Somatics exercises while mostly done on the floor can also be experienced as seated exercises.

That’s one of the great things about the practice of somatics, is its variability to adapt to situations and circumstances.

Seated exercises, a somatics perspective.

This may come in handy, if you’re on the plane, commuting by train, bus, ferry and even while driving in the car.

So when you decide to do seated exercises with a somatics perspective, in a car or even on a plane, you don’t have to do the movements. You can merely follow your intention to move and keep your attention on that as well as reversing yourself from that intention.

When we normally do seated exercises, we generally focus on exercise rather than the total experience of the entire movement which is involved.

When it comes to making a movement, how much effort is necessary to the movement itself can be of a great interest. By working somatically, you become more aware of all of the actions involved and the little effort needed.

When you’re doing seated exercises, there is nothing wrong with giving more effort. If it produces an uncomfortable strain, discomfort or pain, then you’re using more effort than necessary.

Seated exercises do not have to be painful

By staying under those uncomfortable levels of effort, you can more effectively reset the muscles vis-a-vis your nervous system using the feedback loop of your sensory-motor cortex.

seated exercisesBeing mindful of this loop helps to increase our proprioceptive awareness. We can use that to posture ourself more optimally for longer periods of well-being.

Remaining seated for great lengths of time like when it comes to reading can be a dis-service to our body. We may be unconsciously adapting ourself to shortened muscular positions and create the habit of tight, stiff muscles without our awareness.

While in general seated exercises may be beneficial for strength, if you aren’t aware of the movement, you may be just a human doing exercise instead of feeling and sensing how your body travels in space with a weight attached to it.

Awareness is what allows us to improve how well we can move. The good news is, the brain is ready to move us forwards and get us back on track even if we decide to do what we consider normal seated exercises.

Increase function with seated exercises

Using our awareness to activate shortened muscles, not only can we can restore their length by putting the brakes on those shortened muscles, we can increase the function so the muscles serve us with easier use.

This may sound a bit counter-intuitive, yet when the brain is actively engaged with our awareness in seated exercises, it is this awareness which helps us reprogram the muscles.

Reprogramming muscles in seated exercises is important and as normal as updating your computer.

Our bodies and minds are in a way representative of a computer system which needs updating and refreshing to keep moving well. Update the movement system with somatics seated exercises, then the experience of sitting can be more enhanced.

You can download a copy of this class seated exercises class for the neck, shoulders, waist and spine.

Afterwards, you’ll have some tools to know what to do when riding in a car. You’ll get a version of what I call auto-somatics.

Simple seated exercises which can be done anywhere and anytime you sit.


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exercise Self-care Somatics Exercises
Edward Barrera
Edward Barrera

Founder of Gravity Werks, Hanna Somatic Educator. (H.S.E) Author of Move Like an Animal and The 1 Thing to Do to Relieve Pain, Stiffness, Tension and Stress Ed lived with Fibromyalgia (chronic pain) in his 20’s and 30’s. Now helps people overcome physical pain, reduce muscular stress & tension, and recover quickly from injury using safe, simple, natural (and Pharma free) tools known as somatics exercise. Where the brain changes the neuromuscular system back to comfort so you can confidently do what you want with your body.