Have you ever heard the saying “the body keeps the score?” Pent-up emotions, such as distress, anxiety, and sadness, can affect your physical health. Emotional turmoil, particularly chronic stress, can lead to physical reactions, including immune dysfunction and impaired peripheral function (1).
Somatic yoga is a very gentle type of yoga that helps increase body awareness, which can support emotional regulation, reduce distress, and help release stored tension or trauma. It’s an internal experience that is designed to achieve a calmer mental state and regain healthy, fluid movement. But does somatic yoga work?
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits, the primary difference between somatic and regular yoga, and whether you can use somatic movement to shed some pounds.
Somatic yoga is a gentle, mindful approach for beginners that blends traditional yoga with somatic movement principles. It’s a legit practice that uses interoception and proprioception as core elements. Interoception helps you tune into how you feel in a pose, and proprioception enables you to sense where you are in that pose (2).
Research has shown that repressed or unprocessed emotions can weaken the immune system, impair peripheral function, and cause cognitive decline, which affects focus, memory, and decision-making (2, 3).
So, does somatic yoga work? The answer is – it can. When you practice somatic yoga, you focus on how the movement makes you feel. You study your own movements through neurological and physiological mechanisms, creating a mind-body connection that can help process stored emotions and reduce perceived distress, thus improving physiological symptoms (4).
Somatic and regular yoga are quite similar in terms of meditation, breathwork, and focus on posture. However, they use a different approach, technique, and goal.
Somatic yoga exercises involve full-body awareness, focusing more on how you feel rather than whether you’ve achieved a specific asana. They are an internal experience that re-establishes movement control through mindful breathwork.
Traditional yoga is performance-driven. You practice poses and focus on accomplishing a specific goal, like boosting flexibility, mobility, or balance. Many different types of yoga require physical exertion and specific mindful movements.
Somatic exercises are easy, repetitive, and guided by individual needs. You’re more connected with the internal landscape and focus on emotional release. The movements are non-linear and activate your innate healing capacity.
| Somatic yoga | Regular yoga | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Internal experience, body awareness, and emotional release | Performance-driven, goal-oriented |
| Technique | Slow, gentle, repetitive | Structured and physically demanding (depending on the type of yoga) |
| Movement style | Non-linear, intuitive | Linear, form-based poses |
| Goal | Manage unprocessed emotions, release distress, and tension | Boost mobility, flexibility, balance, and mental state |
Read more: Somatic Yoga: A Journey to Self-Discovery.
Yes, somatic yoga can release stored energies and unprocessed emotions. But how does somatic yoga work for trauma?
Somatic yoga can create a safe space for the body to:
While direct research on somatic yoga is still in its early phases, several studies on related practices, such as somatic therapies and trauma-sensitive yoga, have highlighted potential benefits.
A study using mindfulness-based intervention of hatha yoga found that using the practice as a complementary treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder helped release some of that tension from past experiences. When paired with mindfulness-based meditation, participants developed feelings of empowerment, centeredness, gratitude, and acceptance (5).
Another study found similar results. After a 20-week trauma-sensitive yoga treatment, clients experienced a slightly more regulated nervous system and reduced dissociation symptoms. Yoga provided positive outcomes, such as lower depression and inflammatory hormones, and improved overall wellness (6).
A 2020 report found that somatic yoga and meditation can boost quality of life and affect fear of falling. Patients received a weekly program with additional home exercises. After 8 weeks, patients noticed improved stability, balance, and self-confidence (7).
If you’re curious about Somatic Exercises for Cortisol Belly, check out our earlier article.
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Somatic yoga isn’t specifically designed for weight loss. However, it can address the root causes of patterns that lead to weight gain, such as distress. As chronic stress can contribute to weight gain, somatic yoga can come in handy for adequate weight loss maintenance.
Chronic stress can lead to physiological changes in the human body. Research has shown that prolonged exposure to high cortisol can increase appetite, particularly the need for high-fat and high-sugar foods. Cortisol can reduce metabolism and increase fat storage (8).
The best somatic exercise program can be a tool for distress reduction, particularly with stress-related habits such as emotional eating. The gentle and slow movements calm the nervous system, potentially reducing the output of cortisol levels (9, 10).
When you’re stressed, you may feel tight shoulders, stiff hips, and a clenched jaw. Somatic yoga helps locate and unwind these areas with calming movements, which can lower overall tension levels. So, while somatic yoga can’t cause notable weight reduction, it can be a valuable practice for maintaining a healthy body weight.
For more details about Somatic Yoga for Weight Loss, take a look at our prior publication.
Somatic yoga is a holistic approach that can offer various advantages. It works deeply with the mind and body to create lasting results.
Here’s why it stands out:
Read more: What are Restorative Somatic Relaxation Techniques?
Somatic yoga requires consistent practice, which can take a while to work. The movements are slow, and their impact can vary from person to person. Some feel more centered and relaxed after three days of somatic yoga exercises. However, others need more time to adapt and practice. As long as you dedicate time and effort to every session, you can experience positive results.
Remaining motivated and reconnecting with your body through conscious movement is essential. Pick whatever schedule works for you and practice regularly. If you don’t know where to start, the BetterMe app can keep you on track. It’s equipped with many somatic yoga poses and dietary regimens so you can schedule your meals and workouts every single time.
Our previous post goes into great detail about the somatic yoga poses.
Somatic yoga may seem like the latest trend, but it’s nothing new. This distinct practice emerged in the mid-20th century as a blend of yoga and somatics. It was inspired by the work of pioneers such as Dr. Thomas Hanna, who created clinical somatic education in 1990. Dr. Thomas was a philosophy professor, writer, and theologian (14). Yes, some therapists use touch, but not always. For example, somatic touch therapy is reliant explicitly on the touch-based modalities to ease emotional distress. Somatic experiencing often uses a combination of verbal processing and touch work. However, some therapists don’t touch their clients at all. When touch is considered, it’s always discussed beforehand, and explicit consent is sought to ensure the client’s comfort and safety. Somatic yoga can support trauma recovery by helping regulate the nervous system, reduce cortisol levels, and ease physical tension. Through gentle movement and increased body awareness, it encourages emotional reconnection and the processing of sensations. However, somatic yoga alone isn’t a treatment for trauma. If you’re considering a somatic approach to healing, it’s important to work with a qualified mental health professional, such as a trained somatic experiencing practitioner, and always consult a licensed clinician before you start any trauma-related practices. There isn’t a clear-cut answer, as the most healing type of yoga can vary from person to person depending on their needs and goals. That being said, restorative yoga is often praised for its calming effects. It uses comfortable poses for extended periods, which allows you to slow down and gain mental and physical relaxation.Frequently Asked Questions
Is somatic yoga new?
Is there touching in somatic therapy?
Does somatic yoga heal trauma?
What is the most healing type of yoga?
The practice of somatic yoga can help you regain a healthy, fluid movement and achieve a calmer state of mind. When you’re dominated by your feelings and emotions, your mood can determine how you interact with people, your eating habits, and how you deal with challenges.
Somatic yoga can improve your mind-body connection by helping you become more attuned to internal sensations. Through gentle, mindful movement, it creates a stable foundation for processing emotional tension and releasing stored distress. It’s a unique internal experience with the potential to ease pain, distress, and discomfort.
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