Can this buzzy practice improve your life? Learn about somatics and how it relates to mindfulness, explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of somatic mindfulness, and learn some examples of what these embodiment exercises can look like. Then practice a short and sweet body scan meditation!

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In this episode, I discuss:

• 01:20 - Definitions
• 01:40 - Somatic Mindfulness
• 03:40 - Examples of somatic practices.
• 04:20 - Benefits of somatic practices.
• 06:35 - Limitations and potential setbacks.
• 08:00 - A mindful body scan meditation.

Episode transcript:

"...today's musings are about somatics, somatic mindfulness.

What does this buzzy word somatic even mean?

How does it relate to our mindfulness and meditation practice?

What are the potential benefits of it?

And how could we bring it into our lives in a way that's supportive and helpful on our journeys to move well and feel good?

So the word self somatic, again, it's pretty, pretty buzzy right now.

We're seeing it pop up in a lot of places, seeing a lot of advertisements and programs related to somatics.

The word itself really just means relating to the body, relating to the body as opposed to the mind.

And there are many, many different types of somatic practices and somatic therapy approaches out there.

And I want to explore a little bit the idea of somatic mindfulness and what that means.

So if you recall, mindfulness is an awareness and acceptance of the present moment without judgment.

So if we combine that with soma, somatic mindfulness, it is an awareness of the present moment with particular attention to bodily sensations.

So maybe we're focusing on feelings throughout different parts of the body, maybe we're focusing on the feeling of a movement as we make it, maybe we are focusing on the movement that comes with breath as we breathe in and out.

And there are a few different components.

So again, one is this sensation of we're really focusing on the physical experience of our body, and then really focusing on what is happening right now.

So not thinking about how our bodies were or how we want our bodies to be, but just with open acceptance, exploring what is happening physically, what is happening in our bodies right now.

And then there's this idea of doing this without expectation or judgment.

So trying to observe without creating any attachment to good or bad or should or shame.

And then there's also this idea of integration with our emotional self.

So even as this somatic mindfulness is very much a practice of the body, there will also be opportunities for us to notice how emotions come up for us in a physical sense and to start to work through those.

So as I mentioned, there are many, many different types of somatic practices.

Some of the somatic mindfulness practices might include something like a gentle breath awareness meditation, a gentle body scan meditation, or something like a mindful movement practice.

So this could look like a Tai Chi, a Chi Gung, a gentle yoga flow, or then also just some grounding exercises, just an opportunity to plant your feet in the earth and really tune in to sense the connection between your body and your surface.

So there are many, many benefits to a thematic mindfulness practice.

As you might guess, there is a lot of overlap to the benefits of a general mindfulness practice.

So the first thing is really just an improvement of mind-body connection of bodily awareness.

And the more we cultivate that sense of mind-body connection, body awareness, the better we can take care of ourselves because we're really tuned in to the sensations as they change or any warning signs that may present themselves in our physical self.

And then we also see a really wonderful reduction in overall stress and anxiety.

We get a really wonderful boost to our emotional intelligence, which then helps with our ability to identify and process emotions, our self-regulation, and then also our interpersonal skills.

We also see that a regular somatic mindfulness practice tends to take our pain sensitivity down a little bit, so overall pain sensations can be less frequent or less intense.

Also, some benefit to our sleep, so improved quality, improved deep sleep, waking up feeling more rested with a regular somatic mindfulness practice.

Sometimes for some people, there can also be that boost to our immune system, improved immune function, which of course then benefits our overall health and wellness.

And then working with a qualified professional, there's also the potential to be able to work through to explore some deeper layers of trauma, PTSD, and that sort of thing.

So many wonderful benefits, as with our mindfulness practice, somatic mindfulness really has the potential to help a lot of people feel really good.

And what are the downsides?

So again, a lot of this is going to share some in common with the more general mindfulness practice.

It's not for everybody.

And even if you are willing to explore it and you think it might be for you, there's going to be those initial little potential hiccups, potential discomfort.

So particularly depending on history and trauma, tuning into bodily sensations, physical sensations can actually make things really uncomfortable, really overwhelming for a while.

Again, that can be sometimes why it's helpful to move into some of this deeper work with the help of a qualified professional.

And then it is practice.

So this is another area where it really takes a commitment to making this part of your day on a really regular basis to get to the point where you start to see some of those benefits.

So if you think somatic mindfulness might be something that is interesting to you or you want to give a shot, again, a simple breath awareness practice can be really lovely.

You can start to incorporate some gentle movement like a Tai Chi in your practice or you can focus on that grounding, getting yourself connected to the earth and feeling that connection.

But today, what I want to offer is something called a body scan meditation.

So this will be short, and then I'll offer a longer body scan meditation for you later on.

But for today, for this body scan, I'd like you to first start thinking about getting comfortable.

And as you think about getting comfortable, what does that mean for you?

Are you seated?

Are you lying down?

You could even do a body scan, walking really slowly through a familiar area in supportive shoes.

And as you find your comfy position, when you are ready, take a moment to feel the connection of your body to the surface you're resting on, tuning into the soles of your feet or parts of your back body.

And then take a moment to notice a few easy breaths, full in and slow out.

If you're seated or lying down, perhaps allowing the gaze to soften or the eyes to close.

And then letting all your awareness come to your feet.

And without any expectation or judgment, notice how your feet feel today.

Know right or wrong.

Be curious.

What do they have to share with you?

Any sensations that you observe in your feet.

And then bring your awareness up to your ankles.

How do your ankles feel today?

Notice your calves.

Your shins.

Notice any sensations in your knees.

Fronts of the thighs, backs of the thighs.

How do your hips feel today?

Your low back.

Notice how your mid back feels today.

Your upper back.

Your shoulders, what do your shoulders have to tell you in this moment?

Notice your upper arms, your elbows, your forearms.

How do your wrists feel?

Your hands, your fingers.

Check in with any sensation in your neck, your scalp, your face.

Peace.

And bring a gentle awareness all the way back down to the soles of the feet.

Any parts of the back body that are connected to your surface.

Notice the feeling of an inhale, the feeling of an exhale.

If you're seated or lying down, bring in some blinking or fluttering eyes back toward fully open.

If you're seated or lying down, bring in some movement back into the body.

And as you get ready to move into the rest of your day, maybe think about how you might carry a little bit more of this mindful body awareness with you..."