Martha Peterson, CCSE – Advanced Integration of Somatic Movement & Pandiculation

Understanding the Sensory Motor Nervous System & the Science Behind Movement to Assess Your Baseline at the Start of This 12 Module Journey

As the course begins, you’ll assess yourself somatically from the inside out — to understand where you are now before your journey, and how the brain makes changes.

You’ll dive into the workings of the central nervous system (CNS), focusing on how the brain and body communicate through movement and sensation.

Using detailed graphics, Martha explores the basics of the sensorimotor system, highlighting how stress and trauma impact your movements. By examining the concepts of Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA) and stress reflexes, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how emotions affect these processes.

Through somatic assessments, you’ll introduce scanning techniques to better perceive your body’s tension patterns and start the journey toward restoring ease.

In this opening module, you’ll:

• Examine the key functions of the CNS and its role in movement and sensation
• Explore how emotions and trauma are linked to stress reflexes like Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA)
• Learn to connect your awareness of tension with holding corresponding emotions
• Gain tools to reset stress reflexes through somatic movement and pandiculation
• Assess your baseline at the beginning of this 12-part journey with exercises like squatting and crawling, “Arch & Flatten,” and a “Standing, Walking, and Lying” soma scan
• Begin journaling every day so you can witness your own progress and process

Move Your Limbs Freely & Access Your True Power With the Principle of “Center to Periphery”

You’ll focus on the vital somatic movement principle of “Center to Periphery” and how tension accumulating in the center of your body disrupts your ability to move your limbs freely

By reconnecting the core muscles to the arms, legs, neck, and head, you’ll explore how all movement originates from your somatic center.

Martha explains how the movement of your shoulders is connected all the way down to your pelvis, and the movement of your legs is connected up into our spine. True power comes from connection to your somatic center.

You’ll explore gentle movements that will highlight the connection between your shoulders/arms, neck, head, and legs with your somatic center.

In this module, you’ll:

• Discover how freeing the core muscles improves overall body mobility
• Align your shoulders, hips, and spine for more fluid movement
• Release tension in the psoas (the muscle that attaches leg to spine) during a guided “Center to Periphery” movement
• Explore your center to periphery and back again as you coordinate your limbs and ease neck pain during a guided “Flower” movement

Self-Regulate Your Pandiculation to Release Tension & Calm Your Nervous System With Less Effort

Martha explores the concept of self-regulating your pandiculation — adjusting your effort during movement by turning up the tension, then slowly dialing it back down.

This process is essential for understanding the level of tension you hold in your body and key to improving awareness of your body’s tension and effort levels — helping you calm your nervous system.

You’ll practice this through a series of somatic movements that release tension from various parts of the body.

In this module, you’ll:

• Master the ability to sense and regulate the level of tension you are holding in different areas of your body
• Balance effort in movement during a guided effort regulation exercise
• Learn how to start small and build bigger during a “Hip Lift and Reach” movement
• Play with levels of tension during a back lift exercise
• Learn how pandiculation helps reset habitual patterns of holding and tension
• Gain insights into how self-regulation improves nervous system health
• Integrate this skill into daily somatic practices for enhanced body awareness

Practice Techniques for Increasing Diaphragm Function & Restoring Full, Easy Breathing

Breathing is a full-body experience that requires your rib cage to move subtly. As Martha explains, when your rib cage is locked down due to stress and trauma, your breathing suffers.

This module helps you pandiculate your own rib cage to release tension in the muscles between your ribs for more efficient functioning of the diaphragm.

Through gentle pandiculation exercises, you’ll explore how to unlock the rib cage for improved breathing, allowing the breath to flow more freely throughout your body.

In this module, you’ll:

• Examine the connection between trauma and restricted breathing
• Restore ease in breathing during a pandiculation sequence to release the rib cage
• Learn techniques to increase diaphragm function and lung capacity
• Explore how releasing tension in the rib cage improves overall body relaxation
• Incorporate these breathing exercises into your daily life to reduce stress and promote calm
• Roll the rib cage and extend the arms during a “Pectoral Clock” movement

Release Trauma Reflex Muscles With Twist Patterns to Restore Balance & Symmetry in Your Life

Accidents, injuries, one-sided repetitive activities and sports, and naturally favoring one side of the body can all lead to imbalances in walking, twisting, and even thinking.

This module guides you to release all the major muscle groups involved in the trauma reflex, so you can restore balance and symmetry to everyday life.

You’ll focus on identifying the trauma reflex patterns that affect the muscles responsible for twisting and balance…

… and improve your ability to rotate the spine, safely and comfortably, by nourishing the discs between the vertebrae to lessen back pain.

In this module, you’ll:

• Identify twist patterns that result from trauma or repetitive activities
• Practice the “Steeple Twist,” a key movement for restoring balance and symmetry in your body, helping you regain stability in walking, twisting, and overall movement
• Release the back on one side during a new movement, the “Boomerang”
• Explore the effects of twist patterns on the nervous system and body alignment
• Experience greater symmetry in walking and everyday movements

Restore Your Ability to Walk With Ease, Safety & Comfort With Gentle Somatic Movements

Walking is the most complicated of all human movement patterns, yet the most important one for us to maintain throughout our lives. Walking is what human somas are designed to do!

You’ll explore the relationship between the shoulder girdle and the hips in the walking process. Through gentle somatic movements, you’ll learn how to restore ease in walking by reestablishing balance and coordination in your upper and lower body.

In this module, you’ll:

• Improve your gait with a shoulder and hip circle practice
• Examine the complexity of walking and its connection to the whole body
• Engage in a guided walking movement practice to restore ease as you walk
• Learn how shoulder, spine, and hip alignment affect walking efficiency
• Explore how to enhance coordination levels in your everyday movements

Integrate Seated & Floor-Based Somatic Movements Into Your Workday for Greater Ease in Your Body & Mind

Recorded from the original live course, Martha leads a discussion about how to modify the movements you’ve already learned so you can practice them anytime and anywhere.

In this recorded interactive session, you’ll hear original live participants ask questions and share experiences about the movements they most needed to practice during their workday to create more ease in their body.

You’ll discover the unique benefits of seated versus floor-based movements and how they can support your wellbeing during a busy workday. You’ll hear Martha encourage contributions from the original live course participants, ensuring a personalized approach to targeting specific areas of tension.

In this module, you’ll:

• Explore specific movements for areas of your body that need attention
• Experience seated somatic exercises that create ease in your posture
• Practice seated movements that alleviate tension while sitting at your desk

Unlock Full-Body Flexibility & Nourish Your Spine With Somatic Twist Techniques

Did you know that your ability to fully extend your arms and legs depends on your ability to relax and soften the muscles of your core?

By softening and relaxing your core muscles, you’ll experience how flexibility in your limbs and ease of movement come from releasing tension in the center of your body.

This module will help you focus on gentle, safe spinal rotations using the “Human X” and “Propeller” techniques. These rotations help nourish the spine and restore balance to your movements.

In this module, you’ll:

• Experience how core relaxation enhances limb mobility
• Learn gentle spinal rotation techniques for safe, supported movement
• Understand how spinal health impacts overall body flexibility
• Explore the “Human X” and “Propeller” somatic movements for enhanced connection to your core, and comfortable rotation from fingertips to toes
• Practice gentle spinal rotations to improve full-body movement

Release Tension in Your Neck, Shoulders & Upper Torso for More Fluid Movement Throughout Your Body

Martha explains how we have an abundance of sensory pathways that process information through our senses — most of which are in our eyes.

You’ll address the connection between sensory pathways and physical tension, focusing on releasing neck and shoulder tension for more effective movement throughout the body.

Martha teaches to use eye movements, along with neck and shoulder exercises to create freedom in your torso — and ultimately ease upper body tension and restore full-body integration.

She also explains the importance of relaxing the upper body for whole-body ease.

In this module, you’ll:

• Use the technique of differentiation to disrupt certain pathways in your brain, creating more efficient movement in your body
• Combine eye movements with differentiation to release tension in the neck and shoulders
• Experience the gentle movement of the shoulder blades and rib cage for improved connection to the hips, legs, and feet
• Practice somatic movements that promote neck and shoulder relaxation and coordination
• Improve your full-body twist movement from a seated position using differentiation
• Add the “Pulling Rope” movement to your somatic toolbox for integration and freedom in the neck and shoulders

Create a Flow to Address Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA) With Simple Movements

You’ll experience how the movements you’ve learned can make up a powerful, logical practice that flows seamlessly.

This module guides you through an hour-long practice of somatic movements that will connect your movement front to back, side to side, and head to toe.

By addressing Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA) — when the body forgets natural movement patterns — you’ll learn simple yet powerful somatic practices that create balanced and integrated movement. The session concludes with standing somatic movements you can incorporate into your day anytime, anywhere.

In this module, you’ll:

• Practice standing movements, including reaching to the top shelf and reaching across the midline while standing to revisit cross-patterning
• Refine and revise your practice through a deeper somatic flow to discover more about what other SMA you have
• Address all three somatic reflexes, in all three dimensions
• Explore standing somatic exercises for daily use
• Restore natural patterns with a head-to-toe somatic movement flow that integrates movement and relieves tension

Connect Your Feet to Your Core to Feel Grounded, Balanced & Coordinated

You’ll explore the important connection of your feet, lower legs, and pelvis to the center of the body, and their role in grounding and balance.

Discover how strengthening this connection can improve your coordination, stability, and overall movement efficiency — and how you can self-correct and reset anytime you’d like, just by looking at your feet.

In this module, you’ll:

• Practice invert, evert — connecting your feet to the center of your body for more groundedness
• Examine how movement of the feet impacts movement of your core (and vice versa) — and supports overall movement
• Learn how foot and leg engagement improves balance and coordination
• Explore techniques to enhance grounding and stability in your movements
• Improve balance and body awareness and strengthen your connection to the earth with grounding techniques

Customize Your Daily Somatic Movement Practice for Long-Term Wellbeing & Growth

As this journey comes to a close, you’ll discuss best-practices for building a daily somatic movement practice — and create a somatic practice that works for you, depending on what’s going on in your life.

You’ll explore how to vary your routine based on your specific needs, keeping it simple, yet effective for long-term wellbeing.

Martha provides practical guidance on developing a consistent practice that evolves with you over time.

In this final module, you’ll:

• Learn how to design a somatic movement practice that fits your daily routine
• Understand the importance of consistency in creating long-term improvements
• Explore ways to adapt your practice to meet changing needs
• Keep your routine simple while addressing key areas of your body
• Develop customized daily routines that support ongoing health, wellbeing, and movement

Module 1: Begin to Reconnect to Yourself to Release Tension & Stress and Restore a Sense of Calm

Module 2: Learn About Hypervigilance, the Flight Response & How to Release Tension in Your Back Muscles

Module 3: Free Yourself From the Posture of Collapse & Freeze to Release Tension in the Center of Your Body & Breathe More Easily

Module 4: Release the Jaw & Eyes to Calm the Nervous System & Let Go of Deep Tension

Module 5: The Power of Differentiation & Reconnection to Improve Your Movement & Sensations

Module 6: Somatic Movements for Restful Sleep

Module 7: Find Your Balance to Find Your Groundedness & Joy

Bonus #1

Daily Somatic Awareness Practices
PDF Article From Martha Peterson, CCSE

Bonus #2

Seated Shoulder Releases
Video Practices From Martha Peterson, CCSE