What It’s Like to Be a Somanaut — And Why You Might Want to Become One Too

Ever wondered what it feels like to truly live inside your own body — not just moving through life, but exploring it from the inside out?

If you’ve been to one of my classes, you’ll have heard me say: Qigong isn’t about the moves — it’s about the mover. That’s because the real practice isn’t just in how you lift an arm or shift your weight — it’s in what’s happening inside while you do it.

Years ago, someone asked me what it feels like to really live this way. I found myself saying, “It’s like being an astronaut… but inside my own body.” An astronaut explores the vastness of outer space. A Somanaut explores the vastness of inner space — the quiet, mostly unmapped territory of breath, movement, sensation and awareness.

Where the Journey Starts

Most of us live our days with the mind racing miles ahead of the body. We forget to notice how our breath feels. We hold tension without knowing we’re holding it. We get used to tight shoulders, shallow breathing, busy thoughts. Qigong, mindfulness and breathwork invite you back. Back into your body, your breath, your present moment.

At first, the movements seem simple. But inside those shapes, something deeper unfolds.You start to notice where your mind goes. You learn to soften. To open. To feel the quiet hum of energy in your bones. To move with your fascia instead of against it. To breathe in a way that supports you — not just in class, but at your desk, on a walk, lying awake at night.

Becoming a Somanaut

Being a Somanaut doesn’t mean you have to become an expert in anatomy or Eastern philosophy. It means you’re willing to explore — to get curious about the small signals your body sends you. To notice the subtle. To let your breath be your guide when your mind wants to run off.

When you practise this way, your practice doesn’t stay in class — it moves into your life. It shows up when you’re cooking dinner, when you’re walking through woods, when you’re facing something hard and need to come back to yourself.

What I share is the result of years practising, studying and teaching these embodied living arts — qigong, fascia wisdom, mindfulness, breath and movement, brought together as one whole practice. Being a Somanaut is the single most effective way I know to work your body, mind and breath as one — and to live with more ease, steadiness and quiet energy.

This is the heart of my work — helping people remember that the real answers are rarely out there. They’re here — in the quiet, in the moving, in the noticing.

An Invitation

If this speaks to you, you’re already halfway there. You don’t need to have perfect balance or fancy clothes or years of experience. You just need a willingness to pause. To breathe. To listen in.

You’re welcome to join me — whether you’re brand new or returning to your body after years of being somewhere else. Come and move, breathe, notice. Learn why we do what we do, how it works, and how it can help you find your own quiet path inward.

In a world that pulls us outward in every direction, I can’t think of anything more valuable than exploring inward.

That’s what it means to be a Somanaut. And if you’d like to become one too — there’s space for you here.

Change the energy. Change the story. Qigong with Deniz Paradot