How often should I do somatics? How often should I do somatics practices or classes to heal?

How often should I do somatics?

This is such a common question, and there isn’t just a simple one sentence answer for everyone. Let’s start with, why are you doing somatics practices? This may not seem important, but it is.

• Are you doing this because you realize that you are consistently caring for your body, and you just want some more ideas and guidance on the days when you need it. Then use it like that. Perhaps once a week, or even once a month, you pick an exercise video, or a recorded class video (or come to a live class), and treat yourself to a guided time of care.

• Perhaps you know that you want daily support and guidance, and that’s your favorite way to spend dedicated time gently caring for your body… some people do a class every night before bed (or most nights). Others do so in the morning, or when the live classes are.

  
  

There isn’t a right way. A practice of caring for your body is going to be individual to you.

• You can also use these classes and resources when you are really struggling, and truly need help and guidance being present. You can spend as much time on any day as is available to you.

Live from Somatics Class

I don’t recommend only using it when you are truly struggling, fixing that problem, and moving on, as the struggle time usually is an indication that your body isn’t trusting you completely, but you can start out using it in that way, and transition over time, to a regular practice of care for the body you have been gifted. You get to communicate with your body (not just listen to your body, it’s a two-way communication, not one way). Remember that our body sensations and our thoughts can be influenced by lies, so that’s why it is a two-way conversation.

People usually say just listen to your body and only do what it can do. We should listen, that is true, however, it is not the complete story. We should direct our mind to notice our body. Notice that perhaps it is screaming and asking for attention. You can also notice that you are guarding your muscles, clenching your jaw, tightening your thighs, etc. that can be forms of listening to your body. But your conversation doesn’t end there. Then we can direct our mind to truth, and realize that we can let our body know God is bigger than whatever sensation we are feeling. Perhaps we are feeling fear of that sensation, thinking that it will stay forever, what if it stays forever, or what if it gets worse? We get to direct our mind to be in the here and now, not future predicting, and notice neutral sensations in our body. Curiously observe, without linking everything to a future prediction with fear. Therefore, it is a two-way conversation, with you coming back and letting your body know that it can do more, or that you are going to stop there, and it is safe either way.            

Your body may tell you that you can only be present for 30 seconds for example. You can do that, and then gently direct to gratitude and praise, and see if you can be present for 30 more seconds after redirecting your mind. We get to be in charge of our body, and teach it that we actually know best, and we are learning a new way of caring for ourselves. We get to teach our body, through demonstration and change in thoughts and words that it can trust us.

Based on my experience in Exercise Science and Physical Therapy, the research shows that you need do exercise at least 3 times a week, to improve, or 2 times a week to maintain. If you are going to make a new habit, and a new way of being with your body; consistency and repetition is key.

If you spend your days being hard on your body, and living in fear with future predictions running rampant, then you may need to spend a lot more time in a different way of being, to break that cycle, with somatics being a big part of your days until you have a new habit formed that works for you. So, if your thoughts regularly are on for example: “this pain in my ankle is never going to go away, and I’m going to have to live with it forever.” Or, “I overdid that somatic exercise, and now I’m going to have an increase in fight or flight that will keep me up at night.” If you are always connecting your actions or nervous system state to a prediction of increased symptoms, then the more you can redirect your thoughts, the better. Thoughts changing without corresponding action, however, isn’t going to make our life change. So, show your body that you believe you can move, and walk free, and be calm. When you move your eyes around calmly, you are telling your body that you are not being chased by a lion. Changing your thoughts is a great benefit, but combining it with actions in your body is so much more! You are confirming to your nervous system that you are changed. Every second that we are speaking and thinking and acting life instead of death is helping. Then start thinking about how you can incorporate what you are learning into your day.

I found that I needed to practice 30 minutes or more at a time, and at least once a day (most days) for a while before it was more of a habit to act a different way toward my body and get it to respond. Then I could start incorporating somatic practices and being present into my normal day and activities. Although I continued the longer practices daily as well, and then decreased the time and frequency to fit my life. These are common experiences, but we all are different.

I really do want to teach you to communicate with your body, and learn a life long way of caring for it, not a number of times you need to do something to heal. I hope this was a helpful conversation on your healing journey.

Join us in the Align Membership for all the resources you need to care for your body to be present.

Note, Self-Lymph Massage can be seen as a form of gentle somatics too, so you can add that into the mix, but I have more information about how often you should do self-lymph massage on the self-lymph massage page in the Align Membership.