Today, we're reviewing the basics of somatics as taught by Thomas Hanna. Those basics are movement with engagement, release and drifting back to neutral, followed by pausing to notice. Thomas Hanna based his therapy on pendiculation which is an intuitive movement—think of yawning or stretching upon waking—it is a response to energy build up in tissues.

Let's give it a try. Like most people, you probably have some tightness in your shoulders. Am I right? Okay, engage your shoulder muscles and draw your shoulders up towards your ears as you sqeeeeze those muscles. Open your mouth and exhale as you let go of the muscle engagement and your shoulders slowly sink down to neutral. How do you feel? Do you want to do that again? I do. This is the type of stuff we'll be exploring today.

Please note, this is a recording from 2020 and my announcement of this being our last session because I'm taking a break for a few weeks is not relevant anymore. There will be another Somatic Solace session next week and I look forward to sharing space with you again.

For today you will want to have a blanket, or some pillows, or a bolster as this will be helpful for propping up your sacrum during a movement I offer at the end of our session. Alright gather whatever you need to achieve maximum comfort and let's get into our practice.