What is Somatics: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Healing

The word “somatic” is a new rising star in the world of wellness and self-improvement: somatic healing, somatic therapy, somatic experiencing, somatic yoga, somatic release, somatic meditation—everything seems to be getting a 'somatic' upgrade these days. Seeing this, I feel a strong need to take a step back and dive into what this word actually means and explore a bit of its history.

The word comes from the Greek "sōma", meaning "body." At its core, anything "somatic" relates to bodily experience—not just as a collection of muscles and bones, but as a felt, lived experience from within. This is what differentiates somatic practices from traditional exercise or therapy: instead of focusing on external movement or intellectual understanding, they prioritize inner awareness and the connection between body and mind. Awesome!

While the term may feel like a recent trend, the idea of somatic awareness is anything but new. Ancient traditions—from yoga to martial arts to breathwork—have long emphasized the importance of sensing and moving from within. But new times require new senses, tools and concepts, and so, throughout the last century, different thinkers and movement pioneers have contributed to what we now call somatics—the art of rediscovering what our ancestors probably never lost in the first place.

The Actor Who Noticed His Own Tension

One of the earliest was F. Matthias Alexander (1869–1955). He was an actor who, after struggling with chronic voice issues, realized that his own unconscious movement habits—tensing his neck and stiffening his body—were interfering with his ability to speak. By carefully observing himself, he developed what is now known as the Alexander Technique, a method that helps people unlearn tension patterns and regain natural ease in movement. His work became especially popular among performers, but over time, it expanded into education, therapy, and even daily movement re-education.

The Power of Imagery in Movement

Then came Mabel Todd (1880–1956) and her student Lulu Sweigard (1895–1974), who explored something quite fascinating: how our thoughts influence our movement. They introduced the idea of Ideokinesis—a method where simply visualizing movement could improve posture, coordination, and fluidity. Instead of forcing the body into alignment, they suggested that imagining movement could guide the nervous system into organizing itself more efficiently. Their approach found a natural home in the world of dance and rehabilitation, and it remains widely used today.

The Scientist Who Took Movement Seriously

Moving forward, we meet Moshe Feldenkrais (1904–1984), a physicist, engineer, and judo master who had a keen interest in human movement. After suffering a severe knee injury, he started exploring whether the brain could relearn movement in a way that didn’t rely on brute force or willpower. His experiments led to the Feldenkrais Method, which focused on slow, exploratory movements to help people release habitual patterns and rediscover ease in motion. His work became foundational in the field of somatics, influencing many who came after him.

The Philosopher Who Noticed a Pattern

One of those influenced by Feldenkrais was Thomas Hanna (1928–1990), who took these ideas in a new direction. Hanna was particularly interested in what he called sensory-motor amnesia (SMA)—the way our nervous system, over time, “forgets” how to fully relax certain muscles due to stress, repetitive movement patterns, or aging. He developed Hanna Somatics, a method that uses pandiculation (a slow, conscious contraction and release of muscles) to retrain the body to move more freely. His approach specifically targeted chronic pain and stiffness, making somatic practices more accessible to the general public.

Somatics Meets Trauma Healing

At around the same time, another shift was happening. Peter Levine (b. 1942), a psychologist, was studying the connection between the body and trauma. He observed how animals, after escaping danger, naturally "shook off" stress, while humans tended to suppress these instinctive responses, leading to long-term tension and dysregulation. From this, he developed Somatic Experiencing, a method that helps people process unresolved trauma by reconnecting with bodily sensations and completing the natural fight-or-flight cycle.

The Common Thread

Despite their different approaches, all of these pioneers shared a similar realization: the body isn’t just something we use—it’s something we experience, something that shapes us as much as we shape it. They understood that many of our physical limitations, pains, and tensions aren’t just mechanical issues but patterns deeply ingrained in the nervous system. And, perhaps most importantly, they showed that these patterns can be changed.

So, while somatics may be a trendy word today, the ideas behind it have been developing for over a century. And at the heart of it all is a simple truth: when we tune into our bodies, we open the door to greater ease, freedom, and well-being.

My experience with somatic exercises. 

My first real encounter with modern somatic work was through Thomas Hanna’s method. I was introduced to it during the Female Somatic Integration course at Bold&Visible, a program carefully curated by my mentor, Callie. And honestly? I was stunned by how profoundly it affected my nervous system.

Of course, it was just one piece of the course, but a very important one. Doing somatics every day, sometimes twice a day, I became softer, more relaxed, and even lost a little weight—which wasn’t something I had aimed for, but it happened naturally. More importantly, I felt more feminine, more at ease, and a quiet, simple joy started coming back into my daily life.

Now, to give a little context—when doing the course, I had been in Canada for only six months, still adjusting as an immigrant while the war was ongoing in my home country. On top of that, I was struggling in the relationship I had moved here for. To put it simply, I was stressed, sad, and carrying a lot.

I loved the concept of Thomas Hanna’s somatics, and as a yoga teacher, I wanted to implement some of it into my practice and teaching so my students could benefit from it. So, I found a somatic teacher training course, which allowed me to dive deeper into the theory and practice.

These days, I practice ‘Cat Stretch’ complex (almost) every morning, sometimes still in bed. And I’m pretty sure that it will never leave my life. It’s one of those small, simple rituals that just makes everything feel better.

If you are curious to explore somatic exercises yourself, I can recommend the book Thomas Hanna’s "Somatics." I’m also planning to film some exercises in the future, so stay tuned for my YouTube channel updates.