Somatics, a term coined by the late Thomas Hanna, is a movement practice  that helps to relieve tension in the muscles which has accumulated over time. (Sensory Motor Amnesia – SMA). Muscles become chronically contracted over time in a response to stress we experience on a daily basis. Our brain controls our muscles and triggers them to contract to stress but often forgets how to relax the muscle after. When this happens frequently it can lead to stiffness and ultimately pain. Because we have become less and less aware of how we feel internally as we are focusing more on external stimuli we don’t notice this happening as it’s so gradual. Then one day we realise we can’t do what we used to be able to do or worse still are in constant pain. Somatic movements help to re establish the connection between the brain and muscles to help them release and relax when we want them to. We develop a deeper awareness of how our bodies feel from the inside and have more conscious control of our muscles. This reduces the pain and improves our movement.