What is “Somatic”?
- Tara Lemerise
- 1 minute ago
- 4 min read
"Somatic" is the new it-girl of the yoga world. But what does that actually mean?
Trying to understand the definition of “somatic" based on a dictionary entry is nearly impossible. The word “somatic” simply means related to the body, often used as a term to differentiate what is “of the body” versus what is “of the mind”. However, by that explanation, most of what happens on our yoga mat would be classified as “somatic”.
Fortunately, there is a specific ethos of somatic movements that can get us beyond this common over simplification. We just need a little more context.
First, here is what "somatic" is not:
"Somatic" does not equal relaxation techniques.
In Sanskrit soma (सोम) literally means “pressed extract” or “juice.” In early Vedic texts, this word referred to the juice of a soma plant, which was used in ritual offerings.
Soma (सोम) evolved to refer to not just the ritual substance but also the deities honored in those rituals. Those deities were associated with vitality, inspiration, purification, power, and immortality and so soma (सोम) became analogous with those qualities.
In even later texts soma (सोम) became another name for Chandra (चन्द्र), the moon itself and the moon god. And in other texts, soma (सोम) was used to describe a settling energy associated with subtle-body systems.
From all of this, soma (सोम) and now “somatic” by extension, has come to be used as a sort of vague synonym for the power of relaxation. "Somatic" and "soma" is often employed as poetic language to mean a replenishing inward-moving energy. While lovely and meaningfully evocative in its own way, this is a common misusage.
The word “somatic" does not really refer to vague relaxation techniques.
"Somatic" does not equal corrective exercises.
We are most familiar with the idea of corrective exercises from physical therapy. This type of movement therapy includes a set of physical tasks, typically repetitive movements under varying degrees of demand. They are designed to target a particular set of muscles in order to address imbalances and to counteract patterns of compensatory movements.
While yoga teachers and physical therapists are absolutely not trained in the same way and do not have the same credentials, yoga postures have been used as corrective exercises for nearly as long as yoga asana has been practiced. In fact, there are elements of corrective exercise in many modern yoga classes, especially those taught by teachers with training in biomechanics and kinesiology.
If we agree that "somatic" is not relaxation techniques and it is not corrective exercises, where does that leave us?
Two Key Somatic Principles in Yoga
What defines "somatic" in the most applicable way for yoga are the following two principles based on the work of movement pioneers Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen (Body-Mind Centering®), Moshé Feldenkrais, and Frederick Alexander (Alexander Technique):
1. Moving from within allows us to “be” versus to “do”.
First and foremost, we must accept the premise that our existence has more value than our ability to do. This is a challenging notion when we are deeply enmeshed in a cultural narrative that our worth is tied to our production and consumption.
Instead, we believe that anything we “do” can be motivated by an internal awareness. This ability to move from within allows for a real-time connection to the uniqueness of our humanity and is what separates from other living beings. Movement then becomes an expression of our agency, a means to realize our creative potential, and an act of celebration of our emobdiment.
Learning to make this connection between mind and body is paramount. The learning itself more important than achieving something demonstrable. Bringing the brilliance of our brain to our body in action for the sake of this connection offers us the benefit of a more flexible mind whether or not we end up with a more flexible body.
2. Movement re-education gives us options instead of corrections.
Based on the idea that we are innovative movers by nature and that there is no single correct or incorrect way to achieve a movement task, this second somatic principle approaches the body and movement through the lens of options. There is nothing to be corrected or improved. There are only novel movement options to be explored and discovered.
We learn this movement re-education based on these cycles or stages of processing:
Perception or Attention or Receiving Input
Decision or Intention or Perceiving the Input
Execution or Action or Respond to the Input with Output
What does this look like in action on the yoga mat?
These two somatic principles show up in yoga practice as follows:
Repetition Without Repetition - We might repeat the same movement or sets of movements many times but we notice how they feel different each time.
Reversibility - We take a movement or a posture sequence in one order and then do the same thing in reverse order, noticing any gaps in coordination or differences in difficulty.
Test and Retest - Sometimes called a “reference move”, there is where we do something once, followed by several other things. When we come back to the first movement, we pause to notice what feels different.
In addition, somatic explorations land best when they are mapped to stages of human development. This means we work with the torso before limbs and focus on mobility of the ribs, spine, and pelvis. Additionally, we begin from reclining or prone, then move to all fours, then to standing.
Ready for More?
If you have attended classes on the TLYoga platform, you have experienced these somatic principles in action. Look for them in your next class.
If you haven't taken class from us and this has piqued your curiosity, please join us. Sign up for a free week trial membership today!
If you are a yoga teacher and want to learn how to incorporate what you've learned here in your yoga classes, check out the Sattarka School of Yoga's Level 2 Yoga Teacher Training. The next cohort begins in September 2026.