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"What is Soma? by Natalia Rachel

The body of life. Body consciousness. The wisdom of the body.
These are all simplified expressions of Soma.

In Greek, the word Soma evolved to mean ‘the body living in its wholeness.’ It is also a word biologists use to distinguish the whole living body from its chromosomes alone.

Expanding awareness of our wholeness
The last century has expanded upon Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to find a broader perspective; where ‘the human species is not the model of life, but one of its most specialized forms.’ When we were removed from the center of the scientific stage, we were able to view ourselves in a larger context — ‘a biological context out of which life arose’.

We discovered our existence through a kaleidoscope of fields including: genetics, biochemistry, biophysics, ethology, anthropology, neurophysiology, and more.

Our existence is more than a body. But it is through the body that life arose.

Life enters the world in the form of a body
The body of life that emerged on earth, that is our essence, is unlike any other and must not be confused with the simpler physical bodies in the world.

‘At first glance, life’s body looked like a physical body, but what was radically different was that it did not behave like a simple collection of atoms. It moved independently, it reproduced itself, it selectively engaged with its environment, it held together as a single system, and it did many, many other things…’

As such, we ascribe a new meaning to this life… SOMA.

Dimensions of existence
Soma exists beyond the 3D plane. It has height, depth, width, and time. It is a constant state of change, balancing, and renewal. This task is forever in process and forever incomplete… it is a variable constant.

We are unchanging in our change.

Soma is a process
If we think of our physical body, we find connotations of static, still, and finite. When we move beyond to think of Soma, we connect with the ideas of fluidity, change and adaptation, and self-regulation.

Soma does not exist as a thing. Soma is a process. We are in a constant state of process. Our cells will be replaced over and over and over again during our lifetime. It is the Soma itself that has ‘synthetic integrity and holds together through time.’

Systemic and Neurological
The neural system provides a central control that is responsible for the process that is SOMA. This function is obvious in humans and higher-order animals, but also in the simplest one-celled organisms. Looking from micro to macro illustrates that the function of the nervous system existed from the beginning and has mutated and adapted over time.

Our neural structure is constantly evolving and is the foundation of our wholeness.

A Self-guiding Process
‘The Soma appeared as a whirling, integrated process of atoms that behaved freely and independently from the rest of the world.’

Soma is strong in its identity. It is self-guiding, self-correcting, and moves based on its interests, needs, and wants. It is not a ‘what’ but a ‘how’.

Soma is a process.

Cellular and Connected
Our greater body of life is made of millions of tiny atoms. These atoms work together to form a greater whole. One atom is not in isolation from the next. They fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. It is with purpose and intent that they create a bigger picture. The formation of this bigger picture is no accident. It is nuanced and precise. Just like the intricacies of connecting jigsaw pieces, two atoms will ‘fit’ in very specific ways. A molecule only comes into existence when there is a perfect melding of electrons. This is called ‘bond’. It is through our microscopic bonding that we find our wholeness.

Our greater body is a collection of one-celled bodies. ‘It is a soma made up of somas’

Preserving Order
Soma seeks to preserve order by constantly self-adjusting…. By finding a new normal both within itself and within its external environment.

There is little entropy and randomness in Soma. There is an all-knowing ability to adapt.

‘Life’s response to the law of entropy is to organize a collection of atoms so that the presumed loss of free energy does not occur.’

Soma is responsive and wise.

Complexity creates efficiency
It is through the collection and collaboration of atoms, that efficiency and purpose are achieved.

Many hands make light work.

Many atoms working together make the dance of life more graceful. The more complex, the more efficient the biological system.

We are ever subtler and intricate in our process as we continue to evolve.

Considering Soma in current life
While the exploration of Soma may seem esoteric, it is relevant to our health and wellbeing at every moment. When disorder or disharmony arises within us, there is somatic dysregulation. Something has caused a miscommunication of our atoms — a chink in the chain of our natural order. This may stem from the internal or the external and manifestations may be vast and varied. When we re-establish communication and cohesion through Soma, we tap into our innate, self-directing, and self-adjusting nature. We come to homeostasis.

Layered Health developments
Somatic therapists subscribe to the idea that our body is in constant process, each cell is connected and in a broader and more accessible sense, each ‘layer’ of the body and mind are connected and continuously affect each other. When we present with dysregulation or symptoms, we look not just to the manifestation, but the whole person to find access points for re-establishing homeostasis… our natural way of being."