What is Somatics?
Somatics is a mind body approach which improves your health and well-being naturally and it is about how you move your entire self, not just your parts. The practice of Somatics…
• decreases muscle stiffness
• reduces pain
• lessens stress and tension
• and integrates how you move your entire body
There are many therapies which use the term Somatics. Thomas Hanna, author of Somatics: 
What he created is Hanna Somatic Education as a means to greater self care with an understanding of how you can improve yourself through simple, natural movement patterns which occur throughout your body.
Through the use of unusually, easy, gentle, movement patterns that stimulate the brain to change the output to the muscles. Your sensory and motor cortex are developed to improve their function resulting in higher integration of your body’s ability to move comfortably and functionally.
Rather than the traditional approach of exercise and stretching, moving somatically, reveals an entirely new approach which most physical educators are just learning.
Looking at the body to treat it with medication or surgery for pain is one viewpoint. Your physician, strength trainer or physical therapist looks at movement from a variety of viewpoints.
The way your body is looked at is based on what area you complain about or what area of your body is hurting.
This specialized way of looking at your body in terms of being tight, or weak and having pain is regarded by each professional in the various ways of looking at your anatomy from their perspective viewpoint.
The missing element in all these viewpoints is simply how fundamental movement isn’t brought into the dialogue.
Natural movement patterns exist and it’s possible to separate a movement dysfunction from say your fitness and physical performance.
Being aggressive with your physical training can’t change your mobility without addressing compensations. These compensations add the possibility of increased chances of injury.
Stretching for instance, is outdated as you’ve known it.
Instead of isolated body segments and range of motion, whole movement patterns are the key issue.
When you move, you move with your whole self, not in parts or segments and in particular ranges or degrees of movement as it traditionally measured.
You are a living being and moving your self around and your entire movement is what is at stake.
Even though you can be measured for flexibility. Your strength can be normal but your natural movement patterns may compensate or be inefficient or deficient which again can lead to a risk of injury.
When you move as a whole being, your movement can be more or less than sum of your individual parts. Your entire movement competency is the starting point at what need to be addressed.
Exercise is important but you first have to move well. After you move well, then you can move efficiently to support your unique structure and its functions.
To increase your function, your brain can make the necessary changes to the muscles through a learning process.
You change your awareness in your entire body so you can feel how your muscles coordinate their actions to serve you in a more refined manner.
Working with the brain and in this case I am talking about Somatics Exercises are akin to brain exercise.
Exercising your brain allows you to further your connection between your mind and body and how you move as whole integrated living being. Reestablishing the connection provides you with vibrancy and effortless ease in using yourself to accomplish whatever you want with your body.
For a deeper look into the clinical approach to Hanna Somatic Education, look here, otherwise, move well, the alternatives you already know.