What is somatics?
What is and isn’t somatics?
Somatics is a word used to describe an orientation to moving and being that emphasizes the experience itself as opposed to a particular outcome, through the lens of the body. Somatic practices often focus on interoception (the internal experience of the body), proprioception (finding one’s body in space or the environment), and exteroception (how we perceive and create the stimuli that comprises the world around us).
The term “somatics” has been attributed to Thomas Hanna circa the 1970s, but lineages and traditions throughout the world and time have been engaged in “somatic” practices. Many of the popular somatic lineages in the West today are heavily influenced by, and appropriate from, martial arts and/or religious or spiritual traditions (most often Eastern and so called American indigenous traditions). Trace your roots back far enough, and I bet you’ll find practices that we in the west would call “somatics” today.
The root word is the Greek, “soma”, meaning, “the body, a human body dead or living, body as opposed to spirit…” Note here, the isolation and focus on the material body. I think that’s particularly important to remember when we’re talking about current iterations of westernized somatics (though I don’t personally know of many strictly materialist somatics practitioners). Lots more to say on this influence in another post, another time.
The point important to this post is that somatic practice isn’t a set of values or forms, it’s not inherently political (yet, through the lens of the west, it is and may have to be) nor is it focused on aesthetics. It doesn’t require specific exercises, activities, or breathing practices. It doesn’t necessitate the participant to believe in a religious or spiritual tradition. That said, certain lineages may include some or all of the traits listed above.
It’s possible to practice somatics without adhering to one lineage or methodology, though some would argue (myself included), when we give a practice a name that has cultural connotations, it’s important to (at minimum) understand the history and traditional contextualization of those practices, if not take it one step further to do the work of tracing your own roots and finding the practices that your ancestors may have already been connected to.
Finally, because there are so many different somatic methodologies at this point, there are lots of variations on this definition. If you’re curious about how somatics may influence your practices or life, I think the most important thing is to find a teacher/coach/guide who you resonate with, or who speaks to you. Every coach brings their own unique interpretation to any training they receive.
My somatic education came from many different sources both structured and unstructured. I’m influenced by the ANFT forest therapy lineage, polyvagal theory and neurobiology, phenomenology and existentialism, the teachings of nature as I practice remembering that I am a part of it, and the experiences of my ancestors as they tended the land, cared for one another, created art, and built things.
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