Somatic Movement and Yoga Class

We’re starting a new somatic movement and yoga class soon, so I thought it would be helpful to share some information about the style.  

What is Somatic Movement 

The word soma means ‘the body as perceived from within’. Somatic practice focuses on what you’re feeling in the body instead of form or outcome. Sarah Warren, the author of the Pain Relief Secret describes it as: 

‘A movement that’s practiced consciously with the intention of focusing on the internal experience of the movement rather than the external appearance or the end result’. 

You are encouraged to pay close attention to your body so that you can develop sensitivity and internal awareness. Somatic movement is deliberately slow and easy so you can take time to feel and undo unhelpful habitual movements patterns. The practice is designed to calm the central nervous system and re-educate the way our brain senses and moves the body. 

The term ‘Somatic Movement’ was coined and popularised by Thomas Hanna in the 1970’s. He was a dedicated student of Mosche Feldenkrais (1904-1984) and was greatly influenced by his work.   

Feldenkrais was an engineer, physicist, and expert in Judo and Jiu Jutsu. He had developed a whole system of physical therapy; his aim was to improve human function by increasing self-awareness through movement.  

Why Somatic and Yoga? 

There are many similarities between Somatics and Yoga. Both practices place importance on breathing and have a holistic view of the body, mind. They also use movement for better self-understanding.  

What defines somatic movement is the belief that less is more. In other disciplines we are often encouraged to achieve certain moves or postures, but in this approach, you’ll be guided to use minimal muscular effort with easy movements. This can be liberating but it can also be challenging, as many of us have adopted the ‘no pain no gain’ motto. It can be a real shift to change our intention from achievement to curiosity. We will look beyond the outer form and cultivate an internal awareness. This genuine connection with your body will help you find new ways to cope with life challenges and changes. Combined with yoga’s philosophy of kindness and acceptance this practice can play an important role for aiding transformation.   

What the class will be like  

 The class will be very relaxing and at the same time revealing, as it’ll gently expose our habits and how we commonly move. You’ll often be encouraged to practice with your eyes closed to minimise sensory stimulations and to take plenty of breaks in-between. This will help you to feel, absorb, and digest your experience and notice any changes from the practice. Much of somatic practice is done on the floor or in sitting but most importantly you’ll be asked to find a comfortable position that suits you.  

This class will be beneficial for people with chronic pain and fatigue or those recovering from injury or illness. It’s also great for beginners and those that just want to take it slow and cultivate mindfulness. It can be a very transformative experience so really understand what the class will be like, you’ll need to experience it for yourself.  

I hope to see you in class! 

• Our new community Somatic Movement and Yoga class with Naomi starts on 12:15-1pm every Wednesday from 25th September 2024

Yoga in Japan

I recently went back to Japan to visit my family.  My mother is also a yoga teacher and I wanted to share my experience of her classes.

She is now 71 years old and has been teaching yoga full time for over forty-five years. Apparently, she even used to take me along as a baby – I probably didn’t do that much yoga so I can’t claim to have practiced since then :) 

Until recently, she taught many classes to support our family. She was a single mother until she married my father in law, Sochan.  He gradually got into yoga and began assisting her class. After teaching in Kobe for many years together, they moved to Okinawa to retire. Okinawa is a beautiful small sub-tropical island off mainland Japan.

Although technically now retired, she still teaches yoga. She said that it keeps her from becoming forgetful so wants to teach as long as she can. Luckily, there are many lovely community halls for her classes and they’re usually near the beautiful sea.  She only charges 500 yen (about £3.50) so that everyone can come along. In fact, her oldest students are in their mid 80’s and there are lots of students with different physical and mental issues such as Parkinson and alcoholism.

Her yoga classes are like nothing I’ve come across before. They usually give everyone a short massage to check and relax their bodies. She said that this is when her lesson plan’s created – by looking at the student’s body. She has an idea of what to teach each week but this can change depending on who comes along and what they’re bodies like.

Her classes are always accessible to everyone. There are no levels like beginners, intermediate or advanced, it’s open to all. The practice is not about perfecting postures or movements but feeling the body and focusing the mind. She often says,

 ‘if we are too caught up with form and appearance, we will miss the most important things in our practice which is connecting and understanding ourselves’.

Most of the movements are simple and fluid to encourage relaxation and remove tension. She found that people commonly take several years just to learn how to truly relax. Her classes interweave personal experience as well as ancient Indian and Japanese philosophy and movement practice.  All the students seemed to be focused and enjoying themselves. The real sense of community in her classes is inspirational.

We also exchanged ideas and practice when we were at home. I taught her some strengthening exercises and sound work and she showed me Japanese massage and relaxation techniques. It was amazing to see even after so many years of teaching yoga, she was still so open to learning.  It was such a special experience and I learnt so many important things from her.

I promised myself that I’d go back to visit more often, as I usually only go back to Japan every four to seven years. In the mean time, I will share some of the practices that I learnt from my mother in future blogs.

Bristol Yoga Centre also offer community classes so that our classes are accessible to everyone. See here for more details on our community classes. 

The Community Path of Ease By Victoria Andreeva

‘ Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that the new world is born. Human connection is the most vital aspect of our existence, without the sweet touch of another being we are lonely stars in an empty space waiting to shine gloriously’ - Anais Nin and Joe Straynge  

Community means to belong, to be a member, part of the whole. Scientific researchers prove the connection with others and belonging are as imperative for one’s survival as food and shelter; they are instinctual. In fact, they are so crucial that any threat of rejection conjures reactions that are almost identical to those of actual physical pain in the body. This pain is caused by the hormonal triggering of the sympathetic system (region where flight-or-flight response takes place) and the parasympathetic nervous system known as ‘autonomic conflict.’ We all feel that as it’s part of our nature but we often fail to communicate it and express it.

Teaching my class is something I’m grateful for on a daily basis. It’s my way of helping to  build a sense of community and sharing the gift of yoga and practice of connection. Holding space for people creates safe environment for practitioners where they can engage with themselves and others. Together we explore our edges and the physical and mental challenges that practice can bring to surface. We build fire, fluidity and sthira (steadiness) through asana and pranayama. We let go of ‘what was’ when we just arrived into the space. That togetherness in such intimate experience is the glue forming the connection between strangers. Most importantly, it opens and expands individual’s perceptions.

How does that happen? When we arrive in a class we see people of all backgrounds, age, race, body shapes. A big percentage of them will judge for one reason or another. We’ll completely exclude the possibility of connection or simple dialog with them based on our prejudice. (Prejudice are inaccurate judgements of situation/ person when we lack sufficient information to make an actual judgement). However, if we meet a person repeatedly we will start noticing things about him or her. Whilst practicing together, we will feel his/her presence more accurately, especially engaging in parner work (a substantial part of community classes). We will start to notice their movement, reactions and even support. We will be challenged together and even laugh together. Over time we will gradually get to know the individual and notice a shift in ourselves. The shared experiences may not make that person your best friend, but it will help you to accept them rather than rejecting them. Less rejection, less pain.

Victoria Andreeva teaches a weekly donation based community Krama Vinyasa Flow Yoga on Saturday morning from 11:30 – 12:45pm. The class is open to all levels of students and you will be encouraged to explore and gradually expand your edges in a integrated and fun manner.

We also have two other donation based community classes: 

Wednesday 10 – 11am  - Mindfulness Meditation with Naomi

Thursday 7:45 – 8:45pm – Hatha Yoga with Amber 

Community Yoga and Mediation classes

If you can breathe, you can do yoga

– Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya

Bristol Yoga Centre believes classes should be accessible to everyone so we have decided to introduce donation based community classes. There are currently three weekly community yoga and meditation classes available:

Wednesday 10:00 -11:00am - Mindfulness Meditation with Naomi

Thursday 7:45 – 8:45pm – Hatha Yoga with Amber 

Saturdays 11:30 - 12:45pm - Krama Vinyasa Flow Yoga with Vicky

Students can pay whatever they can afford and no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. Absolutely everyone’s welcome but we especially invite people on low or no-income, benefits, refugees and asylum seekers. The classes are suitable for all levels of students and taught by fully qualified and experienced yoga teachers, who are passionate about making classes accessible to everyone.  

Tash Neeley, who teaches Yin & Yang Yoga class on Wednesday evening, told us why she wanted to be involved.

‘Even though yoga at its roots means to unite, many yoga classes can feel somewhat exclusive. I wanted to get involved in Bristol Yoga Centre's community classes to bring yoga to Bristol's wider community, with the freedom to pay what they felt they could afford. I believe the benefits of yoga and meditation should be available to all people, no matter their experience, background, or lifestyle. 

What I love about the community classes is that they are in a well equipped yoga studio with friendly and experienced yoga teachers, creating a warm and nurturing atmosphere for all bodies and minds’.

One of the regular students from Naomi’s Mindfulness Meditation class said,

‘I find that meditation is really useful way to centre myself, which helps me maintain a more relaxed and positive outlook. I find this is very useful when dealing with emotionally challenging situations. The fact that these classes don’t have a pay barrier means that everyone gets the chance to benefit from this incredible practice’.

The profit from the Mindfulness Meditation class goes to Bristol Mind, a mental health charity based in Bristol. Bristol Mind was originally founded in 1965 and aims to promote a positive view of mental health and encourage emotional wellbeing.  

Please feel free to share this post and let especially those that might really benefit know about the community yoga and meditation classes at the Bristol Yoga Centre. For more information about the classes, please contact the teachers directly.