The word gets thrown around a lot right now, and I want you to walk away actually understanding it — not just having a vague idea.

Somatic exercises are simple movements — you can do them standing, sitting, or lying on the floor or your bed — that help your body release stress and trauma that's been stored inside you." Before moving forward, I want to clarify you do not need to have both stress and trauma. Some people only have one. Not everyone has experienced a traumatic event in their lives, big or small, but almost everyone has experienced some form of stress. These movements work for both and allow a deep release for healing.

The word 'somatic' was first used by a philosopher named Thomas Hanna back in 1972. It simply means 'relating to the body.' Since then, a lot of different schools and approaches have come out of that field — somatic exercises are one of the most practical and accessible ones available today.

Now — this isn't therapy. It's not yoga. It's not breathwork. It's its own thing. And what makes it genuinely different is that it works directly through your nervous system, through movement. We're not talking -  We're doing.

And to understand why that matters — why movement works when talking sometimes doesn't — you need to understand what's actually happening in your body when you experience stress. So let's go there next.