If you like me are fascinated by somatics and particularly it’s relation with yoga, you are probably interested in also exploring ways to deepen your understanding of your body and its remarkable capacity for transformational change. In engaging in these explorations it can be tempting to apply mechanical models, which work well for (inorganic) machines, to the understanding of organic living systems – like your human body. However, this approach often misses the mark when it comes to the dynamic, evolving nature of living active organic wholes – such as in your own soma (body).
Here we’ll explore why mechanical models fall short in enhancing somatic understanding and how embracing the organic nature of your own soma and your own somatic learning can alter the focus and experiences available to you.
Mechanical Models and Inorganic Systems
Mechanical models are excellent for understanding non-living systems—think of engines or clockwork mechanisms. These systems operate within a fixed range of possibilities, governed by rigid laws of physics. In such contexts, ‘correctness’ is about ensuring every part functions according to precise specifications. If something isn’t working right, it’s generally possible to diagnose the issue and fix it to restore optimal performance. It has a fixed range of possibilities. This approach works well for machines because they are designed to function within set parameters. Their predictability and stability make them ideal candidates for mechanical models, where everything is about achieving a specific standard.
The Fluidity of Organic Systems
When it comes to your body and the many other organic systems, it’s a completely different story. Unlike machines, organic systems are characterised by their fluidity and adaptability. As we’ve stated many times before – in previous blog posts – bodies are not fixed entities but rather they are dynamic, evolving processes hence our use of the word ‘Soma’ to make this distinction. Our Somas are constantly changing, and our responses to internal and external stimuli are also in a state of flux. We seem solid and constant but everything is in a kind of dance of motion – liquids are constantly flowing around your physical being – blood, saliva, cerebro-spinal fluid, etc, bio-electric signals are being transmitted through your neurology, breath is continually entering and leaving your body. These are the areas where somatics come into play.
Somatic approaches, like those found in some of the available yogas out there, actively embrace this concept of organic fluidity.
In Somatics, rather than striving for a fixed ideal, instead somatic learning activities focuses on enhancing awareness, adaptability, and overall well-being. It’s about understanding and working with the soma’s natural tendency to evolve and adapt, as distinguished from imposing rigid standards of behaviours.
Why ‘Correction’ and ‘Correctness’ Don’t Fit
As such, applying mechanical concepts of ‘correction’ and ‘correctness’ to a living body can also be counterproductive to somatic learning. In a mechanical system, ‘correction’ means making adjustments to meet a fixed standard. In our organic, evolving bodies, this notion doesn’t fit. We are not striving for a static idealised state but rather engaging in an ongoing process of growth, adaptation and further growth into greater states of being.
For example, in yoga and somatic practices, we don’t particularly focus on perfecting a pose. Instead, we explore how to use poses to assist us to become aware of emerging nuances in our sensory awarenesses, observing somatic responses, and gently adjusting our behaviours guiding ourselves towards experiences of greater ease, elegance and flow. The goal isn’t to correct a posture to fit a predefined ideal but to foster a deeper connection within and throughout our evolving being. Asanas become sandpits in which we can play and explore our developing somatic potentials.
Embracing the Organic Nature of Somatic Development
To truly support somatic learning and development, we need to move beyond mechanical models and embrace the organic nature of our bodies. This means recognising that growth isn’t about achieving a fixed state of correctness but about evolving through continuous learning and adaptation – an ongoing pattern of development. By honouring the dynamic and ever-changing nature of our bodies, we then discover we can better facilitate personal and collective growth as we become representatives of personal and collective evolution in action.
In conclusion, while mechanical models and concepts of ‘correction’ work well for non-living systems, they don’t really fit when applied to the living, evolving nature of our bodies. By embracing the fluidity and adaptability inherent in somatic practices, especially in the context of yoga and other body-centered and somatic approaches, we can enhance our understanding and support our growth in a way that truly honours our authentic organic nature.
If you’d like to read how we are applying this in our approach to breathing read our post on Breath Flexibility
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