Healthy Ageing with Somatics:
The link between fascia, health, longevity and wellbeing ?
"Soma" means living body. The term “Somatics” was coined by professor Thomas Hanna in 1976. It originates from Feldenkreis and represent a field of movement exploration and bodywork that focuses on the internal physical sensations, perceptions, and experiences of the body.
Somatics allows us to change physical habitual patterns via sensory-motor control education. There is a profound invitation to relax, befriend ourselves, attune to the breath, explore how we relate to the ground and the subtle relationships between different part of the body.
Somatics invites us to move with full-body awareness, focusing on our feelings within. It develops interoceptive awareness or the capacity to listen to and feel your body. We learn to become quieter, mindful and work at a deeper level to release deep seated tension.
It's a little bit like diving deep into a slow moving meditation and is magical. It takes you on a journey, a world of exploration beyond imagination. We move slowly and mindfully.
It connects body & emotions, reaching to your deeper body cellular and fascia layers, working with your body’s own intelligence. It connects you to your deeper self, which allows change.
"You cannot change what you cannot feel" T. Hanna
A series of soothing gentle techniques allow our body to unwind deep seated tension patterns that tend to keep us stuck in old emotional patterns. It works on myofascia release freeing your muscles from being stuck, which creates inflammation, tension, and stiffness.
Fascia is an organ of communication. Your nervous system is embedded within it, around every cell, organs, bones etc Somatics brings ease and freedom of movement. Stiffness melts away.
Fascia is listening to the nervous system in every moment, every breath. Somatics practice is designed to stimulate our kinaesthetic awareness and is fantastic to reshape and rewrite fascia.
By changing your body, you are also reshaping your mind, emotions and spirit.
How does breath help into this practice ? I like to invite participants to start with breathwork at the beginning of each session to reset body and mind for best possible outcome. To let go...
As we learn to control our breath, we regulate and calm our nervous system through our breath. It connects us to our parasympathetic nervous system, which brings deep relaxation. Remember fascia listens to your nervous system and breath rhythm. It reacts to it, tightening up or relaxing, which in turn impact your muscles ability to glide (or not) with ease in the long term. When we switch to a "rest & digest" mode through our breath, we switch to a holistic healing mode.
As we learn to become attentive to our inner world of sensations tuning in, connecting to ourselves, we realign ourselves, melting tension away whilst creating more space within.
You will find below an extract from "News Medical Life Sciences", Article of January 2023:
"Scientists have described multiple mechanisms instrumental in the beneficial effects of practicing slow-paced breathing. These include central nervous system (CNS) pacification, polyvagal theory, interoception and enteroception, increased heart rate variability through autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulation, and heightened parasympathetic action.
Stress, depression, and anxiety impair ANS activity and lower HRV. Breath modification alters the neurological signals sent by the respiratory system, influencing parts of the brain that regulate thoughts, emotions, and behaviour.
Additionally, slow-paced breathing synchronizes brain waves, improving communication between different parts of the brain. Meanwhile, fast-paced breathing voluntarily induces transient stress, which aids in improving stress resilience.
Current evidence proposes that one session of slow-paced deep breathing benefits the vagal tone (measured through HRV) and attenuates anxiety in adults. Hence, breathwork can be compared to mindfulness and meditation practices. Meditation and breathing 5-6 breaths/minute improves HRV.
The study showed significant improvements in self-reported anxiety, depression, and stress in individuals practicing breathwork compared to non-breathwork control populations."
I run weekly classes in Wadhurst, Frant, Fordcombe and online. A blend of breathwork, yoga, Somatics, Pilates to feel good. I also offer workshops and 1:1. All welcome ! Just get in touch...
Group classes, Private tuitions and workshops available. For more info, benefits and testimonials on Yoga, Somatics, Classes, Events etc. pls visit www.yogawithbelle.co.uk