the Somatics blog
Exploring how the brain controls posture and movement, why we experience muscle and joint pain,
and how we can live our lives to the fullest.
The Myth of Uneven Leg Length
Doctors and chiropractors like to tell people that they have one leg longer than the other, and that it is the cause of their back, hip, or knee pain. The truth is that while it is certainly possible to have one leg longer than the other, […]
7 Reasons Why Every Athlete Should Do Clinical Somatics
The benefits of Clinical Somatics exercises are so life-changing that every athlete needs to be doing them in order to improve their performance, prevent injuries, and extend their athletic career. […]
Combining Your Clinical Somatics and Yoga Practices
One of the questions that students ask me most often is whether or not they should continue their yoga practice while doing Clinical Somatics exercises […]
Getting out of the Fibromyalgia Pain Cycle
Getting out of the Fibromyalgia Pain Cycle Fibromyalgia is a painful, often debilitating condition with many symptoms. The causes can seem mysterious, so determining a successful treatment approach can be daunting. In this post I'll discuss how fibromyalgia can be the result of an ongoing, self-perpetuating cycle of chronic pain, psychological stress, overactive immune system [...]
The Anatomy of Your Tension Headache
The Anatomy of Your Tension Headache If you're reading this post, you may be one of the 45 million Americans who suffer from chronic headaches. Headaches are one of the most frustrating pain conditions because the causes are so varied and can seem completely mysterious. In fact, over 150 different types of headache have [...]
The Life-Changing Link Between Anxiety and Muscle Tension
The Life-Changing Link Between Anxiety and Muscle TensionAnxiety is thought of as a psychological disorder, but it actually involves many systems of the body. Anxiety is a true “somatic” condition: It is typically brought on and made worse not by any external source like a virus, but by our internal psychological and physiological functioning.For many [...]
Did you know that Plantar Fasciitis starts in your lower back?
Did you know that Plantar Fasciitis starts in your lower back? Plantar fasciitis is a very painful condition—I've had it, and it's awful. It's considered to be a disorder of the connective tissue that supports the arch of the foot. However, the pain and inflammation that occurs in the plantar fascia is just a [...]
10 Shocking Ways That Your Posture Affects Your Health
10 Shocking Ways That Your Posture Affects Your Health Our posture—the way we sit and stand—is rarely genetic or out of our control. It's simply the result of chronic muscle tension pulling our skeleton out of alignment. This muscle tension builds up over time as a result of our daily movement habits and our [...]
Why you can’t release your tight psoas muscle with stretching
Why you can't release your tight psoas muscle with stretching Your physical therapist, chiropractor, or yoga teacher might have told you that you have a tight psoas muscle, and they may have taught you stretching exercises to release it. While they're probably right—having a tight psoas is a very common problem—static stretching has little to [...]
7 Reasons Why Every Athlete Should Do Clinical Somatics
7 Reasons Why Every Athlete Should Do Clinical Somatics If you haven't heard of Clinical Somatics before, you've been missing out. These incredibly effective exercises retrain deeply learned, automatic muscular patterns and undo years of chronic muscle tightness and pain. The benefits of the exercises are so life-changing that every athlete needs to be [...]
What is Pandiculation?
What is pandiculation? Pandiculation is generally defined as the act of stretching oneself and yawning, especially upon waking. However, our automatic pandicular response has far more significance than simply prompting us to stretch and yawn. Pandiculation is the nervous system's natural way of waking up the sensory-motor system and preparing for movement. Humans, along with [...]
Why Stretching Doesn’t Work
Why Stretching Doesn't Work From the ages of twelve to twenty-one, I was a ballet dancer. It was all I did and all I wanted to do. Being extremely disciplined, I stretched for half an hour every night before bed so I could get more flexible. And it worked—I got pretty darn flexible. Even on [...]
Combining Your Clinical Somatics and Yoga Practices
Combining Your Clinical Somatics and Yoga Practices One of the questions that students ask me most often is whether or not they should continue their yoga practice while doing Clinical Somatics exercises, and if so, how to go about combining the two practices. I love yoga, and I practice it regularly. Everything I've learned and [...]