The Benefits of Somatic Movement Therapy: 1. Land into Your Own Sensory Experience

Incredible safety and resilience can be accessed through somatic practices that help us to land inside of our own bodies.  I work with somatic awareness movement and breath practices gleaned from years of working with Polyvagal Theory as well as Continuum.  

Disorientation and overwhelm are natural responses to times of transition in life.  We find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, and many of our nervous systems perceive this unfamiliar territory as a threat to survival.  This leads to scattered thinking or even foggy brain/trouble focusing.  The body will feel unsettled and hyperstimulated or even dulled out.  This is really hard territory from which to orient to next steps!

Couple this with a social-political environment of overstimulation and chaos, and we have a really challenging time in which to locate a solid sense of inner earth from which to plant real seeds of growth that matter to us.  It’s put out fires mode vs. plant seeds and tend to visions mode.

The Orienting Workshop, whether done one-to-one or in a small group, is designed as a space to host a landing process where you can arrive into the safety of your own sensory experience.  I teach some user-friendly methods for accessing nervous system regulation as a home base from which to explore the multi-faceted parts of self.  

Safety is the soil, the anchor, the home base.  The sensory experience is a means of arriving there.  

Self-Guided Mini-Somatic Practice For You: 

1.  Seek Comfort. Create an environment where you can safely sit and close your eyes or keep them open while resting into the interior experience.  Make yourself as comfortable as possible- gather all of the cozies.  Cozy socks or slippers, cozy blanket, cozy chair or laying down.  This cues the nervous system to safety.  

2.  Notice Support. Now notice the places of contact between your body and the support of the chair, bed, or ground.  

3.  Offer Your Care. Next up, place a hand on your sternum so that you can feel the presence of yourself there for yourself.  

4.  Humming. Begin humming deeply enough to feel the vibrations of this humming at your sternum.  Hum for as long as it feels satisfying to do so.  

5.  Find Sway.  Imagine your sternum and body like kelp that is gently swaying in the ocean.  Sway side to side finding a rhythm and intensity that feels good to you.  

5. Settle and Notice The Shift. When the sway settles, notice how your body and mind feel.  For some, this will feel really good.  For others, there may be no difference.  For others, they may find it unpleasant.  Our nervous systems are all unique!  If it felt good- yay- you have a new resource!  If not, rest assured there are loads of other options to see what does work for your nervous system.