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How Somatic Exercises Can Help You Heal from Trauma, Anxiety, and Stress

Posted by Kelsey Juntwait on

We all experience trauma, anxiety, and stress to some degree in our lives. So it's important for everyone to take steps to manage those emotions in a healthy way. And somatic exercises, also known as body-based therapies, are a powerful tool that can help you do just that.

By connecting your mind and body, you can release tension and negative emotions, alleviate physical pain, and improve your overall well-being.

Understanding Somatic Exercise

Somatic exercise is a type of physical therapy that can be incredibly beneficial for those looking to improve their physical and mental health. This approach focuses on the mind-body connection, using mindful movement to better understand muscular and skeletal tension.

Through somatic exercises, individuals can learn how to recognize and release tension that's been held in their bodies for years. By bringing awareness to the muscles and joints, somatic exercise seeks to correct imbalances and improve posture, flexibility, and mobility. It's a gentle approach that can help reduce pain and discomfort in the body, while also promoting relaxation and mindfulness. Whether you're looking to recover from an injury or simply want to increase your overall well-being, somatic exercise is a wonderful option to explore.

Additionally, incorporating somatic exercises into your daily routine can lead to a more relaxed and mindful way of life. By tuning into the sensations in your body and focusing on your breath, you can better manage the stresses of everyday life. 

How Somatic Exercises Help with Trauma

Somatic exercise can help you deal with emotional trauma and is a great form of psychotherapy that can assist in your healing process.

The goal of somatic exercise is to help you become more in tune with your body, so that you can release any pent up tension or stress that you may be holding onto.

By engaging in these exercises, individuals can build self-trust and confidence. This involves learning to listen to the body's sensations and respecting the messages that it sends. As a result, individuals can learn to ease anxiety and stress by understanding what their body is indicating. By focusing on the present moment through somatic exercises, individuals can avoid becoming overwhelmed by past traumas.

The practice of somatic exercise empowers individuals with alternative ways to regulate their emotions, which can be incredibly helpful in managing emotional challenges. 

How Somatic Exercises Help with Anxiety

Somatic exercises are a great tool for reducing anxiety, as it teaches us how to recognize and respond to calming sensations. For example, practicing deep breathing and relaxing our muscles can help to slow down our heart rate, which in turn can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.

By learning how to move the body in ways that reduce tension and increase relaxation, we can create a space of calmness and control within ourselves. Somatic exercises allow us to connect our physical and emotional states, allowing us to become more aware of our body's reactions to stress and anxiety.

How Somatic Exercises Help with Stress

The benefits of somatic exercise are not just limited to the physical realm, as it can also have a positive impact on our mental health by reducing feelings of anxiety and facilitating better sleep. By engaging in somatic exercises, we can become more aware of our body's responses to stress. This awareness can be incredibly helpful in managing stress as it allows us to identify the physical sensations that accompany stress and take steps to alleviate them. 

By incorporating somatic exercises into our daily routine, we can become more in tune with our bodies and better equipped to manage the stressors of daily life.

Benefits of Practicing Somatic Exercises

By practicing somatic exercises regularly, you can experience a range of benefits that will improve your overall well-being. These exercises can help you achieve better posture, which is essential for maintaining a healthy spine and reducing the risk of back pain. They also help to reduce stress levels, which can have a positive impact on your mental health. Additionally, somatic exercises can improve your concentration and focus, which is beneficial for those who have busy schedules or work in demanding jobs. So, whether you're new to somatic exercise or have been practicing for years, keep it up and enjoy the many benefits it has to offer!

Somatic exercises focus on increasing body awareness, which means bringing attention to the sensations in our bodies. By doing this, we can identify any areas of tension or discomfort and work on releasing them. Somatic exercises are perfect for individuals looking to improve their flexibility, balance, and posture.

One of the best things about Somatic Exercise is that it's accessible to anyone – regardless of age, fitness level, or experience. 

All in all, Somatic Exercise is a wonderful way to improve our physical health, mental clarity, and emotional wellbeing. By engaging our minds and bodies in these movements, we are able to awaken our senses and connect with ourselves in a deeper way. Whether we need to release stress and tension, improve our posture and alignment, or simply feel more grounded and centered, these exercises offer a wide range of benefits that can help us live happier and more fulfilling lives. 

Types of Somatic Exercise

Somatic exercises are amazing for helping you get in touch with your body and release tension. These mindful movements require you to pay attention to the sensation of muscle contractions, which can help you notice places where you're holding on to stress or tightness. By doing somatic exercises regularly, you can learn how to release tension in a way that feels good and comfortable for your body. This can help you feel more relaxed and centered overall. Whether you're doing a simple exercise like tensing and releasing your muscles or engaging in a more complex movement sequence, somatic exercises are a fantastic way to get in touch with your body and promote relaxation. 

There are many different types of Somatic Exercise that one can do, and you can take our quiz to find a specific program that works for you!

Take the quiz!

Through all somatic exercise programs, we can gain a deeper understanding of how our bodies function and what we need to do to maintain good health.

Tips on Getting Started with Somatic Exercise

When it comes to somatic exercise, paying attention to your body is key. This means being mindful of how your body moves and reacts during each exercise. By doing so, you can become more in tune with yourself and better understand how your body works. This awareness will also help you recognize when something isn't working for you, allowing you to adjust or modify the exercise to better suit your needs.

Remember, somatic exercise is all about exploring and connecting with your body, so take the time to listen to what it's telling you. With patience and practice, you'll become more comfortable with this approach and discover a deeper level of physical awareness.

Somatic exercise is an excellent way to improve your overall health and well-being. But, it's important to start small and build up gradually to more advanced movements. Once you've gained a good understanding of your body and how it moves, take the time to focus on your breath and technique while doing the exercises slowly. This will help you develop a strong foundation and prevent injury. As you continue to practice, you can gradually increase the intensity and challenge of the movements. 

Best Somatic Exercise Program To Start With

The Workout Witch has a variety of somatic exercise programs that work for anyone. Take our quiz Where Is The Trauma Stored In My Body to find out which somatic exercise program is best for YOU.

A Review Of Our Best Somatic Exercise Programs

The 5 Course Bundle: From Pain To Power

This is your easy-to-follow, full-body exercise program of simple somatic movements that will allow your body to release the tension, trauma, stress, and anxiety it's been storing for FAR too long.

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The 3 Course Bundle: A FULL BODY Release

This is your easy-to-follow program of hip, shoulder, back, and jaw exercises that actually gets to the root cause of your pain, rather than just treating the pain itself — so you can finally have PERMANENT relief.

Learn More

 

Free Your Shoulders & Neck In 30 Days

This is your easy-to-follow program of shoulder and neck exercises that actually gets to the root cause of your pain, rather than just treating the pain itself — so you can finally have PERMANENT pain relief.

Learn More

 

Release Your Jaw In 15 Days

This is 7 minutes a day of simple jaw movements to release jaw tension, relieve jaw pain, and train your body to stop jaw clenching for good.

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Release Stress & Stored Trauma In 30 Days

This is your easy-to-follow program of hip and lower back exercises that actually gets to the root cause of your pain, rather than just treating the pain itself — so you can finally have PERMANENT relief.

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Heal Your Lower Back In 30 Days

This is your easy-to-follow program of lower back somatic exercises that actually gets to the root cause of your pain, rather than just treating the pain itself — so you can finally have PERMANENT relief.

Learn More