Somatic Habit
Live your life pain free
with more freedom and ease

Somatic Habit

Welcome to Somatic Habit

We help people learn how to move freely and without pain.

If you suffer with pain and limited movement, maybe even feel like you have “tried everything” but with no long term improvement, somatics is the missing link. Somatic movements are some of the safest and easiest ways to relieve muscle tension, giving you back control of your life.

Somatic Movement Education is a method developed by the late Thomas Hanna Ph.D., to relieve pain and restricted movement caused by habitually tight muscles known as sensory motor amnesia (SMA). This is like a ‘blind spot’ in our awareness.

When you learn somatic movement and develop your own somatic habit, you are choosing to take back control of your muscles and your body, so that you can enjoy fuller and freer movement. More movement means more life!

Regularly practicing somatic movement and developing your own somatic habit helps you to learn what your holding and movement patterns are that contribute to your pain or discomfort. When you know what these are, you can change them. With caring and expert guidance from your Somatic Educator you will learn how to reduce unconscious muscle tension (SMA) and move more freely. These are essential skills for a long, healthy and pain free life.

Here are some, but not all, common issues that somatics can help to address:

Below are examples of what you may see when someone experiences the above issues. Which image do you identify with?

Pandiculation

Whether you attend a movement class or have clinical sessions, you will be taught how to pandiculate. This is like yawning and you will see cats and dogs do this repeatedly throughout the day. When you pandiculate you are consciously reconnecting your brain to your muscles, restoring them back to their optimum resting length. This leaves you with greater control of your system, reduced muscle tension and increased movement.
Brain

Live your life pain free with freedom and ease

At Somatic Habit we love to hear from you, so don’t hesitate to call or get in touch…

Jenny Fairweather
Jenny Fairweather
7 May 2024
Karen Statner's brilliant new book, Somatic Movement, is a very good introduction to the practice, and gives a deeper dive if one already knows a bit. I found the personal history part added to my enjoyment of the book, where one learns about the origins of Somatic Movement, some science as to why it works and some practical instructions for movements. I highly recommend the book which is well written and inspiring.
Marion Cavan
Marion Cavan
6 December 2023
I hadn’t heard of somatic movement until a few weeks back but the impact this approach has had on my S.I joint pain and shoulder tension has been amazing, in such a short space of time. I am so much more aware of my body posture and where I need to release tension that has been present for years! And every single class I experience a shift in tension, pain or a release in terms of movement. Karen is very kind and really cares about each person in the class, I feel understood and held in mind. She is so passionate about somatic movement it is impossible not to catch her enthusiasm. Thank you!
Luc And Jessie
Luc And Jessie
5 October 2023
After living with hip dysplasia since birth which lead to a hip replacement, my muscles were not being used properly and my holding patterns had meant my muscle memory was not as it should be. Karen, through Somatic movement has helped me not only understand how my body works but helped my body with functional movement through the Somatic practice. My movement and discomfort is so much better. Also, Karen’s communication is excellent and she makes the description of the different moves very easy to follow and explains in detail why you are moving in the way you are. What a release!
Emilie L
Emilie L
17 September 2023
Highly recommend Karen at Somatic Habit. As a teacher, Karen is understanding and gently humorous - she takes it seriously but keeps it light! I love the variety, structure and pace of her classes, and the membership is fantastic - access to so many classes, on so many themes! (Also, easy to access, which is a big plus for me.) If you want to move more freely, reduce chronic pain, or just feel more relaxed, I'd definitely recommend Karen!
Amelia Haire
Amelia Haire
19 April 2023
I’m hypermobile and have a tendency to dislocate very easily, which is not made better by my job. My back has been in spasm for around 6 months now, and just one session with Karen released my back for the first time! Since going to more sessions I’ve started moving more mindfully and have experienced a lot less pain, and even feel clearer/ less groggy in day to day life.
Louise Fellows
Louise Fellows
5 October 2022
I love attending Karen's classes - as an active person and a busy mum, it is so valuable to take some time to slow down. I've learned about my body in ways that I never would have noticed otherwise, and I always feel replenished after class. Karen is full of wisdom and enthusiasm, gently and kindly delivered.
Bradley
Bradley
28 August 2022
I work as a Roofer and have been taking Somatics classes with Karen, once a week, for over a year. I had constant recurring lower back pain from my work and I rarely experience it now - thanks in large part to my Somatics practice. I recently had my first private session with Karen and she was able to guide me into releasing my own personal holding patterns. In the session I felt the parts of my body that were tense and working on their own - not integrating with the rest of my body’s movement. I’ve noticed that my day to day level of relaxation has increased significantly since last week’s private session. I just seem to be functioning more efficiently and with less tension. Karen’s professionalism and expertise in Somatics has guided me to live with a much happier, relaxed and pain free body. I would highly recommend Karen’s Somatic Habit!
jonny5777
jonny5777
13 May 2022
I went to Karen recently suffering from back pain made worse by some heavy lifting at work. I’ve not spent a lot of time working on myself so it was strange at first but Karen made me feel totally at ease with the calm demeanour and professionalism. We started with an assessment of my posture, walking, standing etc and found out things I’ve never noticed about myself. We then did some guided exercises which Karen explained were a bit like how my dog stretches in a morning (she kept things simple for simple mind to understand) She explained how the back is just a muscle which needs excessive like any other. I came away with a better understanding of my body and after a few days of getting into the routine of daily exercises my back was so much better! She also sent over some handy audio clips which were very useful. Thanks Karen brilliant work
Rebecka
Rebecka
2 March 2022
I feel very lucky to have discovered Karen's somatics classes. Karen's classes develop my understanding & awareness of my movement habits, and they also feel great! I think Karen likens pandiculation to being like yawning, and observed how cats and dogs do this a lot. Karen's calm and clear instructions combined with the movement also make the class really relaxing and restorative. Like many people, I sit at a desk for hours each day, and somatics feels like a necessity to begin to counter some of the tension that comes from this. UPDATE: I've now been attending classes for over a year and they're one of the highlights of my week! I went for my first clinical session with Karen a couple of weeks ago and it was brilliant. Karen sent some guided audio recordings to me afterwards which has meant I've been able to slot in little bits of somatic movement when I get chance.
Catherine Otey
Catherine Otey
23 June 2021
I have been doing online somatic classes with Karen for the last 5 months, and I really cannot speak highly enough of both the classes and Karen as an instructor and a person. I have done Pilates for over 10 years and cycle almost every day, but over the last 7 years, the treatment I have received for a chronic illness has caused me to lose flexibility and have some chronic rheumatic pain. Somatics has gone a long way towards reducing that pain and actually made me think about movement in a different way. Plus Karen is always so upbeat and encouraging and responds to every question raised. And doing classes on Zoom works really well. I am very happy to have been able to do them from Spain!