Somatic Yoga

Over time — through stress, injury, or repetitive habits — our nervous system learns to keep some muscles slightly switched on all the time. These patterns become automatic, so even when we think we’re relaxed, parts of the body stay tight without us realising it, potentially resulting in pain and discomfort.

Because the brain has adapted to this tension, it stops sending and receiving clear sensory messages from those areas. We lose some of our ability to feel and move them freely. The good news is that this isn’t permanent — through the slow, mindful movements of somatic-style yoga, we can retrain the nervous system, restore awareness, and reawaken those forgotten muscles to their natural, relaxed state.

Somatic yoga helps us to reconnect with how our body feels from the inside out. Rather than focusing on specific poses, we slow things down and pay close attention to sensations, exploring how movement arises and how tension releases. It is about re-educating the nervous system - noticing old holding patterns and allowing the body to move with more ease and awareness.

One of the methods used in Somatic Yoga is pandiculation. Pandiculation is your body’s natural way of waking up your muscles and resetting tension. It begins with a gentle, conscious contraction — for example, when you stretch and yawn at the same time — followed by a slow, mindful release. This simple sequence sends fresh sensory information to your brain, helping it recalibrate how much tension your muscles hold at rest. Rather than forcing a stretch, you are teaching your body to let go of unnecessary effort and return to its natural state of balance and ease.

In yoga, we can use pandiculation to restore a felt sense of control and relaxation in the body. By contracting and then releasing with awareness, we invite the nervous system to relax muscles from within, improving flexibility, coordination, and comfort in movement. It is a gentle, intelligent way of resetting the body — like pressing “refresh” for your muscles and mind.

At Steph Carolan Yoga in the New Forest, my classes weave together Somatic Yoga, mindfulness, and breath-led Vinyasa flow. This combination allows you to experience the deep awareness and release of somatic movement, the calm presence of mindfulness, and the fluid strength of Vinyasa — creating classes that are engaging, balanced, and deeply supportive of our physical, mental and emotional bodies.