Somatic exercise is a style of movement where the exerciser focuses on how the movement makes them feel. It tends to be slow and thoughtful so that the person doing it has the chance to notice any processes happening in their body.
Somatics is a way of studying movement that centers on someone's experience of their body and how it engages with the world around them through physiological and neurological mechanisms. The mind-body connection is the idea that a relationship exists between the mind and the rest of the body, with one affecting the other. Somatic exercise relies on this connection when noting sensation and feeling.
The term somatics was coined in the 1970s by Thomas Hanna, a philosopher of movement. However, somatics' core ideas and perspectives can be found in many fields and practices that date back much further, including the ancient practices of yoga, daoyin, and tai chi. Some aspects are also shared with somatic psychology or somatic clinical psychotherapy.
Examples of somatic exercises include Laban movement analysis, stretching, dance, pilates, and some martial arts like aikido. Somatic exercises tend to be gentler and have a lower impact than many other workouts. Moreover, somatic movement's purpose of sharpening bodily awareness can set it apart from other exercises. While this can be a part of other exercises, it may not be the express goal.
Somatic movement relies on three neurological processes: proprioception, interoception, and exteroception.9 Each process handles a different type of sensory processing relating to the nervous system and wider body. Somatic exercise uses these processes to draw awareness to the body through movement.
Proprioception – or the "position sense" – is how someone senses their body's position, movements, force, and pressure. It relies on the proprioceptive system in the muscles and joints. There are four key components to the proprioceptive system which help the brain to organize and compile relevant information:
Striated muscle and muscle spindles: The striated muscle controls movement while the muscle spindles react to how tense the muscle is. The nervous system uses this to calculate the amount of force needed for physical actions.
Receptors: They relay information to the brain about a limb's placement and position, which can be found inside and around joints in the limbs like the elbow or knee.
Golgi tendon organs: This is a sensory receptor sitting between the muscles, tendons, and joints. They are reactive to how tense a tendon is.
The inner ear: The semicircular anterior, posterior, and lateral canals of the inner ear detect the head's movements and position.10Interoception, on the other hand, is a sensory system that processes internal signals.
It communicates information from many different physiological systems, like heart rate, using a complex set of neural pathways. The spinothalamic tract, vagal sensory nerves, and the nucleus of the solitary tract in the brainstem are all thought to play important roles.
While interoception handles internal processes, exteroception processes the external world. Exteroception covers the five traditional sensory processes – vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell – alongside some others. Information is received from environmental stimuli, like light or sound, through specialized sensors called exteroceptors.
These three principles of sensory processing combine to give insight into many aspects of someone's body, including how it moves, feels, and relates to the wider environment. In turn, this information is hugely significant to somatic exercise and the mind-body connection.
Many different people may benefit from somatic exercises. People looking to restore their bodily awareness or strengthen their relationship with their bodies may find trying somatic exercises useful. The mental health benefits of somatic exercise are particularly notable, with some suggesting it can improve psychological well-being.
Exercises that integrate somatic principles, such as yoga and relaxation exercises, may reduce stress. Other types of somatic movement, like Laban Movement Analysis, are also thought to support emotional well-being by fostering emotional resilience.
A study was conducted to develop methods for reducing stress among students using a regimen of autogenic training, yoga, and relaxation exercises. After implementing the regimen, stress levels among participants decreased in 61-62% of participants. Notably, the study concluded that decreased stress also positively impacted the participants' physical stamina and coordination, suggesting a connection between the two factors.
There is also some discussion about integrating somatic movement and principles into chronic pain management. A systematic review from 2022 analyzed findings on the use of dance for chronic pain management. Of the 34 papers reviewed, 74% noted that pain was either reduced or the experience of pain was changed in response to dance interventions. However, researchers note that further investigation into the field is needed.
Integrating somatic practices into chronic pain management could be useful in some cases, depending on individual circumstances. But, for these practices to be meaningful and beneficial to people experiencing chronic pain, researchers suggest that they should be patient-centered and focus on subjective experiences.
Other types of physical therapy can share similarities with somatic exercise while significantly differing in other ways. The underlying philosophy of somatic movement and its regulation can be different from some types of physical therapy.
While somatic exercise focuses on the mind-body connection and a sense of attunement with the body, physical therapy might focus more on regaining movement and function in the body. However, Some physical therapists might integrate somatic methods into their practice. This integration might also depend on the particular needs and goals of the patient.
Physical therapy is also used specifically as a medical intervention, while somatic exercises can be practiced outside of this context. However, some physical therapists might use somatic principles as a part of a treatment plan, either on a philosophical level or by collaborating with a somatic educator.
A difference between somatic exercises and more traditional physical therapy is how it is regulated and how practitioners are trained. Although it can vary, Physical Therapists tend to be subject to local registration as healthcare professionals or a part of the allied health service. Those trained in offering somatic exercises may not be a part of the health service unless they have other training, as it is considered an alternative therapy.
The varied nature of somatic exercise means that there is no single national body regulating the practice in the same sense that physical therapy does. However, many people will be trained to coach a particular style of exercise that is based on somatic movements in a teaching capacity and can be registered with different directories.
