Somatics and Yoga

I saw a somatic practitioner on TikTok today suggesting yoga is not a safe somatic practice. She even said it was dangerous.

The perspective that yoga is dangerous for somatic healing is counter to the supportive research on yoga, including on mental health. But I understand where she’s coming from.

Yoga asana is a remedy. Not all yoga asana are for your practice. Just like not all herbal remedies are for your apothecary, even if you turn to an herb.

Yes, yoga asana can be overdone, you can overstretch or indulge your stressed out patterns (samskara). You can reel out emotionally, you may cry. You may need a hearty nap.

After several years teaching yoga in mental health settings, I see yoga asana is a global imperative. Just as I see somatics as a global imperative. And herbalism.

These are words to describe our innate ability to heal and our birthright as earthlings.

Somatics is a buzzword. Is everything that is of the body somatic? Are we “doing somatics” if we are just mindful of our body? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Saying yoga is harmful to somatic healing is like saying walking outside is harmful to somatic healing. It’s true for a person if it’s perpetuating patterns of distress, crashing around a person’s capacities, keeping them in shame, guilt and blame…but how would you know as a yoga teacher? Is that even your responsibility?

Yoga teachers are in the fray out there, all people come to our public classes. And if yoga is dangerous to somatic healing, and we all have been systemically disconnected from our very nature, our soma for centuries…what responsibilities do yoga teachers have for somatic “safe” space?

Somatics for Yoga Teachers is on Thursday, July 25 at 3:00pm for 90 minutes. Come to the live session for Q&A! Or get your questions in beforehand so I can answer you when you watch the recording.