For so many years, yoga taught me discipline. It taught me devotion, stillness, and how to surrender to something greater than myself.
But eventually, yoga taught me something more. That's when I found somatic yoga.
From Mastering the Body to Listening to It
“Somatic” comes from the Greek word soma, meaning “the living body.” You might wonder: isn’t yoga already about the body? What so bodily about somatic yoga?
It’s actually a little more nuanced: if we look to the ancient yogic texts and scriptures, many classical yoga traditions place great emphasis on cultivating discipline of the body and mind in service of liberation. Even thousands of years ago, in a time without too many distractions from modern civilization, stillness (eventually leading to the path of meditation) is not something we are born with, but needs to be cultivated with discipline and dedicated practice.
I practiced this version of yoga for more than a decade. It forever changed the trajectory of my life. It introduced me to something greater and beyond me, community, and ultimately to myself.
But life changed.
My body was no longer the same young one that had eagerly repeated hundreds of Sun Salutations. Years of over-endeavouring practice left me with chronic injury. Immigration, grief, the subtle work of building a life in a new country and preparation for pregnancy brought forms of stress that couldn't simply be met by more doing.
I was looking for another way of being, and less doing.
I was also looking for a different conversation with my body.
Why I Was Drawn to Somatic Yoga
First thing I fell for a somatic class is its lessened emphasis on repetition, a standard sequence, and rigid forms and alignment. The cues from teachers are mostly invitational and suggestive, instead of definitive and top-down.
It could feel insecure or awkward at first — especially if you are reliant on those.
But my experience of somatic yoga wasn't that it abandoned traditional yoga. It simply asked different questions. Traditional yoga classes usually ask:
Can you hold this posture with steadiness?
Can you maintain a steady and easeful breath when you hold?
Is your alignment correct in this posture?
Can you go deeper on the second time?
While somatic yoga classes often ask:
What are you noticing when you are moving your body this way?
Can you move without judging or trying to fix your experience?
What movement feels nourishing or good in this moment?
Can you stay curious about what your body is communicating?
What changes if you move more slowly? Deeper? More?
Of course the question sets above are purely for illustrative purpose, giving you a sense of the two different pathways. In reality, many traditional classes touch upon felt senses, while some somatic teachers may cue about breath, posture, and alignment.
The Lessons
For years, yoga taught me to guide my body. Somatic yoga taught me to let my body guide me.
It almost felt like all those years I spent on the mat practicing traditional yoga is paving the way and building a robust foundation for me to feel courageous enough to deviate, to reinvent and adapt it for my biography, my body and emotional composition on any given day.
And what I must emphasize is that somatic yoga isn't a single lineage or method.
Different practitioners drew from different schools and modalities, enriching the meaning of it.
Occasionally people ask me whether what I teach is "still yoga." I understand where this question comes from: did I betray the traditions? did I appropriate it for my own agenda?
This is what I asked myself and discussed here.
And please note that this is not an attempt to define somatic yoga for everyone. It's an invitation into the way I have come to understand and teach it.
After all the word "yoga" has more than 350 definitions in Sanskrit, revealing its diverse nature since time immemorial.
I'm merely giving my way of understanding and approaching it.
What Happens in My Somatic Yoga Classes?
There is no perfect shape
Our body thrives on variety. Traditional yoga postures become points of departure, rather than destinations.
You will encounter spirals, undulation, asymmetry, micro-movements, stomping, shaking, vocalization, touch and other unfamiliar variations that surprise you.
Curiosity before Correction
The body is not a problem to solve. Most of us are not looking for an ascetic lifestyle but want to experience humanity to its full extent without being overwhelmed. Emotions and lived experiences are honoured as our unique imprint. By moving our body in a non-habitual way, there's renewed curiosity to connect within.
Regulation over Performance
Stress itself is not a problem, but the inability to unwind and relieve when the stressors have disappeared. We explore using somatic yoga to support the body's own capacity for regulation and recovery.