Three new short videos were developed by Maria Kapsali, Ian Tennant and University of Leeds Liberal Arts students. The videos are available on Instagram:
- Releasing tension in neck, back and shoulders
- Movements that can be used at work or during a lecture to release pain and tension
- Partnered movement snack
About the Project
The project ran in academic year 2025-2026 and involved working with a small group of Liberal Arts students from the University of Leeds, towards exploring the intersections between somatic practice and chronic pain within student populations. With support from the network’s members, the students gained a practical understanding of somatic practices and connected them to their experiences of chronic pain.
The group’s exploration of somatics coincided with the Network’s participation in the Festival of Social Sciences in Autumn 2025. The group attended the Movement Snacks offered by the Network members and composed a set of blogs. The blogs captured their unique responses and offered an insight on how somatic practice is received within fast paced University life.
An understanding of student experience of somatic practices and chronic pain was developed further by a survey the group designed and circulated. Consisting of a set of open ended and Likert scale questions, the survey revealed unique insights on the value of somatics for a younger population as well as the ways in which chronic pain manifests and impacts the daily life of this age group. According to the survey results, core student tasks, such as walking to Uni and sitting for a prolonged period, as well as quality of sleep, are impacted by chronic pain, often caused by sports injury and/or lack of adequate care.
In response to the results, the group secured funding from the Student Ideas Fund at the University of Leeds towards developing a set of bespoke resources for their colleagues. These included an in-person session, offered by Network member Ian Tennant, as well as online videos, also developed by Ian in response to the prompts offered by the group. The online material has been made available through the Network’s online platforms whereas the group advertised it within the University of Leeds.
Participants of the in-person session reported that they learned: ‘what somatic practices actually are’ and ‘how it is more than just movement – I didn’t realise the connection with thinking about movement’. What stood out to them included: ‘really paying attention to breathing and it helping relaxation’ and ‘the stretching and awareness’. One person also noted: ‘I think I didn’t realise the benefits until I actually did the session myself and got to feel the benefits first hand’. They plan to incorporate into their own lives aspects such as ‘breathing to help with stress’ and noted that ‘instead of overwhelming my brain, I can take a few minutes to be present in my own body’ and that this was important ‘especially during exam season’.
Overall, the project evidenced the relevance of somatics and the network’s activity for a population that is often assumed to be living without pain and can fall in the gaps of existing care provision.
