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Podcast: Feel Good
Episode:

Cool Somatics Move
Category: Health
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2012-04-09 17:18:33
Description:

Somatics exercises are the reverse way to lengthen muscles. Instead of stretching, you use the brain’s motor cortex to reset the muscles tension back to comfort.

Here’s how somatics works

Step 1 – You target the area you want to lengthen. You do this by contracting, instead of stretching, the muscles by being mindful of what it is you are doing. You have to pay attention, otherwise, the brain will not pick up the subtle cues you can notice in your body.

Step 2 – With somatics you pay attention to how you release the targeted muscles. Initially, this information may not always be clear. So no worries. With practice, you get better at feeling or sensing what is taking place.

You can immediately notice if there is any physical change when your body’s sensory-motor system is more intact.

Stretching the back can set off the stretch reflex, unlike somaticsHere’s an example. A lot of people will bend over to lengthen their back. Some will try to touch their toes… and some never make it despite all the stretching they’ve tried. Sound familiar?

When you “try” to stretch, this could lead the reflexes to turn “on” the switch of what is called stretch reflex. This can get the muscles to reflexively pull back, even into a back spasm.

If you push it or try to go for length or more range of motion, the brain will reset the tension back according to where it was formerly programmed to be held at. The brain’s cerebellum remembers this so when you point at something with your arm, there is pre-programmed point so your arm doesn’t go fly off of you.

So when you do somatics, you are going to get a change in length because the brain’s motor cortex can reset tension levels which cannot be reset by the cerebellum; which does preprogrammed learned movement.

The somatics movement below can relieve both the back and hamstrings of its excess tension.

In less than 2 minutes, you can feel what happens. You can listen through the first time and then replay it again to give it a go.

Otherwise, all you have to do is listen and follow along:

Check out this somatics move

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So, how was that? A little different, a little odd?

Did you gain any length?

Maybe you did, maybe you didn’t, yet isn’t this a far different approach than stretching.

When you voluntarily use your muscles, your brain’s cortex can reset the length of the areas you target. Your brain will create chemicals of relaxation so you relax your self back to comfort and gain greater control.

Somatics movement classes

We offer many different kinds of somatics movement classes to help you lengthen, improve and gain greater control so you can recover more quickly and maintain comfort in the activity you enjoy.

Whether you go our book or our movement classes which target the brain’s cortex; all you have to do is follow along and let your muscles go along for a somatics journey which can give you the reverse way to feeling free once again.

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