30/06/2025
🟢🔴 Red Light, Green Light: The Reflexes That Shape Us
Ever notice how your body physically responds to stress?
Thomas Hanna coined the term Somatics to describe the body as experienced from within. He identified two reflexes many of us live inside, often without realising:
🔴 Red Light Reflex – withdrawal mode.
Overwhelmed, criticised, afraid. The body contracts inward:
• chest collapses
• breath shortens
• shoulders hunch
🟢 Green Light Reflex – doing mode.
Driven, busy, always “on.” The body pushes forward:
• spine arches
• back tightens
• head leads
🌀 Most of us are toggling between the two. Over time, these patterns shape how we move, feel, & relate to the world.
❓What if you paused & asked:
Which one feels more familiar?
When does it show up?
How long have I been holding this?
These aren’t just postures.
They’re stories your body’s been telling for years.
And awareness is the first chapter in changing them.
Curious to know more?
Follow along, I’ll be sharing ways to work with these reflexes through simple, somatic practices.
Or if something sparks, join me in person or online to explore it together.
