Thomas Hanna discovered that by being engaged in attentive dialogue with the body-mind connection you can respond to sensations and consciously alter movement patterns and habits to become pain free and move more easily by resetting the nervous system. Hanna Somatics at its most basic is a way of teaching your muscles to relax and stay that way.

This is achieved using 'pandiculation': a full body yawn as opposed to stretching. You may instinctively pandiculate as you wake up in the morning; where you gently contract into the tightness, then slowly release out of it. Pandiculation enables you to reset your brain to muscle connection, just like updating the software on your computer.

The exercises are a safe and accessible way of working with injuries, tension, postural problems and pain. They are practised on the floor, very slowly and consciously to calm the nervous system and help to cultivate moment to moment awareness of your sensory experience.  In this way, you gain insight into the root causes of your tension and pain, which can be both physical and emotional/ psychological in nature.