What it means to be Somatic & how it can help with Pain and Limited Mobility

During September I will be teaching you how we can be somatic during this month and beyond.

Allow me to explain what we will be discussing this week in the following video....

Developing Somatic awareness

Firstly, what does it mean to be “Somatic” or “Somatically aware?”

To be “Somatic” means to be able to observe, sense and feel our internal sensations.
When we become “Somatically aware” we are able to sense and feel how our mind and body interacts with daily encounters and events. Did you know that most people live 95% of their time subconsciously? They have lost the skills of being “somatically aware.” This however can be reversed. Let’s delve deeper in to this fascinating subject.

Have you found that there are times in your day that you go on ‘autopilot’ and cannot remember doing a task? It can become so automatic, we no longer think about it because our subconscious mind has taken over the role. The subconscious mind is amazing and very handy! However as we will uncover this month, we must be aware of how the subconscious mind can also create challenges which we must overcome.

During this month I will be encouraging you to become somatic in your daily activities. I will encourage you to stop and notice different things which your subconscious mind will try to do for you! Today I would like to highlight movement and posture.

Movement and Posture

Have you noticed how often you move throughout the day? Do you find a large amount of your day is sedentary? Maybe sat at a desk? Reading? Driving? Or studying? A lack of movement creates tightness and poor mobility to our muscles and joints. Have you ever noticed that sitting for large amounts of time can create fluid retention? We weren’t designed to sit for hours on end. Rather we were made to move freely and explore. Modern society has created a life whereby we live very sedentary lives. Our movements are limited and often in a single plane, such as looking forward. How often every hour do you reach up, twist around, bend forward, move freely and take deep breaths? Pre-school children move freely and explore their surroundings. Once they start school, they are encouraged to sit and look forward for hours on end. This is when life changes. Their physical activity begins to decrease. By the age of 20, habitual postures, stress, the use of mobile devices and heavy school bags have already started to distort their posture.

What can we do to reverse this common issue? Is there anything we can do? The answer is yes! The Total Somatics Approach to Health and Wellness focuses on how we can reduce pain, improve posture, increase mobility and develop mindfulness with lifestyle changes.

This week could you create time in your day for the following challenge?

"Get up and start moving" challenge!

1) Reach up to the ceiling. Imagine you are picking fruit off a tree. Can you inhale and expand your belly and ribs to create length through your torso as you reach up for that imaginary fruit?

2) Move your hips! Could you imagine you have a hoola hoop around your waist? Allow your hips to move fluidly, creating large and small circles with your hips. Allow your shoulders and head to feel the rhythm. Allow your entire body to move with your hip action.

3) Position your arms straight out to your side (resembling the letter T), so they are almost shoulder height. Do you notice it resembles an aeroplane which children create when they play? Can you tilt your right arm up and allow your left arm to point towards the floor? Now reverse that action. As you reach one arm or ‘wing’ into the air, hold that pose . Breathe deeply into the ribcage on the same side as your lifted arm or ‘wing.’. Repeat this on the other side.

4) Could you create movement through your spinal column with a twist? Allow your arms to swing around to one side and feel them wrap around your body. Twist around to the other side and allow your head to flow with the movement. Feel the release through the sides of your body as you lengthen out the tightness.

Self reflection and Analysis

What is your most prominent posture throughout the day? Are there any opportunities throughout your day to alter your dominant posture or movement pattern? Could you become creative with your movements throughout the day? Could you set a timer to remind you to perform shoulder circles at the computer? Could you move away from your computer and practice the movement cues I mentioned above?

Use this week to become sensitive to how you move or how little you move. Make a note on your calendar and review your activity at the end of the week.

Notice in my blog entitled “Brain training to ease pain & improve mobility” how one of my clients self regulated and corrected his posture, movements and habits to improve his posture, increase his mobility, reduce his pain and return to the activities he loves to do. Click HERE to read more.

To consider more on my blog entitled “Is sitting the new smoking?”
To read it, click HERE

Click HERE to check out my blog entitled “Break Workplace habits which trigger pain.”

To learn specific somatic movements and the mindfulness element to them, I have created an online program at www.TotalSomatics.com. You will learn how to combine mindfulness, mindset and somatic movement together so you can reduce pain, improve posture, increase mobility and create a calm, centred mindset.

Take advantage of the Somatic In September 20% discount offer.
Just enter the following into the coupon code to receive 20% off the online program price:

somatics20pc

Have a brilliant week!

Take care,
Heidi Hadley xx
www.TotalSomatics.com