What exactly is ‘somatic yoga therapy’ and why are so many of us turning to it?

Slowing things down.

As I learnt near the end of last year, burnout doesn’t always announce itself dramatically. More often, it shows up quietly – in the clenched jaw you don’t realise you’re holding, the low-level fatigue that no amount of sleep actually helps, the sense that your body is permanently braced for impact.

For many people juggling full-time work, creative pursuits, a social life and family commitments, stress has become so normal it’s almost invisible, folded neatly into busy schedules, wellness routines and weekly yoga classes.

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It’s partly why gentler, slower practices like somatic yoga therapy are gaining traction. Less concerned with flexibility or fitness, this style of yoga responds to a growing realisation: that burnout isn’t just a mental state and it certainly can’t always be solved by doing more. Sometimes, the body needs to be met where it already is.

If you’ve ever been told to “just breathe through it” in pigeon pose – or worse, that your tight hips are holding onto unresolved daddy issues – you’re not alone. For years, the wellness world has flirted with the idea that the body stores stress and emotion, often without explaining how, or what to actually do with that information.

Somatic yoga therapy sits at the more grounded end of that conversation. Rather than pushing the body into symbolic release, it focuses on something far less dramatic and arguably more radical: learning to listen to physical sensation as it happens.

“Somatic movement works by using slow, mindful movement with a focus on internal sensation and experience over physical performance,” explains Bonnie Costa, Upstate Retreats Manager and Instructor. “Combined with conscious breathing and deep listening, [it] helps to regulate the nervous system, release tension and improve mobility.”

What does ‘somatic’ actually mean?

The word somatic comes from the Greek soma, meaning ‘the living body’. In practice, it refers to experiencing the body from the inside out, tuning into sensation rather than observing from a distance or trying to override it.

In a somatic yoga therapy class, this might look like long pauses, subtle movements, body scans and regular invitations to notice sensation without trying to change it. “It’s an approach to teaching where the instructor uses language and sequencing to help the class stay tuned inward,” Bonnie says. “You’re guided by what you’re feeling, rather than striving for a particular outcome.”

How is somatic movement different from regular yoga?

Many mainstream yoga styles, particularly faster-paced flows, prioritise alignment, repetition and endurance. Somatic yoga therapy intentionally slows things down. Movements are often smaller, gentler and exploratory, designed to support nervous system regulation rather than physical exertion.

That distinction matters, especially for people living in a near-constant state of low-level stress. As osteopath and yoga teacher Dr Lara Stoll notes, “The body doesn’t know the difference between being chased by a tiger and your daily stresses.” When the sympathetic nervous system is constantly activated, muscles tend to contract, particularly through the hips, pelvis and lower back.

Somatic yoga works with this reality, rather than pushing against it. By encouraging rest, breath awareness and choice, it supports the parasympathetic nervous system. “Often, what people really need isn’t more stretching,” Dr Lara explains. “It’s breathwork to return to a state of rest.”

Why is somatic yoga resonating right now?

As conversations around burnout, trauma and nervous system health become more mainstream, many people are rethinking the idea that wellbeing should require so much effort. For women in particular, there’s growing awareness that constantly overriding bodily signals, pushing through pain, fatigue or PMS symptoms, comes at a cost.

Somatic yoga therapy offers a different proposition: that physical sensation is not an obstacle to work around but a form of information worth listening to. “Emotion is energy in motion,” says yoga teacher Georgia Hunter, who specialises in emotional and energetic release. “If emotions aren’t expressed, they can be suppressed and held in the body.”

Rather than forcing release, “somatic yoga can help retrain the nervous system, easing ongoing pain, tension and stress,” says Bonnie. “Over time, it may improve mobility and flexibility, support balance, and deepen body awareness, which can assist with emotional regulation and the release of stored stress or trauma.”

Who is somatic yoga therapy for?

While somatic yoga can benefit anyone, it’s particularly helpful for people experiencing stress, pain or chronic tension, or for those who’ve felt disconnected from their bodies through injury, illness or prolonged stress.

It’s also increasingly accessible. While in-person classes and retreats offer guided support, many practitioners share somatic movement practices online, making it possible to explore at home.

Perhaps the most important shift somatic yoga therapy offers is conceptual rather than physical, a reminder that the body isn’t something to ‘fix’ or conquer. As Dr Lara puts it, “the mind may rationalise, but the body remembers.”

In a wellness culture obsessed with optimisation and self-improvement, somatic yoga invites something quieter. It asks for your attention, patience and the willingness to stay with sensation, rather than rushing to resolve it.

For more on somatic movement therapy, try this.