Yoga combines specific postures (known as asanas), breathing techniques (known as pranayama), and meditation to connect your body to your mind. Somatic yoga combines these activities with specific types of movement therapy that train your body and brain to carefully sense and move muscles (somatics).

There’s limited research on the health benefits of this type of yoga. However, the initial scientific evidence suggests that it can relieve trauma, lower stress, and reduce physical pain.

Benefits of Somatic Yoga

Yoga improves balance and flexibility. When combined with somatics, it can help in the following ways;

Improve Your Mind-Body Awareness

A combination of somatics and yoga can improve your ability to understand your emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations, such as your breathing and heart rate. Mastering this awareness empowers you to manage your body’s response to anxiety or stress. For instance, if you feel anxious, you can actively slow down your breathing and, eventually, regulate your heart rate.

Chronic Pain Management

Research shows a relationship between your emotions and chronic pain. For example, a 2022 literature review found that depression might increase the risk of developing fibromyalgia at some point in your life.

Depending on the nature of your pain, somatic yoga can help manage it. It allows you to process your feelings and reduce the physical pain you may be feeling. Note that it doesn’t cure, but it can reduce the pain. One recent study found that increasing your body-mind awareness through somatic and yoga movements can lower your perception of pain and manage chronic pain.

Supports Trauma Recovery

Trauma-related issues, such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), can affect your thinking patterns (cognition), behavior, and mood. In a 2017 study, researchers found that somatic movements can help people process negative emotions and other symptoms of unresolved psychological trauma. This is true even when you have experienced some of the trauma symptoms have been present for many years.

Is Somatic Yoga Different from Yoga?

The traditional yoga (the type that has been practiced for more than a millennium) is somatic. It is deeply rooted in Asian cultures and religions. It aims to exert control over your mind and body to open yourself up for higher spiritual enlightenment.

However, Western yoga does not always hold those somatic and spiritual elements. That means the yoga you practice may or may not be somatic. It all depends on the specific yoga type you are doing and your instructor.

It’s crucial to mention that some yoga instructors try to make their yoga classes or sessions more like strength training exercises. So if you want to practice in a studio setting as a group, search for a class where the yoga instructor is focused more on feelings, breathing, and thoughts.