What Is Somatics?

Somatics has become a buzzword lately, attached to all kinds of therapies and disciplines. It can get confusing, so let’s start with the basics. The word soma simply means “body,” and somatic means “relating to the body.” When you see terms like somatic yoga, somatic psychology, or somatic breathwork, it usually means those practices emphasize bodily awareness.

But Somatics—specifically the work of Thomas Hanna—is something different.

How Did Thomas Hanna, Ph.D., Define Somatics?

While pioneers like F. M. Alexander and Moshe Feldenkrais laid early groundwork, Thomas Hanna, Ph.D., studied directly under Feldenkrais and went on to establish the distinct field of Somatics. What sets Hanna Somatics apart is its focus on restoring self-awareness and voluntary control through a unique technique called pandiculation.

What Is Pandiculation?

Pandiculation is Hanna’s method for reawakening muscles that have become chronically contracted and “forgotten” by the brain. These forgotten areas are referred to as Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA)—tension patterns so deeply habituated over time that they slip out of conscious awareness and voluntary control. These “blind spots” in the body often show up as stiffness, restricted mobility, or persistent pain.

SMA develops in response to stress—physical, emotional, or psychological—and typically presents as three primary reflex patterns:

• Green Light Reflex: tension in the back body (back, hamstrings, calves, feet)

• Red Light Reflex: bracing in the front body (chest, belly, hips, legs)

• Trauma Reflex: a one-sided tension pattern often triggered by injury or imbalance

  
  

Pandiculation gently engages the affected muscles, bringing them back under conscious control, and then slowly releases them. This intentional contraction–release sequence teaches the nervous system a new, more relaxed resting tone. A brief pause afterward allows your body to integrate the change.

This technique can be learned and refined with the support of a certified Essential Somatics Movement Teacher—like myself.

Why Somatics?

Hanna Somatics movements are specifically designed to unwind the tension created by these three stress patterns. Over time, new and more balanced movement patterns emerge naturally. The result? Improved mobility, restored functionality, and a noticeable reduction in stiffness and pain.

Experience Somatics for Yourself

At Somatics Tampa, LLC, we teach Essential Somatics movements that help release chronic muscle tension and pain at the nervous-system level.

Book a session and discover how empowering and transformative this work can be. https://www.somaticstampa.com/services