why somatics
Soma has its roots in Greek and refers to the living body in its wholeness, which includes mental, physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions. Somatics was coined by Thomas Hanna in the 1970s to explain how the lived experience is reflected as patterns in the body.
The Strozzi Institute for Somatics methodology defines somatics as a path and a theory of change. It recognizes that individual and collective transformation is complex and interdependent, influenced by numerous and often oppressive— social, political, environmental and institutional conditions. Our sense of identity stems from these complexities.
For sustainable change, we work through the body to become aware of our “somatic shape”—our embodiment of coping strategies, habit patterns, longings, hurts—which informs how we relate to ourselves and the world. This somatic awareness deepens our inner listening and ability to attune to ourselves and our environment. This awareness moves us out of automatic reactions and into conscious, aligned choice.
“Somatics gives us a practical and applicable understanding of how we embody what we do, and how we can change.”
Staci K. Haines | Senior Teacher and co-Founder of the Methodology at the Strozzi Institute for Somatics and author of The Politics of Trauma