Review of the course

This Course Was My First Practical Introduction to Somatics

I approached it with a mix of trepidation and anticipation—not necessarily of a miracle, but of something extraordinary. The reason was that just two weeks before the course, I had stumbled upon a text by Thomas Hanna about the Red Light Reflex and sensorimotor amnesia. It became a turning point in my long battle with chronic headaches and tension in my neck and shoulders.

For two months, almost since the start of the lockdown, I had been dealing with continuous headaches and severe tension in my neck and shoulders. I attributed it to psychosomatic causes and waited for the pain to subside naturally—but it didn’t. I tried a rehabilitative massage that had helped me before, but this time it was ineffective. My neck returned to its habitual state of tension. Even specialized yoga for the neck and shoulders provided only temporary relief. That’s when I realized that my muscles were returning to their habitual tone, my body was clinging to its familiar pattern—a deep-seated pattern of fear.

Inspired by the idea of retraining the body, I began private sessions in the Feldenkrais Method. After seeing its remarkable healing effects, I wanted to reinforce and develop them. My interest in Hanna’s method also grew, especially since this course on the ribcage and shoulders targeted my problem area directly.

The Course Structure

This three-week course consisted of two one-hour sessions per week. Each session (45–50 minutes of exercises and 10–15 minutes of feedback) felt surprisingly intensive for my body, even though the guiding principle of somatics is ease and the absence of tension while performing exercises.

Learning this ease and the pleasure of effortless movement became one of the key skills I gained from the course. Of course, this skill requires continued regular practice. Another significant takeaway was developing a greater attentiveness to my body and a gradually refined ability to feel it as a whole, both in motion and at rest.

I especially enjoyed observing how movement in one part of the body would ripple through and engage the entire body. The habit of body scanning on the mat before exercises has deepened my skills in formal seated meditation on another level. The course gently and effectively cultivates fundamental body awareness skills.

The Results

I regularly practiced using the recordings between sessions. Some exercises were more challenging for me, while others felt easier. Overall, I can confidently say that the effects—improved posture, easier breathing, greater body stability, a sense of calm, and awareness of my spine along its entire length—were evident immediately after each session. This never failed to fill me with awe and wonder.

The course prepared me for a challenging two-day cycling trip (105 km in two days), which only became possible because my back had relaxed entirely. The cycling posture typically puts strain on the neck and shoulders, but the course exercises now help me rehabilitate my body after what was, nonetheless, an excessive load.

Gratitude

I am deeply grateful to Katya for this course. I see all six video lessons as a precious resource I can always return to. Even though I have memorized some of the exercises, Katya’s gentle guidance is irreplaceable compared to practicing from memory. Her instruction ensures I maintain the necessary pauses during which the brain’s retraining and integration of new movement patterns occur.

I continue to practice the exercises and believe I have more discoveries ahead as my attention and body sensitivity become increasingly refined.