Written By: Prerna Mittra | Updated : February 13, 2024 3:20 PM IST
Somatic shorts are 5-minute sessions that allow you to "reconnect with your body". (Photo: Freepik)
Stress and tension have become common problems, owing to poor lifestyle habits and choices, long working hours, etc. While it is imperative to eat healthy and maintain a balance, seldom are people able to do so. Stress-eating, not exercising, and not sleeping well ultimately lead to many health problems.
One of the ways to arrest stress and go back to leading a healthy life is by "enhancing our internal awareness of the body" and by "guiding [ourselves] to redirect attention from the mind to the sensations within the body", said nutritionist Marina Wright.
In an Instagram post, Wright stressed on 'somatic' practices which "foster a stronger mind-body connection". "It is within this reconnection that we can release pent-up emotions and decrease stress," she explained.
According to hopkinsmedicine.org, the term 'somatics' was coined by professor and theorist Thomas Hanna in 1976. Over the years, it has come to represent a "field of movement studies and bodywork that foregrounds the internal physical sensations, perceptions, and experiences of the body".
Somatic shorts, it states, are 5-minute sessions that allow you to "reconnect with your body through movement performed consciously, with complete internal focus and attention".
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On Instagram, the nutritionist shared a few examples.
The first one is 4-7-8 breaths. In it, you must lie down or sit in a comfortable position. Inhale through the nose to a count of 4, hold your breath for 7 seconds, exhale slowly through the mouth to a count of 8 seconds. This is one cycle. Take full breaths and fill your lungs for at least four such cycles.
The other practice is called 'butterfly hug'. When you feel stressed, cross your arms over your chest, forming a butterfly shape. Interlace your thumbs and place the tip of the middle finger of both hands just below the collar bone. Now begin a rhythmic tapping with your hands, alternating between left and right sides of the chest, the expert suggested. You can do it for 2 minutes.
The third practice is called progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). Sit or lie down. Tense the muscles of your toes for 5 seconds before relaxing them completely. Proceed to tense and relax each muscle group -- from your feet to your head -- including the muscles of your legs, abdomen, chest, arms, neck and face. The nutritionist said you must pay attention to the sensation of tension and relaxation.
