We are all Somas, which is a Greek word meaning the living body.
As a Soma we perform repetitive movements, have injuries or surgeries, and/or experience emotional stressors that have an effect on our bodies of creating habituated tension and also pain.
Through the practice of SomaYoga we learn that there are three different ways that we can hold habituated tension – red light (flight) reflex, green light (fight) reflex or trauma reflex.
Red Light Reflex
Examples of the red light reflex are when we roll our shoulders forward and lower our chin toward our chest as we look down at our phone to type a text, sitting at the computer for long periods of time or slumped in our sofa watching TV.
We might find that as a result we have tension or pain in our jaw, neck, shoulder immobility, mid back pain, hip flexors, hip or knee pain or a Dowager’s hump. One may feel lethargy, depression or anxiety.
Green Light Reflex
The green light reflex is our call to action. Here, think of how a soldier may stand so erect that his/her shoulders are pulled back, chest pushed forward, low back arched, knees locked.
This stance may lead to pain symptoms involving the low back, sacroiliac joint, shoulders, hips, knees or feet, among others. One may feel overworked, overactive, stress or anxiety.
Trauma Reflex
The trauma reflex occurs as a protective muscular response to injury, accidents or trauma. This might occur when we have a fall, a slip on the ice, a knee, hip or foot injury. It can also be caused from doing a repetitive movement on one side of the body such as carrying a child on the same hip, a heavy purse or backpack on one shoulder, or using a mouse at the computer desk.
The trauma reflex may lead you to experience uneven hips or shoulders, to be twisted, S or C curves through the spine. The pain that may be felt as a result of this reflex may be one sided, sacroiliac, sciatica, scoliosis, bursitis, uneven gait, tennis elbow or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
A person may have a combination of two or three of these reflexes in their body.
Awesome News!!
The awesome news is that we can also release the tension and pain caused from these reflexes by becoming more aware of our movements and truly using our brain to set our muscles free! That’s right!! When we involve the brain in exploring how muscles move through contracting, slow controlled lengthening and finding where relax is – that place where the last muscle fibre lets go, the brain regains the voluntary control of the muscles that have been holding tension to find a more peaceful place in ease.
It’s pretty exciting to be able to release tension so easily! I’ve experienced the goodness myself from releasing long held tension from unhealthy movement patterns and witnessed it while sharing the practice with others who are simply amazed by the results and how much better they feel.
Ready to Feel the Goodness Yourself?
If you can relate to any of the above symptoms brought about from these three reflexes, I invite you to join us in curiousity and exploration to find out just how great your body can truly feel!
SomaYoga Weekly Group Classes
Tuesdays, February 14 – March 14 OR
Thursdays, February 16 – March 16
9:30-10:45 am
$99 for a 5 week session
205, 8579 Scurfield Drive NW
SomaYoga Workshop
Sunday, February 5
1:00 – 3:30 pm
$55 or bring a friend and save $10
205, 8579 Scurfield Drive NW
Please feel free to email or call me should you wish to register for a class or workshop and feel the goodness for yourself! I would love to have you join us in this lovely practice!
Who inspires me to share SomaYoga…
“I am just coming back from my doctor, I had taken an ultrasound from my knee few months ago and she said my knee had an inflammation, etc… and Phisio therapy might help, but I said I don’t have any pain anymore, then my doctor said, whatever you did helped your knee to heal, so the yoga absolutely worked…..” … Affy (group class SomaYogi)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
