Anyone who has ever done a HIIT class walks in with certain expectations: loud music, burpees and muscles that will hurt after a while.
What people don’t anticipate is being encouraged to make as much noise as they can while doing sets of squats or being told that it’s okay to cry. But these are just a few of the things one can be invited to try during a somatic exercise class, in which each exercise is designed to help you look within and release any emotions. (And yes, your thighs will still burn afterwards.)
Never heard of somatic movement? According to some of Australia’s most popular fitness influencers and entrepreneurs, you’ll start seeing it everywhere.
What is somatic movement?
“Broadly speaking, movement is movement that brings your attention and awareness to the inner landscape,” says Imogen Syst, physiotherapist and head trainer at KICStudio, the first brick-and-mortar location of Australian wellness brand KIC.
To explain the difference between internal and external outcomes in exercise, Sist uses running as an example. “Running can be very external, if you’re just looking at your speed or distance,” she says. “Or if we think of running as a somatic experience, we ask how it feels when we run, what sensations come up in our body, physical and emotional.”
By this definition, Syst says that all exercise can involve somatic movement.
Actions such as rubbing your temples during moments of rest, noticing your facial tension and asking yourself how you feel during normal exercise movements, such as star jumps and leg pulses, are what Sisth believes make her classes unique.
“In a typical Pilates class, you might isolate and think, ‘And just get over it’, but this one [somatic exercise] Focus on how you feel when you make each movement,” he says.
How does this differ from somatic therapy?
The term “somatic” comes from the ancient Greek word soma, which roughly translates to “the living body and its entirety,” says Jennifer Lalor, a Byron Bay-based psychotherapist, EMDR specialist and somatic therapist.
According to Lalor, somatic therapy differs from traditional talk therapy because it takes a mind-body approach to healing.
“Whether it’s somatic practice or somatic therapy, we’re trying to bring people’s attention to the life of their body in a way that’s self-healing and self-education,” says Lalor, citing a theoretical example of someone who’s been in a car accident and is now traumatized in their mind but in their body.
While somatic therapy is often associated with trauma recovery, in which the mind-body approach can be specifically treated, Lalor says it can also be very effective for high-functioning people, such as executives and athletes who need to mentally and physically express themselves in high-stress environments.
And although somatic movement is not to be confused with somatic therapy, Sist says elements of mental health practice are infused into the classes she and other trainers lead. “We learn from these kinds of actions.”
The next big fitness trend
Few exercise classes are as popular as the class, a “music-driven somatic exercise method” that combines bodyweight movements with cardiovascular training, founded in 2011 by Taryn Toomey in New York.
In a 2020 interview with Tommy goopGwyneth Paltrow referred to the workout as “very exciting and very unique,” admitting that she felt embarrassed the first time she did it, making so much noise. Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Alicia Keys are also fans.
While not the first studio to offer somatic movement classes in Australia, the opening of KICStudio in Melbourne’s Cremorne on April 18 marks the trend’s move into the mainstream.
KIC co-founders Steph Clare Smith and Laura Henshaw are known for their holistic and inclusive approach to fitness, and this ethos will be reflected in the studio’s offering of four class types – all centered around somatic movement – including HIIT, strength, yoga and breathing.
According to Henshaw, the opening is the start of a national rollout program for KICStudio.
Try it yourself
For visitors to KICStudio, classes may include the use of sounds during exercises (loudness is encouraged in the studio, which is free of reflexes in removing self-conscious feelings), touching oneself, breathing and shaking – a movement likened to birds rearranging their feathers.
Once someone is familiar with the exercise, Sist says, it’s easy for people to incorporate this supplement into their regular exercise routine, whether it’s lifting weights at home or going for a walk.
“We’re always told as women that we’re too loud and take up too much space, so we wanted to create a space where people can come and take up as much space as they want, be as loud as they want,” Henshaw says. “To find a practice that enables you to unlock that in yourself is empowering.”
The author visited Melbourne as a guest of KIC.
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Gian Yanukovych is lifestyle editor at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connecting through x.From our colleagues
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