Clinical Somatic Exercises are slow, mindful movements that help you notice habitual patterns of muscular effort, tension, and bracing.
They focus on sensing and exploring rather than stretching farther, forcing release, or performing perfectly.
The approach is informed by Thomas Hanna's Clinical Somatics framework and Sarah Warren's teaching of pandiculation, sensorimotor awareness, and common full-body reflex patterns.
What are they?
Clinical Somatic Exercises are slow, controlled, sensory-focused movements. They help you notice how you organise muscular effort — where you hold tension, where you brace, and where movement might happen with less unnecessary strain.
They may be practised seated, standing, or lying down. The purpose is to explore sensation, movement, conscious control, and choice — not to force a stretch or achieve a particular shape.
No prior movement experience is required. There is no correct way to perform them.
What is pandiculation?
Pandiculation is a natural contraction-and-release response. You may have noticed something like it when you wake up and stretch — a full-body yawn that involves engaging and then releasing muscles.
In Clinical Somatic Exercises, a person may gently engage a muscle or group of muscles, slowly release that effort, and then pause to sense what has changed.
The emphasis is on feedback and awareness rather than forcing a stretch.
The important information is what you notice while moving, releasing effort, and resting — not how far you moved or how it looked from the outside.
Red Light, Green Light, and Trauma reflexes
Within this Clinical Somatics framework, three educational concepts describe common ways the body may organise muscular effort in response to demand, stress, or threat. These are not diagnoses, and people may experience overlapping or changing patterns.
Pattern one
Red Light reflex
A protective, withdrawing, curling, or bracing pattern. Someone may notice pulling inward, rounded posture, shoulders forward, or holding tension through the front of the body.
Pattern two
Green Light reflex
An action or effort pattern. Someone may notice pushing forward, gripping, leaning, arching, over-efforting, or difficulty stopping and resting.
Pattern three
Trauma reflex
A stronger protective contraction, flexion, or collapse pattern that may occur with significant threat, stress, or overwhelm. This term is an educational concept and should not be used to diagnose trauma.
These patterns do not explain every person's pain, posture, or experience. They may overlap and change with context.
What the exercises may feel like
The movement may look subtle from the outside. The important information may be what you notice while moving, releasing effort, resting, and sensing.
Clinical Somatic Exercises may feel:
- Slow.
- Small.
- Gentle.
- Repetitive.
- Exploratory.
- Non-competitive.
- Focused on sensation.
- Adaptable.
There is no performance. There is no correct shape to achieve.
What a session may involve
A session may follow a simple, repeating sequence:
Exercises can be adapted seated, standing, or lying down. You can pause, modify, observe, or decline a movement at any time.
How they differ from stretching
Stretching often focuses on lengthening tissues or increasing range of motion. Clinical Somatic Exercises focus more on sensing muscular effort and exploring whether movement can happen with less unnecessary tension.
You do not need to push into pain or discomfort. More range is not automatically the goal.
The question is not how far you can go. It is what you notice along the way.
What you may explore
Over time, people who practise Clinical Somatic Exercises may notice:
- Greater awareness of effort, tension, bracing, and ease.
- More choices in how they move.
- Earlier recognition of automatic patterns.
- A more responsive relationship with the body.
- Curiosity rather than judgment.
- Movement that feels less demanding or performative.
- Greater confidence adapting movement to their needs.
The goal is not perfect posture or eliminating every sensation. It is becoming more aware of your patterns and exploring whether different choices are available.
These exercises can be adapted
Movements may be made smaller, slowed down, practised seated, supported with a chair or wall, paused, omitted, or observed. The practice can be changed to meet the person.
- Seated, standing, or lying down
- Supported with a chair, cushion, or wall
- Smaller range of movement
- Slower pace
- Paused or omitted at any point
- Observed rather than performed
Clinical Somatic Exercises are one approach that may inform one-to-one somatic movement support at Berkana. They are not a substitute for medical care, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, or emergency support.
Curious about exploring Clinical Somatic Exercises?
You do not need prior movement experience or a particular level of flexibility. If you are curious about how these exercises might fit into one-to-one somatic support, you are welcome to book a free discovery call.
There is no pressure to book a session afterward.
