What Is Soma? The Body's Living Story

When most of us think about the body, we picture anatomy: bones, muscles, organs, blood vessels. But there’s another way to understand the body — not just as a structure, but as a living, feeling, sensing experience.

That’s what the word soma points to. It comes from the Greek for “the living body,” but in modern use, soma means the body as it is felt from the inside.

This isn’t a new-age idea. It’s something you’ve already experienced. Think of the last time:

• Your stomach dropped before a difficult conversation.

• Your chest tightened when you felt rejected.

• The smell of cookies instantly transported you back to childhood.

  
  

That’s soma in action — your lived body, carrying sensations, emotions, and memories that shape how you move through the world.

In this post, we’ll dive deeper into what soma is, how science helps us understand it, and why reconnecting with soma is so powerful for healing and growth.

Soma: The Body You Feel, Not Just the Body You See

The traditional medical view often focuses on the body from the outside in — parts to be measured, fixed, or treated. Soma shifts the perspective to the inside out. It asks: What does it feel like to be in this body, right now?

This perspective matters because so much of what we carry — stress, joy, pain, resilience — lives in sensation. Soma is where your biology and biography meet. Every moment you’ve lived leaves an imprint not just in your brain, but in your body.

How Experiences Get Stored in the Body

Science is catching up with what somatic traditions have taught for centuries: the body holds memory. But how does that happen?

1. The Nervous System: Your Body’s Messenger

Your nervous system constantly scans for cues of safety and danger. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory explains how the vagus nerve connects brain, heart, and gut, shaping your state of calm, alertness, or shutdown (Porges, 2011).

• If you felt unsafe as a child, your body may still carry the imprint — like a reflexive tightening in the stomach when someone raises their voice.

• If you often felt safe and supported, your system may default to easier regulation under stress.

In both cases, the nervous system is telling a story that the soma remembers.

2. Fascia: The Body’s Connective Web

Fascia is a web of connective tissue that wraps every muscle, bone, and organ. It’s not just structural — it’s sensory, loaded with receptors that detect pressure, stretch, and even emotional state (Schleip et al., 2012).

Because fascia is continuous throughout the body, tension in one place can ripple elsewhere. That’s why an old ankle injury might later show up as hip or back pain. Fascia carries a kind of “tensional memory” — a record of how your body has adapted over time.

3. Memory Beyond the Brain

Trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk famously wrote that “the body keeps the score” (2014). Memory is not just stored in the brain’s hippocampus or cortex — it’s distributed.

That’s why a smell, a song, or even a posture can trigger a vivid emotional flashback. The memory is not just a story; it’s an embodied state.

Why Soma Feels Like “Magic”

If this all sounds scientific, it also explains something that feels magical:

• A simple breath practice calms racing thoughts.

• Paying attention to tension in your neck suddenly brings up a forgotten memory.

• Noticing your heartbeat helps you feel more grounded.

These aren’t coincidences. They’re the natural result of the soma — body, nervous system, and brain — working together. What feels like magic is really your body’s natural capacity for self-awareness and self-healing, reactivated.

Practical Examples of Soma in Daily Life

• Public speaking: Your brain knows it’s not life-threatening, but your body reacts as if it were — sweaty palms, tight throat, racing heart.

• Driving past a place where you had an accident: Even years later, your body may tense up before your mind remembers why.

• A hug from a loved one: Heart rate slows, muscles soften, breath deepens.

These examples show how soma bridges physical sensation, emotional meaning, and lived memory.

Why Listening to Soma Matters for Healing

When we ignore soma, we miss the early signals of stress and overwhelm. We may only notice when they snowball into chronic pain, anxiety, or burnout. But when we tune in, we can:

• Recognize patterns (like always holding the breath during conflict).

• Release unnecessary tension.

• Reframe how we relate to past experiences.

• Build resilience by teaching the nervous system new ways to respond.

This doesn’t erase difficulty. But it changes how the body holds it, making space for more calm and choice in the present.

A Gentle Practice: Soma Check-In

Here’s a simple way to start exploring your soma:

1. Pause for a moment. Sit comfortably and let your eyes close.

2. Scan your body. Start at your head, move slowly down to your feet. Notice sensations without judgment — warmth, coolness, tightness, emptiness.

3. Get curious. Ask yourself: Where is my body asking for attention right now?

4. Write it down. Jot a few notes in a journal. Over time, patterns may emerge.

This isn’t about analyzing or fixing. It’s about listening — giving soma a chance to speak.

The Bigger Picture

Reconnecting with soma doesn’t mean living in constant awareness of every sensation. It means cultivating a relationship with your body that’s based on curiosity and respect.

By understanding the science of soma, we see that healing isn’t just in the head — it’s in the lived, felt experience of the body. By practicing soma awareness, we rediscover that the body isn’t just carrying our story; it can also help us rewrite it.

References

• Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

• Schleip, R., Findley, T. W., Chaitow, L., & Huijing, P. A. (2012). Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body. Churchill Livingstone.

• van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.