When I discovered Somatics, it changed my life. When I teach students and clients Somatics, I see how it changes them. These days, as a Somatic Educator, I am often asked to describe Somatics and explain how it works to help so many people move well and feel better in their bodies, without pain.
I knew I needed an Elevator Pitch.
I could start by explaining how Somatics differs from yoga. Both practices involve specific body movements, conscious breathing and mental focus. However, where most styles of yoga place emphasis primarily on postures (goal-oriented), Somatics is more focused on movement (process-oriented), placing function over form.
My elevator pitch needs to explain who this practice is for, and why someone would choose to do it.
I teach Somatics to individuals and groups – from youth to seniors – so they can feel the freedom of a body that moves well and ages gracefully. Since most conditions, including muscle and joint pain, limited mobility and poor posture, have been learned and habituated, they can be un-learned and corrected.
What this means is that anyone can take charge of their body, their health and their wellbeing – for themselves! It means that Somatics, unlike many other practices and therapies, can create long-term, lasting change.
I’m sure I can blurt that much out on a short elevator ride.
Somatic movements and exercises are simple and gentle enough that anyone can do. It does not require intense stretching to try to restore muscle imbalance. Instead, Somatics involves the brain and nervous system to release and re-educate muscles that have become involuntarily contracted.
As you can see, the elevator ride is getting longer and I still haven’t really explained what Somatics is.
I haven’t said anything about how the sensory-motor areas of the brain are awakened through slow intentional movements to correct, improve and refine function. I need to explain how this method of neuromuscular re-education will release tension, improve range of motion and allow the body to function more efficiently. The natural outcome of this is more energy and increased vitality.
There is more to say and the elevator is still rising.
I want to go on about how using minimal effort is encouraged, rather than pushing or striving. I might even start in about all of the conditions Somatics is effective at resolving, from back pain to sciatica to shoulder issues and even TMJ!
By now, the elevator is filling up and I can’t contain my enthusiasm for Somatics. Every curious ear in that car will be listening and wondering about their own aches, pains and other complaints. Why have they not heard about this before now? And can Somatics really help them with that achy hip, sore neck and cranky knee?
My answer is a resounding YES!
It’s no surprise that Somatics cannot be adequately described during the short span of an elevator ride. The elevator pitch is an ironic metaphor for the expansive, relaxed nature of Somatics. The very essence of this practice is learning to slow down, create space to feel and experience sensation that has been diminished or lost. Rushing or abbreviating that process is counterproductive and will only inhibit the results.
The way to really know Somatics is to take the ride. Have the experience and feel for yourself. Change is possible, and you are the one who can do it!