Under the label of “methods of somatic education” are grouped together several body approaches that could be described as follows: “which aim to increase the ease, efficiency and pleasure of the body and of movement through the development of body awareness ”. In this sheet, you will discover what somatic education is, its principles, its history, its benefits, the course of a session and how to become a therapist in somatic education.

From the Greek “soma” which means “body”, somatic education brings together a set of approaches that aim to reclaim one’s body in motion and to develop one’s consciousness. This awareness allows the person to better understand his mode of operation and to create new possibilities of expression.

This “organic” learning takes place thanks to a sensorimotor reorganization which will involve the muscles and all the other constituents of the individual’s body. The approaches are “experiential” in the sense that the resulting learning results more from subjective experience than from knowledge learned.

The approaches belonging to somatic education are numerous: holistic gymnastics; TCP table gymnastics, breastplate release method, Feldenkrais method, Alexander technique, Nadeau technique, the sheets of which are available on our site. Other approaches are also part of somatic education, including Movement Ritual, The Emballons-nous Method, BodyMind Centering, Gerda Alexander eutony, Laban-Bartenieff Method, Kinetic Awareness and Ideaokinesis. Two other techniques, although not always included in the family of somatic education, have such related goals that we have added them to our chart: the Pilates method and the Trager. On the other hand, techniques which primarily aim to treat or cure, such as osteopathy or the Mézières method, should not be associated with it, nor those which primarily have psychotherapeutic aims, such as bioenergetic analysis.

The main principles

The fundamental characteristics of all these approaches are summarized in the two terms of their label: education and somatic.

Education. When it is not called upon to its full potential, the body loses its ability to function properly – it literally unlearns, compensates and goes wrong. Fortunately, he can always start learning again, because his tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves) remain malleable at almost any age. Education requires both “listening” and active participation by the student.

Somatic. In the subtle field of bodily approaches, it is said that the soma is “that which is relative to the body, but perceived from within, in the first person”; a somatic education approach therefore requires an intimate point of view on the intervention: the person does not try to “correct” or “correct” their body (as a physiotherapist would, for example), but to do so. understand and promote its development.

Prevention of musculoskeletal problems (back pain, tendonitis, etc.)

They help prevent injuries, aches and pains of the musculoskeletal system. They also promote psychomotor rehabilitation, better pain control and the maintenance of functionality despite aging.

Improved posture

Somatic approaches contribute to a fairer posture (an essential element of well-being) and to better respiratory reflexes. This is particularly beneficial in the world of work.

Improved physical and mental well-being

They promote better use of bodily potential: more efficiency, expressiveness and pleasure in movement. They also develop greater attention to bodily signals and a better perception of the body in space. In addition, they induce great relaxation, better stress management and well-being.

Amélioration of sportive performance

Somatic education leads to a better balance in bodily development, which promotes athletic performance.

Support for bodywork in art and creation circles

Somatic education improves posture and improves bodily function of musicians, singers, dancers, actors, painters, sculptors, etc.

The specialist

The practitioner in somatic education is a keen observer of movement who has acquired theoretical knowledge thanks to training carried out upstream. He does not treat the disorders but teaches his client to reclaim his body.

Course of a session

A certain crossbreeding has occurred in recent years and we are now seeing the emergence of eclectic techniques borrowing from different systems. But each “official” method derives from a particular way of understanding the psycho-bodily dynamics. Therefore, the sessions will differ depending on the approaches favored by the therapist. In general, the individual is treated in a holistic manner with both body and mind taken care of. During the sessions, individuals will have to perform physical exercises, perform mindful movements, self-massages …

The sessions can take place in groups or individually. The individual may be standing, sitting or lying down.

Become a practitioner

There are several courses in university or school to become a somatic educator. In some, the training takes place over 2 years with 500 hours of theoretical and practical lessons. The teachings focus on the anatomy, physiology of the human body as well as bodily approaches.

Contraindications of Somatic Education

Somatic education is not recommended for individuals with painful organic conditions that prevent them from performing movements such as fractures or sprains.

Somatic education has been around for nearly a hundred years. It first developed in Europe. Its founders are Mathias Alexander who began to lose his voice: being an actor, he actively sought ways to remedy it and succeeded by observing muscle tension and modifying his thinking. The second founder is Moshe Feldenkrais who was able to relearn to walk thanks to an awareness of sensations through movement.

In the 70s, Thérèse Bertherat set up a method of bodily self-rehabilitation which has been very successful internationally. This gave rise to other approaches aimed at re-educating the body. Somatic education is not a narrowly defined scope of practice. She emerges from a universe where massotherapy, kinesiology, physical education and motor rehabilitation have developed in parallel. Many of the approaches were developed by people who had not found a suitable technique to deal with a particular physical problem. They then experimented with different techniques on themselves and came to develop something innovative. Over time, these techniques have passed through word of mouth, early adopters, more structured transmission, growing popularity and, finally, official recognition.

For a long time now, some have created niches in environments where great bodily finesse is essential, such as in theater, singing and dancing. The dance world, in Quebec as in France, is probably the one where somatic education is the subject of the most research.