Side-Lying Somatics is a gentle technique that is comfortable for the client and the practitioner.
It involves gentle rocking and decompression movements, while eliciting client interaction using words and breath.
Advantages of side-lying work:
• Large body parts require far less effort to move.
• We can work more gently by using soft hands and whole body movement.
• Body parts can be compressed, torqued, isolated and lengthened simultaneously.
• More receptivity to somatic learning due to client comfort and safety.
• The client attends to bodily sensations rather than thoughts or sleep.
• We can recruit clients to become participants in their own sessions.
• The movements become more three-dimensional.
• The spine, sacrum, vertebrae and ribs can be moved more 3-dimensionally.
• The client grows in awareness through presence and internal anatomy.
• The client can interact directly with the practitioner’s touch.
• Clients can enjoy abdominal work because gravity helps their muscles relax.
• Clients feel physically more comfortable and emotionally less vulnerable.
• Many applications of positional release are possible, aided by gravity.
• The clients growth in somatic awareness produces life changes.