somatic therapy exercises – The Movement Paradigm

Discover a transformative journey as we guide you through three powerful somatic exercises designed to help you break free from mental chatter and reconnect with your body’s wisdom. Whether you’re seeking stress relief, mindfulness, or simply a deeper sense of presence, these exercises are your gateway.

Join us as we explore gentle movements, breath awareness, and mindful stretches that will anchor you to the present moment.

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What You Need To Know About Somatic Experiencing

As you may have observed in some of my other videos, when we talk about somatic experiencing or somatic therapy, we’re considering a bodily approach to emotional and mental health. In the realm of mental health, we often tend to think of a top-down approach, such as cognitive-based methods that involve trying to rationalize or talk ourselves out of our emotions. However, what our bodies are very accustomed to evolutionarily is non-verbal communication – about 93% of our communication is non-verbal. Therefore, using movement to address mental health can be incredibly potent. Today, I want to discuss three of my personal favorites.

3 Somatic Exercises

1. Butterfly Hug

If you’re experiencing sadness or feeling down and you’re seeking comfort or soothing, this technique is perfect for you. Begin by interlacing your thumbs, then bring your hands across your chest and let your fingers reach toward your shoulders. Remember, there’s no definitive right or wrong way to do this. Start by allowing yourself to settle in, feeling the comfort and soothing sensation in your arms. When you’re prepared, gently alternate tapping your hands in a rhythmic motion that feels comfortable for you. Do this for as long as you desire.

It’s important to note that this practice can lead to a significant emotional release. If you find yourself becoming emotional or on the verge of tears, that’s perfectly okay and welcome. Allow yourself to embrace those feelings and offer yourself some grace. On the other hand, if the technique simply feels soothing without evoking strong emotions, continue for as long as you find it beneficial.

2. Wipe Away

If you’re feeling a little frustrated and annoyed and just need to vent some emotions, there are a couple of options to consider. One option is to find a comfortable position that suits your body and then imagine wiping away the frustrations. Bend over and ensure your posture is comfortable. As you wipe away, allow any frustrations you’re experiencing to flow through your body. You can increase the intensity of this movement as you become more at ease.

Shaking

Simultaneously, another technique you can try is a simple activity called “shaking.” This idea is reminiscent of how animals in the wild deal with fight-or-flight responses. They literally shake off the stress and return to a state of homeostasis swiftly.

So, if you’re feeling frustrated and want to release some pent-up energy, try shaking your body. Shake as needed, and then give yourself a moment to settle down. Take a moment to connect with yourself and observe the sensations in your body.

3. Goddess

The third one, which is one of my favorites, is the goddess. If you’re male, you can refer to this as something different, but it can be very empowering. Turn your feet out and bring your hands – let’s say, to heart center if you’re into yoga. Inhale as you come down, letting your knees go out, and then exhale, letting your arms go up to the ceiling. Do this at a pace that feels good for you. This is a great technique if you feel like you want to evoke a sense of happiness and empowerment.

We hope you can appreciate these three simple strategies. They show how we can shift our emotions and thoughts by moving and getting into our body physically, feeling our body.

These are just a few examples out of many of how to do that. If you’d like to learn more, please make sure to reach out to us. We would love to help, and as always, thank you so much for joining. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement.

Check out our app, the Movement Paradigm app, for lots of programs and really creating a community of people that want to enhance their lives in all ways and make it accessible to you.

Other things that might interest you:

How often do you check in with yourself, truly connecting your mind and body? If you’re looking for ways to enhance this vital connection, you’re in the right place.

In this blog, we’ll dive into three powerful self-somatic release practices that can bring a new level of awareness and harmony to your life. Get ready to explore the transformative potential of somatic therapy and unlock a deeper understanding of yourself. Let’s jump right in!

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Understanding somatic therapy

Somatic therapy is rooted in neuroscience and is specifically geared toward your physical movements, bodily sensations, past experiences and potential traumas that you may have undergone.

How it differs from traditional talk therapy

Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses primarily on verbal communication, somatic therapy addresses our neurological and physiological responses.

It is a unique form of therapy, and there are practitioners you can seek out, as well as self-somatic practices you can do on your own to help connect with potential past emotions, suppressed or repressed emotions, or even traumas.

What to consider

When engaging in these exercises, always make sure you are in a safe place and feel secure while performing them.

At its core, somatic therapy helps us appreciate that emotional distress and past traumatic experiences are stored within the body. This can manifest in various ways, such as chronic pain, chronic fatigue, autoimmune disease, chronic illness, anxiety, and depression. With somatic therapy, our goal is to tap into these emotions and past experiences, integrating and processing them.

Considering how humans relate more with non-verbal communication than verbal communication, it becomes essential to address the healing of the body, especially regarding emotions, through our physical body.

A helpful framework to understand our experience and resilience is the “resilience zone.” Within this zone, there is a middle section representing the present moment. However, we can easily be pushed out of this zone into a hyperarousal state, characterized by hyper-vigilance and anxiety, or into a hypoarousal state, marked by shutdown and depression. These states are normal and part of life, but past traumas can keep us stuck in them.

To regulate and return to the resilience zone, somatic practices are valuable. Body awareness practices, breath practices, and movement can be utilized for this purpose.

Although I will share specific techniques, it’s important to acknowledge that any form of body movement can be powerful. Walking, dancing, and fluid-like motions that ignite a sense of flow can all be incredibly impactful.

3 self-somatic release exercises

Today, we’re going to go over three different exercises that you can begin to explore in your body, mind, and life and see how they are for you.

Exercise 1: Progressive relaxation

The first exercise is called progressive relaxation. We will move through the body and create tension in each part, and then relax it. We’ll start at the feet.

I’d like you to think of curling your feet tightly and then relaxing them. For the calves, point your toes, tighten them, and then relax. When you reach the quads, squeeze them and then relax.

As you do this, bring awareness to the creation of tension and then the release of it. Notice that some areas might already be tight as you progress. Squeeze your glutes together and then relax, letting go of that tension. Continue to bring more awareness to your body.

Next, think about curling up your abs slightly, as if you’re doing a mini crunch, and then relax. Now, let’s move to the hands. Make a fist and then relax. We can also curl the arms and then let them go. Bring your shoulders up towards your ears, tighten them, and then let them go. Progress through the body systematically, creating tension and then relaxing, allowing everything to let go.

Exercise 2: The flower

The next exercise is called the flower. While lying on your back, start with your palms down, shoulders rolled in, and feet together, with your knees bent.

From here, open the hands so you’re facing your palm towards the ceiling at the same time as opening your hips. Think you’re opening up like a flower, moving nice and slowly, and then coming back, rolling the hands down towards the floor. Shoulders are going to roll off the ground, and you’re going to feel a little tension in the neck for just a moment.

When you feel comfortable, pair that with your breath, so you can inhale as you’re coming down, opening, and then exhaling, moving at a very slow pace. Pay very close attention to your physical sensations and what’s happening in your body throughout the exercise.

Exercise 3: Tapping exercise

The next exercise is called tapping. You can do this all over your body anytime during the day. It’s a great way to start your morning if you’re feeling slightly stressed or anxious and want to bring your awareness back to your body. Tapping involves making a closed fist and gently tapping your body, moving all around, down the arms and legs, and reconnecting with your physical self.

These are just three examples of the many somatic practices you can explore. The key is understanding that we may store emotional distress or traumas in our bodies, which can manifest in various ways. By becoming embodied, we can have a significant impact on our emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

If you found this helpful, please like and share. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement. Make sure to check out all the vagus nerve exercises available here as well, as they can also be incorporated into this somatic practice.