The traditional way of approaching classes changes when the teacher engages students to feel their own body and experience all the sensations that are triggered in the body to a stimulus change.

Somatic education offers the option to become more competent in managing our feelings and movements, recognizing that we are not only users of a mechanical body that can be treated from outside, but also our body is alive, it’s our soma, the body is perceived inside.

Therefore, if we treat physical and emotional issues, we would need to improve our whole being, acknowledging ourselves complete, alive and moving person. (1).

Fig. 1

Ordinary furniture for student work, such as chairs, desks, table or bench, is found in most classrooms of all higher education schools.

Presumably, in many cases, left-handed students use desk chairs designed for right handed -even in schools specializing in rehabilitation and physical therapy- which make them to be uncomfortable and affect their posture in a negative way.

This causes in the student, loss of interest, boredom, and bad grades.

Fig. 2

By changing furniture and/or posture for a few minutes a response that involves the central nervous system is unleashed in the student, when reaching his sensations, they experience something new that they are not used to and produces discomfort, irritation, pain or pleasure.

According to Dr. Ninoska Gomez somatic approaches aim to systematically explore our sensory world. (2).

Fig. 3

Changes in muscle tone, ease of movement and wellness feeling occur on the side we have

observed consciously during the exercise, even though both sides of the body participated equally to maintain balance -in this case, being seated in the balls where each student must sit respecting their seat height-.

This is achieved proprioceptively when keeping the column aligned, as the result of nerve tracts traveling in it to regulate the responses of the central nervous system (3).

Fig. 4

Within the BMC (Body Mind Centering®) approach, the implicit or explicit intentions of the movement reflect the mind-body interactions in which we engage with ourselves and with the physical and social environments. (2).

Because of these, students when marching in different textures, from the moment of the take off, start a new experience which transforms into multiple multi-sensory synapses, that arouse and transmit fear, loss of balance when facing irregular surfaces, pleasure and/or pain.

Fig. 5

UNICACH. Venustiano Carranza campus. Bachelor in Physiotherapy.

Realización. Idea original. Mtro. José Octavio Cruz López.

Dibujos. Roberto de Jesús Espinoza Ruiz.

Traducción al idioma ingles: Vicente benjamín López Villanueva.

References

1.- La educación somática. http://www.clubgynea.com/salud/Bienestar/la-educacion-somatica

Consulted 08/01/2015.

2.- Gómez, Ninoska and Bolster, Gurney (1988). Movement, Body and Awareness: Exploring Somatic Process. Department of Physical Education, University of Montreal.

3.- LA SABIDURÍA DEL CUERPO (recopilación de artículos de Moshe Feldenkrais). Editorial Sirio. Málaga España 2014. Pag 41-42.