Why We Need a More Somatic Approach to Yoga
We can learn a lot from tradition AND it’s time to start paving our own paths.
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๐โ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป and a curiosity for the wisdom people accumulated during a time when everyone was still connected to the forces and magic of nature. Iโm very curious by nature.
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Thatโs why I travelled the world and spent a significant amount of time in India, Thailand, Mexico, and studying Native American medicine practice.ย
The big conclusion I draw from all my journeys and the many years studying and integrating practices from all around the world is that while those practices are still relevant and valid today, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐
๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ. We live very different lives than our ancestors did, let alone the ancestors of other tribes and cultures. I also feel that while all traditions offer a clear-cut wisdom path for restoring physical health and cultivating spirit, the fact that the path is clear and cut-out is also a limitation: it excludes other practices that may be more suited for a particular person and it does not stimulate students to get to the root of their own wisdom and what feels right to them.
What is Somatic Yoga
As soon as we write something down as a technique or path, we lose spontaneity, and in some way lose its essence. The fact that we have clear-cut asana posturesโhow to enter them, perform them, and find correct alignment in the postureโdoes not encourage students to explore all the different movement options and patterns that are available when entering and โholdingโ that pose. ๐๐
๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฝ๐๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ. ๐๐โ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ-๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐-๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐.
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When we allow the body to move in more natural and intuitive ways, we are tapping into our Body Wisdom, or somatic wisdom or even somatic intuition. This is what allows us to release tension from the inside out and process our feelings. ๐๐โ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐-๐ด๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ-๐ด๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต. Itโs an approach that encourages inner guidance and exploration rather than external form. This is what somatic yoga is to me.
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๐ง๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐-๐ช๐ถ๐๐ฑ๐ผ๐บ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด. When we are deeply attentive to the messages and movements of the body, the mind becomes calm, the nervous system unwinds, and we become embodied. This is healing balm for those who have experienced trauma, are stressed, anxious, depressed, or burned out.
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The truth is that most people today come to yoga exactly for that: to release stress, calm their minds, and increase their emotional well-being. Because when we restore inner well-being, we allow spirit to live through us.
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We are in such a privileged position today that we have access to so many movement modalities and trainings. For me, working with the body and mind is a lifelong learning journey and I love how there is always more to learn.
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In dance circles, they talk about โmovement researchโ. ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐. This is what unites the body and mind and helps students find a deep source of inner connectedness and well-being.
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It makes the practice of yoga more:
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โ Intuitive
โ Feminine
โ Safe
โ Gentle
โ Therapeutic
โ Heart-Centered
โ Nurturing
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And practicing movement this way teaches you to:
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โ Trust your intuition
โ Feel and respect your body
โ Take care of your needs and boundaries
โ That it’s ok to let go and release
โ The strength of softness
โ Enjoy pleasure
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If youโre a yoga teacher and want to start teaching yoga in a more somatic way and bring more movement wisdom into your classes, check out my ๐ข๐ป๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต. The training is also for therapists, healers, and coaches who want to bring somatic yoga tools into their work.
Deniz
Deniz Aydoslu, MSc, E-RYT, is a criminologist and Yoga for Mental Health Teacher and teacher trainer. She researches and teaches on the intersection of embodied movement and mental health, including yoga, somatics, dance, mindfulness, and relaxation therapy. She creates soft yet powerful healing spaces where people can reconnect to their bodies, feelings, and heart so that they can live with more resilience, authenticity, and joy.
Deniz is the founder of Somatic Yoga for Mental Health and runs teacher training programs for yoga teachers and (mental) health professionals. She is a Yoga Alliance Certified Continuing Education Provider.