Somatic movement meets Yin Yoga
When I first heard the term somatic Yoga I was confused about the emphasis on soma in the description. I was curious - read about it and took several classes until one day I embarked on my first 200hour Yoga teacher training in Somatic Yoga, called Soma Chi Yoga. In this training I learned and experienced that:
Somatic movement is an approach to body awareness that prioritizes the internal sensing over the external form.
The term ‘somatic’ comes from the Greek word soma, which basically means body.
The body as experienced from within - not from the intellect. In a world where we overthink constantly, let’s take it back to a place of feeling.
Somatic movement is guided by an internal curiosity and sensation. It doesn’t have to be a specific way, it can be anything from gentle micro-movement, swaying or a subtle adjustment.
The outer form doesn’t matter so much, it is about sensing what bodily place wants to be explored in this very moment.
Other than a goal oriented movement to achieve a certain peak pose, we embark on an inner journey of sensory awareness. The impulse comes from inside rather than an outer cue. We connect to that inner landscape through interoception, our ability to feel and sense what is going on on the inside.
Out in the Yoga world, I see people putting ‘somatic Yin Yoga’ and ‘traditional Yin Yoga’ into different boxes (or categories) with different outcomes. I believe that your intention as a teacher shapes the outcome, which also depends on the student of course.
The traditional Yin approach as taught by Paul Grilley emphasizes a practice of passive Yin poses, affecting particular tissues and joints of the body. Practitioners can use props to support themselves as they find their appropriate edge, and remain relatively still in the pose. In these ~3-5 minutes, the stress on the target area is working on the tissues on a physical level, and these moments of stillness allow the mind to soften.
In somatic Yin Yoga, somatic exploration in form of mindful movement is added to the practice. It can be short episodes between Yin poses or to find into a Yin pose.
Why I incorporate somatic exploration into my Yin Yoga classes
I see a lot of people arriving to the practice with high stress levels or anxiety, some with grief or a rigidity in their bodies due to pain. Instead of putting these people into static shapes straight away with all their mental/emotional/physical load and discomfort and leaving them in stillness, I use somatics to build a bridge: gentle movement opening up moments for enquiry for them to notice the inner sensations, following internal urges to yawn, roll or move a part of the body, all to bring them into a connection with themselves. I use simple somatic movements adapted from Qigong forms and after the initial guidance, I encourage them to explore and make it their intuitive journey. At other points of the practice I let them explore the temperature of their palms or the texture of their wrists as they gently roll them. From this place of sensory awareness, the mind moves into the background and the passive Yin Yoga poses open up another layer of observation in stillness.
the benefit of adding somatics into Yin Yoga
The most significant benefit of incorporating or inviting somatic movement into a Yin practice is the activation of the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system, and a down-regulation of the sympathetic state. As the practitioner is in the driver’s seat on this explorative journey, they notice what wants to be moved, or open up. This is reassuring for the nervous system, feeling in charge and safe in the here and now.
But Yin Yoga itself is also calming for the nervous system, so why add movement? Yes, but as mentioned above, somatic gentle exploration is building a bridge to then lean into stillness.
As the practitioner learns to attune to subtle internal sensations, they develop an enhanced body awareness. This increased interoception improves everything from coordination to emotional regulation. We listen to the body and don’t automatically override this with our will. When we can sense our bodies more clearly, we make better choices for ourselves- like acknowledging when we need a break because we feel depleted, or how a full body No feels so we can set boundaries to protect your energy.
As for all teaching, your voice, tone and cues are important to guide your students on this path of whole body exploration.
I am curious: are you integrating somatics into your Yin Yoga classes/ practice? Let me know what you think!
Best,
Simone x