The mind is a marvellous storyteller, spinning narratives, piecing together logic, making sense of the world. But some truths live outside its reach. They don’t sit neatly in words or concepts. They hum beneath the surface, woven into breath, muscle, the quiet pull of instinct.

Somatics is an invitation to listen. To step beyond what we know and into what we feel.

The edge of understanding

For more than a decade, therapy has been my anchor – offering steady ground, guiding me through the intricate terrain of my own patterns. It’s given me language for things that once felt amorphous, tools to hold myself with greater care.

But at a certain point, I found myself circling the same insights, brushing against an invisible boundary. I could explain my reactions, trace them back to their origins, see them clearly. And yet, I was still in them. Like standing in a sunlit doorway, understanding the shape of the room beyond but never quite stepping inside.

That’s when I turned towards somatics. And something shifted.

The body speaks in sensation

The body has its own way of knowing. A current that runs deeper than thoughts—subtle, fluid, ever-present. But most of us aren’t taught how to hear it.

Psychoeducation often brings that first aha moment – “I see why I do this.” But somatics offers the next essential step: “Now, how do I change it? How do I meet myself differently, beyond the mind’s explanations?”

Where the mind maps a story, the body holds the memory. The breath that catches in uncertainty. The weight of tension between the shoulder blades. The hollow ache in the chest that no amount of reasoning can soothe.

Somatics invites us into those places – not to fix, but to feel. To notice, soften, shift. It teaches us that awareness isn’t just about insight – it’s about presence.

Knowing in the muscle

True understanding isn’t just something we grasp—it’s something we live. Like learning to swim, we can study technique, memorise every movement, but it’s only when we wade in, let the water hold us, feel the rhythm in our limbs, that we truly know.

Therapy gave me the map. Somatics gave me the ocean.

Together, they create something whole. A way of understanding that is both seen and felt. A bridge between the wisdom of the mind and the deep, instinctive knowing of the body.

A moment to arrive: A simple somatic practice

Take a pause – just a breath – to settle where you are.

  • Find a comfortable seat. Let your body sink into the surface beneath you.
  • Shift slightly, adjusting until you feel fully supported.
  • Bring attention to your feet – notice their weight, their connection to the ground.
  • Let your back soften. You don’t have to hold yourself up right now.
  • Gaze around. Find something that brings a sense of warmth – a tree outside, a gentle light, the quiet presence of a pet nearby.
  • Notice what’s shifted. How your breath moves now. The space within your body.

Sometimes, change is as simple as allowing ourselves to arrive.