Somatic Exercises for Women : Empower Your Body and Mind: Somatic Exercises for Women's Health and Well-being (2024)

FAQs

Do somatic exercises really work? ›

Somatic exercises are widely accessible, requiring no equipment or specific physical skills. Benefits include pain and stress relief, improved emotional awareness, and better posture and balance, making the practice beneficial for various mental health conditions and symptoms.

SomaShare is a free app that brings practical, easy-to-follow tools and a communal space to support people in deep healing and transformation.

Some people experience significant benefits within the first few days or weeks of practicing the exercises, while for others it takes longer.

Choosing to move your body in any way that feels good to you, focusing on the inflow and outflow of the breath, noticing how it feels to tense and relax parts of the body, and grounding by feeling the connection of the body to the ground and/or chair are some examples of somatic exercises,” she says.

This type of exercise is all about connecting mind and body, and it can be an effective way to shed those unwanted pounds. Somatic exercise helps you become more aware of your body, and it encourages mindful eating habits that can lead to weight loss.

You can do somatic sessions as much as every day or as little as one day per week, according to the Somatic Systems Institute. However, the more often you do it, the faster you'll be able to reap the performance and flexibility benefits.

Sessions with a fully certified practitioner can cost between between $100 and $200 per hour.

“Somatic exercises are used to increase awareness from the inside out ... (and) they can help someone process and move stuck tension, memories and emotions,” Dr. Scott Lyons, psychologist and body-based trauma expert, tells TODAY.com.

You can also do it after work, before bed, when sitting at the computer for too long, in the middle of the day, or any time you feel like it to stay fluid, fit, and comfortable.

What does a somatic release feel like? ›

You may take a deep sigh and notice an ability to breath easily, or you may feel like you've dropped a huge brick from your heart. Clients often express a lighter feeling after their body has properly sequenced through an event or emotional experience.

This is to our knowledge the first literature review of the effectiveness and key factors of Somatic Experiencing (SE). Results provide preliminary evidence that SE is an effective treatment of PSTD related symptoms and may be also usefull in the treatment of other disorders.

Progressive muscle relaxation. This well-known relaxation exercise is actually a great example of somatics; by clenching and releasing each muscle group, you're moving your muscles - just ever so slightly - to decrease tension in your body and your mind.

Gentle, deliberate movements can facilitate emotional release and reduce physical tension. Somatic movement exercises, such as shaking or rocking, encourage the body to release held trauma, restoring the natural flow of energy.

What's the difference between Somatic Yoga and Yoga or Pilates. Yoga and Pilates can also help with pain, but somatic exercises are performed slowly and are mostly floor-based, so you're not having to hold up your body.

Is somatic therapy legit? While some research has found that somatic therapy is an effective treatment for certain mental health diagnoses like PTSD, more research is needed to verify the efficacy of this type of therapy, according to experts at Harvard Health Publishing.

While not a replacement for professional therapy, a somatic approach is a trauma sensitive yoga and does have therapeutic benefits. It can be a gentle way to work through stored tension and emotions, including trauma.

You may take a deep sigh and notice an ability to breath easily, or you may feel like you've dropped a huge brick from your heart. Clients often express a lighter feeling after their body has properly sequenced through an event or emotional experience.