It’s all about “somatics”

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This prompted me to look into aging and body stiffness which I also have been having and assumed to be all about the joy of aging. However my research is making me think differently about aging and stiffness and muscle aches.

What I stumbled upon is the concept of “somatics” which I learned simply means “the body experienced from within”. It’s a term coined by Thomas Hanna. I have found some information on line about this concept.

According to the website: https://gravitywerks.com/what-is-somatics-2/ , “Somatics is about how you feel from the inside out. It’s more about your feelings from your own unique perspective. How you feel or describe your feelings or sense perceptions can be negative such as pain, stiffness or any number of discomforts. It can be positive such as feeling good. Or it can also be neutral or a lack of feelings in certain areas. Of course, you can feel or process any number of feelings or sense perceptions simultaneously as well. Though when it comes to pain, that or those feelings seem to predominate any good we can also feel.”

There is another term I found called “proprioception” used to describe our feelings as it relates to the position of our body and its movement. How we each define pain and feel it is unique to our somatic experience. Negative feelings and sense perceptions can vary at different levels for each of us. Generally our negative feelings about pain get in the way.

Like everything else what we tell ourselves about pain makes a difference in our experience with it. And not just physical pain but emotional pain too!

Hanna developed a system of somatics exercises which are a specialized set of movement patterns unlike regular exercise that target the brain’s motor cortex to affect change. The movement practice is to help people get back in touch with their sensory-motor system through feelings and sensitivity using the brain and body to make the necessary changes to restore control and comfort, according to gravitywerks.com.

“In the same manner that some people simply cannot let their shoulders drop and release held tension in the neck and shoulders, stored or programmed high tension levels, fear, trauma and other personal negative events preclude us from simply letting things drop,” https://gravitywerks.com/what-is-somatics-2/
This intrigues me. Our bodies can be reprogrammed at a certain brain level and then remember to let go of what is causing the pain!

What I’ve come to realize it that how I’ve been experiencing life inside my body for all these years is most likely the reason for my stiffness and sore muscles. I hold in all kinds of emotions in my body especially my neck and shoulders. The result after years and years and year of doing so is pain from very stiff neck and shoulder muscles.
I can reprogram my body. You can too!

I tried it some exercise this morning and it helped my stiff morning muscles loosen up very quickly. I know I have work to do to retrain my body’s long held habits but this information has offered me some hope. Perhaps the years ahead won’t be as stiff and sore as the last few have been!

Where do you hold pain in your body?