7 Somatic Therapy Exercises to Use Between Sessions and Enhance Your Therapy Experience

We love to facilitate deep, important, and lasting change with our clients.  To do so requires skilled and experienced therapists, committed clients, and an openness to engage in the process of taking a deep therapeutic dive. When you’re working through the past, especially with somatic-based approaches, it can be empowering to have techniques—and in this case, somatic therapy exercises—that help you during the process. This can help to release the stress, anxiety, or trauma held in your body, or de-escalating as necessary.  

Somatic therapy focuses on and deeply acknowledges the body-mind connection and believes that our emotions, traumas, and experiences are stored throughout our bodies. While therapy sessions can be transformative, using somatic therapy exercises between sessions can amplify the benefits of the material being worked on in session. These exercises can also help between sessions, bringing awareness to your body, relieving stress, and making it easier to access and process emotions both in and out of session. 

Let’s take a look at a few somatic therapy exercises you can use and practice at home. 

7 Somatic Therapy Exercises to Try at Home 

1. Grounding: Reconnect with Your Present Reality

Purpose: Grounding exercises help anchor you in the present, reconnecting you to your physical environment. This can be especially helpful if you’re prone to dissociation, intrusive memories, or feel overwhelmed by emotions. By utilizing mindfulness, grounding can be a way to bring yourself back into your body and your immediate surroundings. 

How to Practice Grounding: 

1. Name five (5) things you can see. 
2. Notice four (4) things you can feel. 
3. Identify three (3) things you can hear. 
4. Find two (2) things you can smell. 
5. Note one (1) thing you can taste. 

This straight-forward exercise brings your awareness into the present moment by tuning in to your five senses, which can be helpful during high-stress times between therapy sessions. Practicing grounding can make therapy more effective by giving you a tool to de-escalate your nervous system when discussing challenging topics or processing difficult emotions. 

2. Body Scanning: Tune into Your Body’s Needs

Purpose: Body scanning is a mindfulness exercise that helps you notice where you’re holding tension or discomfort in your body. Our bodies carry the weight of our experiences, sometimes resulting in tight shoulders, a clenched jaw, or an upset stomach. This somatic therapy exercise helps you become aware of the wisdom your body possesses in the present moment as well as gives an opportunity to release any stored tension or energy. 

How to Practice a Body Scan: 

1. Find a comfortable position, either lying down or sitting, with your feet on the floor. 
2. Start with focused attention at the top of your head and slowly move down, noticing any sensations along the way. 
3. As you reach each part of your body (head, neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, legs, feet), pause for at least a few seconds and ask yourself what that area needs. 
4. Don’t rush—move slowly and simply notice, without judgment. 

If you notice tension, you might try breathing into that spot or visualizing positive healing energy entering that spot. Body scanning teaches you to recognize and validate the sensations in your body, which is essential when processing emotions in therapy. By regularly practicing this somatic therapy exercise between sessions, you’ll be more in tune with your body’s reactions in therapy. 

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3. Shake It Out: Release Built-Up Stress

Purpose: Shaking it out is an excellent technique for letting go of built-up stress or energy. Inspired by how animals “shake off” stress after a threat, this exercise lets you literally shake off tension and trauma stored in your muscles. Let’s use the wisdom of the animal kingdom to help reset your nervous system. 

How to Practice Shaking it Out: 

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. 
2. Start by shaking out your hands, then move to your arms, shoulders, torso, and eventually your whole body. 
3. Shake for 1-3 minutes, allowing yourself to be loose and uncoordinated—there’s no right or wrong way to shake! 
4. When you feel ready, stop, stand still, and notice any sensations in your body. 

Shaking it out is an easy and convenient way to relieve physical tension. You can carve a few minutes out of your day to utilize this whether it’s in your living room, an elevator, or a secluded space at work. Incorporating shaking exercises into your therapy journey may also help you enter a session feeling more relaxed and open. 

4. Deep Breathing 

Purpose: Deep breathing is often recommended for stress relief, but there’s a somatic adaptation in this technique that focuses on activating your Vagus nerve, which helps regulate your nervous system and promote relaxation. This breathing technique is especially effective in down-regulating stress responses and enhancing your sense of safety. 

How to Practice Vagus Nerve Breathing: 

1. Sit or lie down comfortably. 
2. Take a deep breath in through your nose for a count of four, filling your belly and then your chest. 
3. Hold for a count of four. 
4. Exhale slowly through your mouth, extending the exhale for a count of six to eight, as if you’re blowing through a straw. 
5. After exhaling, gently hum or sigh for a few seconds before taking your next breath. The hum stimulates your Vagus nerve, increasing the relaxation response. 

Try this breathing exercise before and after your therapy sessions to create a calmer baseline, or really use it anytime as a nice way to get a quick reset to your nervous system. Over time, deep, slow breathing and Vagus nerve activation can help you respond to challenging moments with less reactivity. 

5. Self-Holding/Hug

Purpose: Sometimes, what we really need is a gesture of care from ourselves. Self-holding is a form of physical reassurance, a way to comfort your body and mind in moments of stress, grief, or anxiety. This simple exercise can make a big difference, especially if you’re working on themes of self-worth, self-compassion, or trauma recovery in therapy. 

How to Practice Self-Holding: 

1. Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. 
2. Wrap your arms around yourself in a comforting embrace, or place one hand over your heart and the other on your belly. 
3. Take a few deep breaths and feel the warmth of your hands on your body. 
4. Say a gentle affirmation, like “I am safe” or “I am here for myself.” 

Self-holding can help you stay grounded during intense emotions, offering the support of a self-soothing touch. Practicing this between sessions can encourage a sense of safety, even when difficult memories arise. Bringing this self-compassionate practice into therapy may also open new doors to self-acceptance and gentleness in your healing work. 

6. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Release Stress with Intentional Tension and Release

Purpose: Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is an exercise where you tense and then release muscle groups in your body. This practice helps you become aware of how your body holds onto tension and provides a clear way to release it.  You can conceptualize it as pulling a rubber band to a nice distance and then releasing it and you get a rebound to a fully relaxed state. 

How to Practice PMR: 

1. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. 
2. Starting at your feet, tense the muscles in each area of your body for five seconds, then release. Work your way up—calves, thighs, stomach, shoulders, arms, hands, and even your face.  For areas like the jaw, neck, and calves, be careful to not overdo the tension as they are sensitive areas. 
3. As you release the tension in each area, imagine that part of your body relaxing more deeply. 

PMR helps you recognize the difference between tension and relaxation, as well as become more attuned to your body. Practicing PMR between sessions can lower your overall stress level, helping you access and work through emotions in and out of session with a more relaxed body. 

7. Visualization: Tap into Calm Through Your Imagination

Purpose: Visualization uses your mind’s power to transport you to a place of calm. Whether it’s a beach, a forest, or simply a quiet space, imagining yourself in a relaxing environment can significantly decrease stress. This exercise is particularly useful if you have a hard time relaxing or feel overly stressed before a session. 

How to Practice Visualization: 

1. Find a quiet place where you can sit or lie down. 
2. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. 
3. Picture a calming place in your mind’s eye. Imagine the colors, sounds, smells, and feelings of being there. 
4. Spend a few minutes visualizing every detail, allowing yourself to feel safe and relaxed in this place. 
5. Notice how your body feels as you’re in these places of relaxation and comfort.  Notice any tension that you have and breathe in to it to release the tension slowly. 

Visualization is a tool you can return to whenever you need a break from overwhelming emotions. Using it regularly between sessions may also help create a habit of grounding yourself in your therapy work, making it easier to tap into calm when difficult topics come up. 

Take an Active Role in Your Healing with Somatic Therapy Exercises 

Therapy—somatic or not—can be transformative, but it’s often not a quick fix. Healing is a journey that takes time, patience, and tools to manage along the way. Hopefully you can use some of the Somatic Therapy exercises above to help your therapy process, as well as to get to or maintain a better sense of balance in your nervous system.   

Consider incorporating these Somatic Therapy exercises into your weekly routine. They’re simple, require little to no equipment, and, best of all, give you a way to take an active role in your healing.