Increase Your Energy, Flexibility, Mobility and Vitality! This is the Promise of Gentle Somatic Stretch!
Gentle Somatic Yoga is...
A very gentle, relaxing, yet powerful way to release the (conscious and unconscious) tension you are holding in your body. When you release this tension, you reduce aches and pains. Your flexibility and mobility improve. You start to feel more like your best, young self again.
These classes not only help you relax your muscles, they also relax your entire nervous system.
There are 2 HUGE reasons this is mission critical!
1. This is one of the very best things you can do to relieve your…STRESS!!! At least 90% of all chronic illness is directly related to our STRESS!
Imagine all the benefits you might experience when you are able to simply relax! We spend most of our waking life with our nervous system in sympathetic "fight or flight" mode. These classes move you quickly into parasympathetic "rest and rejuvenate" mode. This allows your body to heal itself!
BTW…one of the reasons we develop insulin resistance is STRESS and our inability to get enough sleep. It creates excess belly fat that is so hard to burn off. I know it sounds kind of wild but…when you do these classes and relax your whole body including the nervous system…you sleep better, your stress level goes down, your insulin resistance improves and guess what happens to your excess belly fat?
So many of my clients find they can finally get a good night’s sleep after taking these classes!!!
Gentle Somatic Yoga invites us to go “inside” to find the places we need to relax…and release all our tension.
In Gentle Somatic Yoga classes, you will be doing "flows" that will re-train your brain to release the muscles it is holding in contracted, tight positions. When you relax your nervous system, it allows the brain to learn in a more fluid way. These movement "flows" are actually re-patterning your brain to body connection.
Why is this important? Because it allows you to "un-do" the movement patterns you have been doing that have been creating the pain, discomfort, lack of mobility and flexibility you are now living with.
Once you've released those tight, contracted muscles and bound up fascia, you will experience a new found joy in your body.
Your pain, immobility and poor flexibility will be reduced while your energy levels will soar.
Gentle Somatic Yoga isn't like any other kind of stretching you might have tried. It's also NOT "yoga: like you might think of yoga. There are no complicated poses you need to get into. You aren't "trying" to look a certain way or achieve anything. Instead...you close your eyes and go "into" your own body to sense where you are holding your tension.
NOTE: The word somatic mean that you will be experiencing (sensing) your body from the INSIDE. Listening to the incredible wisdom it has to share with you. YOur body is constantly giving you messages about what it needs. But we are too busy "in our heads" trying to push our own agenda to listen. Until the messages get louder and louder...
You will be doing "flows" designed to re-pattern your brain allowing it to release and lengthen the muscles that are currently being held.
Gentle Somatic Yoga Classes are truly the next level of Mind/Body/Spirit in movement.
I know you are going to love doing these classes and be blown away by the results you will feel!!!
Classes are done on the floor. I recommend you have lots of pillows around you for support, grab your favorite beverage, put a note on your door: “Do NOT disturb! I’m relaxing into my flexible, joyful body!!!”
Let’s get you feeling and looking incredible NOW…
Benefits of Doing Gentle Somatic Stretch
Tips to Get the MOST out of your Gentle Somatic Yoga Classes
This video will give you some modifications you can use to get the most out of your classes. Gather pillows, scarf, folded blankets...
Additional Gentle Somatic Yoga Tips and Guidelines
11 min floor stretch - Hip openers and inner thigh release! Ta da done!
15 min floor stretch - roll downs, T-Tapp brain/body fitness flow, arch/flatten sit ups, on belly for somatic neck release, shoulder releases, back to seated and done!
18 minute short flows to release neck and shoulder tension! Seated shoulder releases and onto floor for somatic neck release. Put this in your toolbox for when your neck and shoulders are tight!!
20 min hip flow - spirals, back stretches, onto back for lower back/hip release flow. Cat/cow to spirals, childs pose and up! A nice short but powerful flow!
20 min- Baby pose roll down, pelvic rocks, hip opener, seated torso twist, somatic head rolls, scan.
23 min stretch - began seated for a scan and then did the Lighthouse! Serious brain re-patterning and releasing long held contractions.
30 min somatic class - very relaxing - on back whole time. X's, arch and flattens, roller pins, pearls, clock, hip release. Enjoy!
NEW NEW NEW!!!! This class was fab so I had to add it here for you!!!! Get ready to REALLY relax and release in this class - On our backs for x's, arch/flatten/curl, rollerpin arms, side for side release,invert/evert hip florw, diagonal
60 min - spirals, opening shoulders/chest, lower leg, hip stretches/pigeon, lighthouse, spine stretch on floor, hip stretches, hip release,shoulder joint rotations, body sensing.
60 min - began on back for X's, arch/flatten sit ups, hip release (invert/evert), roller pin arms, belly for neck release, looking over shoulders, side release, elbow to knee, psoas release and scan!
60 min- arch/flatten sit ups, pearls on a necklace, hip release, hamstring release, neck release and shoulder work on belly, to seated spirals, baby roll down, open leg, hip, scan!
60 min - NO seated crossed legs!!- began on back arch/flatten/sit ups, roller pin arms, belly neck stretches, looking over shoulder, side releases, inner thigh release,hip invert/evert, scan!
60 min - GREAT class - on back for arch/flatten series, rolling pin arms, belly for neck release and then x's, side for side release,back for invert/exvert hip release, elbow to opp knee, hamstring release, yawn, meditation/scan. So relaxing
60 min - spirals, open legs with massage roll downs and chest opener, lower leg, foot sliders, hamstring release, lighthouse, floor arch flatten sit ups, psoas release, shoulder joint rotation and scan. Very relaxing
58 min- Began class either on floor or in a chair. I do all the seated moves in a chair to show how your can do this too. Scan,head rolls, foot sliders, lighthouse. Then to floor for arch/flatten, hip/shoulder move, frogs, scan.
Renee McLaughlin
