Question
Everything I have read about Somatics leads me to believe it is exactly what I need to correct my situation.  Unfortunately, when I do lesson 1 and 2 from Thomas Hanna's Somatics book,  my foot starts to go numb.  I believe I developed my strange posture from lifting weights incorrectly.  In the middle of my thoracic spine in between my scapulae' my spine curves anteriorly.  I have forward head and my shoulders are rounded.  I also have increased lordosis in my lumbar spine.  As a result of this posture I developed a buldging disc L5-S1.  I had a microdiscectomy.  But it didn't resolve my problems.  I was approved for a prosthetic disc sugery but felt without correcting my posture more problems would occur.  I feel as if the anterior curve between my scapulae is the source of all my problems.  Do you have any suggestions?  Thanks

Answer

Star Somatics  

Hanna Somatic Educatio   Hi, Tim,

As you may guess, your foot goes numb from nerve compression at the spine, probably at L2/S1.

Do only Cat Stretch lesson 1 until you cease to get improvements of control and movement; then proceed to lesson 2 and do only lesson 2.

You may have tight "deep spinal" extensors.

Please add the movements shown at the following links to lesson 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ePmqUs6Jk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP0juLG_cNg

If you have tight hamstrings, you'll need to do the somatic exercise for tight hamstrings:
http://somatics.com/video_pages/hamstrings_video.htm

Once you have done lesson 2 to completion, do this movement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AvtHXqvJHY

You may get The Cat Stretch Program in audio form here:
http://somatics.com/page7-cat_audio.htm