SLOW DOWN, BREATHE, CONNECT

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WHAT IS SOMATICS?

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The word 'Soma' is Greek and means body. Somatics relates to the body, but it's not just the physical mechanical functions, it is everything that makes up your body; your cells, growth, sensations and all that is stored within your body through your experiences in your lifetime.

 

Somatics refers to body-focused practices and is a bottom-up approach to healing pain and trauma, as it focuses on your nervous system, your bodily cues and sensations and emotions within your body. This can be your body feeling 'unsafe' in situations, whether they are actually unsafe or not. Trauma isn't the event itself, but how an individual reacts to it. Everyone will react differently based on their life circumstances and upbringing. We can get stuck in patterns of holding, beliefs, mindset and feeling unsafe, which can manifest as a variety of illnesses, physical & mental health; anxiety disorders, depression, stress and stress related illnesses, chronic pain and more. 

 

Somatic body-focused practices help you listen to your body, understand your nervous system and internal cues and regain trust in yourself so you can choose approaches, tools and practices to help you feel safe, whenever you need them. A lot of us are disconnected from our bodies and don't know how to deal with certain emotions and feelings so may turn to substances like alcohol and drugs to numb the feelings or 'escape' them, or we distract ourselves with endless tv, shopping, sex and other things that aren't inherently bad, but can become disruptive to our daily lives and sense of joy and happiness.

 

Most importantly, there's nothing wrong with you. It's having an understanding that your nervous systrem is just doing it's duty - to keep you safe! There are parts within you that want to protect you and manage situations to be able to keep you safe, but without learning when, how and why we're feeling what we're feeling, we get stuck in the fight or flight or shutdown / freeze state.

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Somatic Practices are slow, considered and gentle, providing you the time and space to acknowledge what is happening within your body and inner experience. Everything is a suggestion and exploration, to find what does and doesn't work for you. They allow you to re-connect to your body and rewire the pathways in your brain to change your habitual patterns and beliefs.

 

So often we are not taught how to self-resource or regulate when we're faced with challenges and heavy emotions, and may end up reacting from a place of fear, anger or frustration. Being able to self-resource is invaluable and a key life skill to have, as we can use these tools and techniques to support ourselves and others; in our community and within our families.

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Having the support of a Somatic Teacher & Coach allows for exploration, guidance and co-regulation, which is a vital part of being a human. We need others in our lives who are resourced enough to support and hold space for anything that might come up and know how to navigate that, especially if it is uncomfortable.

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