7 July 2026 · 5 min read
Somatic bodywork: why your nervous system holds the tension
Some tension does not respond to pressure alone. It comes back within days because the pattern holding it is not muscular — it is a nervous system that has not had a reason to stand down.
What somatic bodywork is
In my practice somatic bodywork blends guided breathwork with trigger point release. The breath sets the pace and the state; the hands work the specific points where the pattern lives.
Regulation before release
A body in a defensive state will protect the very tissue you are trying to open. Slowing the breath and lengthening the exhale shifts that state, and the same trigger point that felt immovable ten minutes ago starts to soften.
Emotion is part of it
It is common for feeling to surface — a wave of grief, a sudden urge to laugh, shaking through the legs. Nothing has gone wrong. You are not required to talk about it, and the session moves at your pace throughout.
Who it suits
People stuck in high alert, poor sleep, chronic tension that keeps returning, or anyone wanting to work with the body and mind together rather than separately. It pairs well with talk therapy and is not a substitute for it.
Want this worked on?
Studio sessions in Melrose Estate and mobile across Johannesburg.
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