24 healthy study participants had no experience with yoga.
They were followed for 12 weeks of yoga training.
Researchers concluded that yoga was a helpful exercise for improving somatic and mental health symptoms.
Pilates
TraditionalPilatesaims to increase strength and flexibility.
Somatic Pilates emphasizes improving the connection between the mind and body.
Research on somatic Pilates shows it has significant health benefits, including:
4.
Aikido
Aikido is a self-defense martial art that originated in Japan.
It incorporates meditation and breathing techniques from Zen Buddhism and requires mindful concentration and physical effort.
Mindful walking helps you feel grounded, relaxed, and even less anxious, sad, or stressed.
It combines gentle movements with deep breathing and meditation to boost mental and physical well-being.
Other Mindfulness Techniques
Somatic exercises include variousmindfulnesspractices.
Mindfulness focuses on awareness and acceptance.
With awareness, you focus on the present moment, and with acceptance, you observe and accept.
Techniques vary and can be done standing, sitting, walking, or moving.
You don’t need any special tools or props.
Breath Work
Breath work is a breathing technique that intentionally channels and focuses on breathing.
Is Somatic Exercise the Same as Somatic Therapy?
Somatic exercise may be part of somatic therapy.
Potential Health Benefits
Scientific evidence to support specific somatic exercises is limited.
This is mainly because this is a new concept in the Western world.
Even so, the evidence that does exist is promising.
They are a jot down of somatic therapy, which therapy practices focus on body awareness and reflection.
Such exercises include dance, yoga, Pilates, mindful walking, aikido, and tai chi.
you might begin with simple exercises and aim to be consistent.
Pay attention to what your body is telling you.
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Harvard Health Publishing.What is somatic therapy?
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