Do You Have Somatic Presence?

My brain had nothing to do with that experience.

As much as I love my brain—and trust me, I use it all the time—it was humbling to discover a different kind of intelligence operating within me. That day gave me a profound appreciation for the wisdom of the heart and for how powerfully it can guide us.

We often give lip service to the heart chakra. We talk about it in yoga classes, workshops, and spiritual circles. But ever since that day, when I ask students to bring their awareness to their hearts at the end of class, I do so with a genuine reverence. I know the heart is a compass of sorts. It possesses an intelligence that our analytical minds cannot fully comprehend.

And yet, it knows.

It knows what nourishes us.

It knows what drains us.

It knows who feels safe.

It knows what path is aligned.

The challenge is that most of us have become disconnected from that guidance system.

We live from the neck up. We analyze, strategize, plan, and problem-solve. Meanwhile, the extraordinary intelligence of the body sits quietly in the background waiting to be acknowledged. This is what I call somatic presence.

Amma had it.

Not because she read about it in a book. Not because she took a certification course. She embodied it. Her presence was so coherent, so integrated, so alive that my body recognized it before my mind could make sense of it.

This, to me, is the true power of a somatic practice.

Yes, somatics can help relieve pain, reduce tension, restore mobility, regulate the nervous system, and heal old patterns. Those benefits are incredible. But I believe the deepest gift of somatic practice is something even greater.

It awakens our ability to listen.

To listen to the intelligence of the body.

To listen to the wisdom of the belly.

To listen to the guidance of the heart.

To become so attuned to ourselves that we can feel truth before we think it.

Most people never fully develop this capacity because we spend so much of our lives dissociated from our bodies. We override sensations, ignore intuition, suppress emotions, and live in constant mental activity. As a result, this extraordinary potential remains dormant.

But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

The more we cultivate somatic awareness, the more we access this deeper intelligence. Over time, the body becomes less of a vehicle we drag around and more of a trusted guide.

And perhaps that’s the real superpower.

The one Amma had.

The one that’s already within each of us, waiting to be remembered.

If this resonates with you — if some part of you recognizes that there’s more available in your body than you’ve been taught to access — YogaFit’s Somatosensory trainings are a powerful next step. These programs are designed to help you develop exactly this: the capacity to listen deeply, move with intelligence, and embody the kind of presence that transforms not just your practice, but how you show up in the world.

Explore YogaFit Somatosensory Training →

Shaye Molendyke is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Air Force, a Certified IAYT Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), and an E-RYT 500. As Director of YogaFit’s Warriors and WarriorKids Programs, she brings a rare combination of military discipline, somatic intelligence, and heart-centered teaching to her work. Shaye is passionate about helping veterans, first responders, and everyday practitioners reconnect with the wisdom of the body — and discover the transformative power of somatic presence.