Redefining Movement with Somatic Awareness - a personal reflection

I used to think movement was about sweating, toning muscles, keeping weight off and achieving “perfection”—exercising too much and eating too little to mould myself into what society deemed visually desirable.

With my personal exploration of somatic movement, I can thankfully say I no longer approach movement with this weighing intention. Now, to me, movement embodies a whole new meaning of strength—transmuting perfection into connection: to self, to others, and to the world around me. It gifts me with an inner strength, resilience, and sense of grounding, so that no matter what life throws at me, I can return to movement as my form of release, restoration, and regulation.

Soma means “living body.” At Soma Practice, we learn to live with our bodies, developing inner awareness, meeting them exactly where they are. Our movement practice is a dedication to attuning to and honouring the ever-changing needs of our Soma, moment to moment.

Through Soma Practice, my approach to movement has shifted, and I now define movement as care—honouring the changes in my energy levels, moods, and cycle. Embracing this newfound somatic awareness has allowed me to treasure the moments when my Soma needs stillness and rest, in contrast to my past, when I would so often feel guilty, uncomfortable, and lazy if I wasn’t pushing myself or meeting my “fitness goals.”

As someone who used to over-exercise—prioritising activated activities such as running and high-intensity Pilates without balancing them with recovery—I had the mindset of “if I don’t feel exhausted after exercising, then I haven’t worked hard enough.” With this mindset, and in the fast-paced activated world we are living in, my nervous system was in a constant state of stress. And as the nervous system is intimately connected to our physical being, so was my Soma. This stress presented in me as aches, pains, muscular tension, fatigue, and acne.

Don’t get me wrong, I still crave a run or a high-intensity class, but through learning somatic awareness I now arrive at these forms of activated movement with authentic energy. Allowing my Soma to show up with a sense of presence, as opposed to exhaustion (which so often led to injury). Staying true to the Soma Method—Release, Restore, Regulation—I’ve found a balance between activated movement and rest.

The movement I find myself most called to consists of dancing around the house, stretching, observing my breath, and taking sensory walks in nature—all experiences I deeply enjoy. In learning to befriend my Soma and nervous system, my body now has far fewer aches and pains, almost no muscular tension, clearer skin, and joints that move with a sense of ease.

Attuning to what your Soma needs is a subjective journey, and one that is a lifelong enquiry and practice. Our environments and experiences change, our nervous systems shifts, and so too does what we need from movement. Somatic movement can be the beginning of this enquiry, and when explored at your own pace, in a supportive environment, it can truly spark magic.