What is SomaYoga?

What is SomaYoga?

A unique methodology developed by Yoga North ISYI, SomaYoga blends Vedic Traditions and modern wisdom work. This article focuses on the central methodology of SomaYoga’s approach to embodiment. The practices build on increasing interoception: the ability to sense within, bringing back consciousness to our body and movement patterns to areas we lost touch with, and providing sensory motor reeducation to create more freedom and ease in the whole-being. 

When guiding, we often begin with Somatics, created by Thomas Hanna. This provides more mobility and consciousness of the “soma,” the internal experience of the body, mind, and soul. Therapeutic Yoga adds stabilizing which supports functional movement patterns. Classic Asana helps build good biomechanics, stamina, strength, and enjoyment. It is the interplay of these modalities that creates the optimal approach to health in the deepest sense: what we have come to call “whole being well being.” We use the infinity symbol to graphically represent this interplay in terms of the three components (mobility, stability, and strength as well as Somatics, Therapeutic Yoga, and Classic Asana).

SomaYoga Principles 

Designed to build accessible, trauma conscious, student focused practices, all classes and trainings in the SomaYoga Methodology teach these principles.

Learn to Pay Attention 

• Nourish self awareness through breath and sensing.
• Pay attention to the process and internal sensations.
• Break movements into smaller parts and get truthful. 
• The slower you move, the more you will perceive.
• Keep movements novel.

Build Better Habits

• Learn to be efficient with movement patterns.
• Move gently with the least possible effort and without force. 
• Build awareness and learn to self correct.
• Radiate from your spine and support your limbs from deep core function.

Progress Responsibly and Compassionately

• Stay pain free, patient, and positive. 
• Align through gravity and good biomechanics.
• Become conscious of habits and patterns.
• Practice simple to complex, low load to high load, slow to spontaneous, and symmetrical to asymmetrical. 
• Get imposed standards out of the way and become more about authentic function. 

Stay Current – Enjoy Your Freedom 

• Freedom means embracing self-empowerment and increasing self-responsibility.
• Move towards your freedom from a steady and easy stance.
• Bring congruency to your Mind-Body-Spirit. This creates the direct experience of an integrated Soma. Sustaining the experience of an integrated Soma is freedom.

Unique Tools of SomaYoga 

Stress Responses and Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA)

Hans Selye recognized physiological disease could arise from psychological causes like stress. This somatic viewpoint is that everything is a bodily experience. Sensory-motor systems respond to daily stresses and traumas with specific muscular responses or reflexes. Repeatedly triggered, they create habitual muscular contractions, which we cannot voluntarily relax. The contractions become so deeply unconscious we eventually no longer remember how to move freely. This is called Sensory Motor Amnesia or SMA.

The three main stress responses are:

Landau (Green Light): The tightening of the spine’s extensor muscles in preparation to move forward. An action response.

Startle (Red Light): The tightening of the trunk’s forward flexors. A withdrawal response.

Trauma/Cringe: The cringing of the muscles nearest the site of an injury or threat. A protective response. The body will contract, retract, immobilize, and often rotate away from the threat, creating a tilt of the trunk to one side.

Understanding Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA)

The loss of interoceptive discernment of sensation around certain muscles and a resulting loss of ability to effectively control them. SomaYoga offers techniques to facilitate this type of neuro-muscular reeducation of the sensory-motor pathways.   

• SMA does not relate to age and can occur any time.
• Specific sudden trauma, as well as chronic stress, is associated with SMA.
• SMA often relates to a habit of the sensory-motor system and therefore can be unlearned or reeducated.
• SMA can be both a contributing factor to and a result of anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
• SMA can look like a limited range of motion, pain, or dysfunction. Examples include TMJ, Plantar Fasciitis, Low Back Syndrome, Urinary Urgency, Pelvic Pain, Frozen Shoulder, and Digestion Issues.

Pandiculation Rather than Traditional Stretching 

SomaYoga uses a technique by Hanna called pandiculation to release SMA and to create more function and freedom in movement. A pandiculation is a strong voluntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles followed by a slow voluntary release to the lengthened full potential. This process of sensory motor reeducation wakes up cortical control of the muscles and effectively resolves SMA. It is different from much of the traditional stretching seen in classic asana that can create over-stretching, instability, and injury. 

Interoceptive & Proprioceptive Cuing 

This focuses on anatomical brilliance and freedom, having the soma feel themselves deeply from the inside and move according to their own internal awareness, safety, and enjoyment. There is encouragement to build poses from present ability versus distal cuing, and to move from a steady light breath and a mobile, stable spine. 

In addition to the SomaYoga Methodology’s embodiment practices, the larger tradition of Vedic studies always supports the work for the most profound shifts in the human experience.    

• Ayurveda practices for a life well lived.
• Pranayama for working with the breath and life force.
• Meditation and Training of the Mind.
• Deep Personal Development.
• Yogic Philosophy and Sacred Texts.

Growing our own kinder practice led us into the creation of SomaYoga methodology, which we find helps escort others into their own healing, creativity, and joy. For more information find us at YOGANORTHDULUTH.COM

Ann is an IAYT-certified yoga therapist, E-RYT 500, and somatic educator with a master’s in education. Ann co-owns Yoga North International SomaYoga Institute, and co-founded SomaYoga methodology. She delights in supporting people to find a kinder, more compassionate practice of yoga on and off the mat. She gets great satisfaction in being on the faculty at Yoga North ISYI. Ann enjoys watching people find their niche, grow their skills, and become great yoga teachers and therapists. Ann models yogic living for her students and brings a sense of wisdom and fun to daily practice of yoga.

Molly is an IAYT-certified yoga therapist, E-RYT 500, somatic educator, ayurvedic health counselor, and ayurvedic chef offering private instruction, training, and CE opportunities. Molly co-owns Yoga North International SomaYoga Institute, co-founded the methodology SomaYoga, and serves as Board President for the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Molly is inspired by the efficacy of Yoga Therapy to resolve human suffering and the ways it uncovers and supports our innate ability to thrive. As a person who manages a complex health diagnosis herself, she shares from a platform of self-compassion and kindness, seeing Yoga Therapy as the path to whole-being well-being.