What does "somatic" actually mean?
Somatic means working through the body instead of only the thinking mind. Stress, old patterns, and stuck beliefs don't just live in your thoughts - they live in your nervous system, and a somatic practice uses movement, breath, and sensation to shift them there. If you've ever noticed that you can't reason yourself into feeling calm, you already understand why body-based work exists.
Is Envision Yoga a somatic practice?
Yes - and one specific thing sets it apart. Envision Yoga pairs gentle yoga with bilateral audio: alternating left-right tones played through speakers on either side of the room. That's the same mechanism used in EMDR therapy, and it settles the nervous system into a calm, REM-like state faster than movement alone. Once you're there, visualization and affirmations take root in a way they simply don't when your guard is up.
So if you've explored nervous system regulation, breathwork, or other body-based practices in LA, the shape of this will feel familiar. The bilateral mechanism is the difference - and the reason people so often describe their first class as unlike anything they've tried.
What happens in a session?
Sixty minutes: gentle yoga anyone can do, bilateral audio throughout, then visualization and affirmations layered in once your system has settled. No experience needed. Most people leave feeling noticeably quieter in the head, and it's common to notice insights, vivid dreams, and mood shifts in the days after - that's the integration working. The FAQs cover what to bring and what to expect in detail.
Is this somatic therapy?
No. Envision Yoga is mental fitness, not therapy, and Leah is not a licensed therapist. It's a trauma-informed practice built for people who are ready to feel better and move forward - not a treatment for people in crisis. If you're in active crisis, a licensed clinician is the right first stop, and this practice will still be here after. Many people do both.
Where to start
The easiest way in is a class: Echo Park on Wednesdays or Culver City on Tuesdays, both at 6pm. If you want the work built entirely around you - your goals, your patterns, your pace - that's a private session. And if you want to see what 35 people say it feels like, read the testimonials.