What is Somatic Yoga?
Somatic Yoga utilizes conscious movement and breath as a tool for connecting with one’s Soma (the body-mind) by inviting sensation and cultivating internal awareness through static and dynamic poses and breathwork. Integrating the specific tools of pandiculation (engaged stretching), participants are supported in cultivating a deeper understanding of the body’s internal messages and sensations while being given the opportunity to lessen or release tension patterns held in the body. Somatic Yoga is primarily based on the original work of Thomas Hanna and is beneficial for re-patterning pain patterns in the body.
What is Embodiment Yoga?
Embodiment Yoga is a practice that focuses on the body-mind connection by inviting awareness of one’s senses and rhythm as experienced through phases of stillness, movement, and sensation. By integrating conscious breathing and somatic meditation, one becomes fluent in the language of one’s own body, allowing for greater clarity of mind and emotional intelligence. Embodiment Yoga is useful for those who struggle with trauma history, dissociation, and emotional distress.
What is Somatic Embodiment Yoga?
Somatic Embodiment Yoga is a practice that was created by Stefani Wilton, a C-IAYT Yoga Therapist and 2,200-hour RMT trained in Integrative Somatic Therapy Practice (ISTP). SE Yoga bridges the original practices of Somatic Yoga and Embodiment Yoga by integrating inquiry-based and trauma-respectful practices that spark joy, ease, and connection. Going beyond the intention of individual embodiment, each practice emphasizes connection cultivated within an embodied community while sharing tools for nervous system regulation and resilience.
How does Somatic Embodiment Yoga differ from a traditional yoga class?
Most yoga practices that are shared in a studio environment have origins in Navritti marga, which is a pathway that sees the body as an obstacle to one’s spiritual awakening, that of kaivalya. Because yoga was popularized in the 1960s as a fitness regimen in the United States, largely in part by Richard Hittleman, who intentionally minimalized the more esoteric practices of yoga, many of the body-disregarding practices of the fitness industry had an influence on the way that yoga was shared with the general public. This influenced the way that yoga is often shared in studio class settings, with an emphasis on achieving postures and pushing past body signals. Teachers may use a directive language style and maintain a commanding presence. Adaptations and honoring of the individual needs of the students who take the class tend to be less frequent and students may find themselves at a loss during times when a posture is inaccessible for their physical or emotional capabilities. For individuals with a trauma history, practices like these can be harmful as they further imbed dissociation.
This is where the most distinct difference lies, within the manner in which a Somatic Embodiment Yoga class is shared…
In a Somatic Embodiment Yoga class, students can expect their teacher to use invitational language, meaning students are invited to explore with curiosity the shapes that are available to their bodies. Rather than teaching poses, SE Yoga Teachers highlight regions of the body and give gentle options that support an embodied awakening, a coming into oneself from a place of ease. Using somatic yoga tools, such as pandiculation (stretching with engagement, like yawning with the whole body), students learn how to cultivate easeful embodiment and become adept at recognizing and responding to the sensations and emotions that arise. At its heart, SE Yoga honors self-agency and offers individual choice by encouraging the permission of each participant to honor their needs through stillness, movement, and sensation. As a neurodivergent affirming practice, participants are encouraged to move as needed, to rest as needed, and are given options for more sensation, should they want them. While each practice may have a different theme, at its core, the intention of an SE Yoga class is to provide the participants with tools for nervous system regulation and resiliency. Lastly, in addition to the practice itself, students can expect a connection circle, where they are given the opportunity to share and engage with others. SE Yoga teachers will often build the practice in response to what students share so that the experience is curated for each participant.
You can join Stefani for a Somatic Embodiment Yoga Class in our monthly online community classes by clicking here. Or view our list of graduates to find an offering in your area.
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