1. Be gentle, avoid pain or strong discomfort

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The first time you do a movement, notice if there is any pain or discomfort. Make the next repetition smaller, slower and move gentle so as to avoid pain or discomfort

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Your goal is to get your body to relax, pain causes contraction in the body, so move gently enough that you are not creating more tension.

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2. Go slow

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In order to access your motor cortex and make significant changes in muscle length, you must move SLOWLY, especially as you come out of the movement. 

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This may feel challenging at first, because it is a new way of moving, you will notice it gets a little easier with each attempt.

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You can always move MORE SLOWLY! 

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There is no such things as too slow in Somatics, but if you go too quickly, you will bypass your motor cortex and not get the intended results.

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3. Finish the movement and REST.

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This is a critical step in your somatic release. 

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This is what makes Somatics different than Feldenkrais or many other somatic movement methods. 

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You must follow the movement all the way out and then let your body rest completely before beginning the next movement. 

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This full rest of your muscle at length allows your brain to receive biofeedback about the new length of the muscle.

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This stillness and rest is where the deeper change occurs

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It does not have to be a long rest. It can be a few seconds.

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Each time you come out of the movement/contraction see how deeply you can rest.

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You will notice by the end of class that your body is able to rest more completely and more deeply than at the beginning!