Hanna Somatics
Hanna somatics was developed by Thomas Hanna, a philosopher who wrote about the philosophy of the body and also coined the term “somatics” in 1976. Hanna somatic education is a system of body-mind training to help people enjoy painless and comfortable movement throughout their life.
It is designed to teach you how to recognize, release, and change your patterns of pain and movement that are the result of stress, injury, or habitual postures. It has been known to provide significant benefits and relief from muscles and joint pain, poor posture, fatigue, impaired movement, breathing problems, and repetitive stress injuries. It can provide relief from present pain and also help to reduce the risk of injury in the future by teaching you how to effectively move and use your body.
Hanna somatics offers individual and group classes. A normal session lasts between 40 minutes to an hour depending on the particular needs of the student. You are to dress in clothing that provides a lot of freedom of movement. Throughout your sessions the therapist will guide you through the specially designed movements while monitoring your posture and motion. Each of these movements is chosen specifically for the individual as each session is designed just for you (unless you are taking a group session).
Your instructor will gain a sense of your movement abilities and become aware of any postural improvements that need to be made. During the hands-on part of the session the instructor will use gentle touch and pressure to support the movements and guide you through the correct postural forms, helping you to become aware of your own body movements.
Hanna somatics uses a form of neuromuscular education called “assisted pandiculation”. Pandiculation is the use of slowly performed, structured, full body elongations and contractions of the muscles, which help the mind become aware of and gain control over the movement of the body. This particular technique helps to provide relaxation, lengthen and tone muscles and soft tissues, relieve tension and produce comfortable motion. Afterwards, your therapist will teach you how to perform self-pandiculation that you can do on your own at home through a series of somatic exercises. Relief from pain and stress usually occurs just after three to five sessions.
Hanna somatic education is a combination of stretching, breath work, and movement therapy designed to relieve pain, improve posture and restore healthy functioning and movement of the body. It doesn’t require any fancy equipment and can eventually be completed in the comfort of ones home. Hanna somatics is ideal for injury prevention and healing, as well as those simple seeking efficiency of movement and a stronger mind-body connection.
