Gary Hoffman Soto’s journey into the world of movement began with sports and evolved into a deep, life-long exploration of somatics, dance, martial arts, and healing practices from around the world.
Through these diverse experiences, he developed Sotomotion—a unique approach that blends functional fitness with conscious movement and emotional integration. Inspired by mentors like Anna Halprin and shaped by decades of global teaching, Soto emphasizes the connection between body, mind, and spirit in every step, stretch, and breath.
In this interview with MysticMag, he shares how movement became both his method and his message for transformation and healing.
What inspired you to create Sotomotion, and how did your personal journey shape its vision?
SotoMotion is a combination of part of my last name, which is Hoffman Soto, and my lifelong study, pursuit, practice, and teaching of movement. I feel that I have a unique and wide range of background in movement. I began playing sports at 9 years old, encouraged and supported by my father and older brother. My brother was a specially gifted athlete who was good at whatever he pursued in sports. I stayed engaged in sports until I was 22 years old. I had success in basketball, which got me into college and university.
In 1969, at 23 years of age, and after a year of not having a physical practice, a friend introduced me to Hatha Yoga. Yoga was a completely new perspective on movement. I don’t have a memory of my years playing sports or ever stretching. Plus, it brought in a whole new perspective of movement, having a spiritual perspective. As readers probably know, Yoga means to unite—to unite body, mind, and spirit.
From there, the movement possibilities began to swing open. A Yoga friend suggested that since I liked to move, why not take a dance class? So, of course, I did.
My first steps into the world of dance were not easy. Stepping into a Martha Graham dance class in New York City in 1969, where there were 36 women and no men, and I was standing there in leotards and tights that I put on backwards—meaning instead of putting on the tights and then the leotards, I put on the leotards and then the tights. Standing there looking in the mirror, it appeared to be looking in a fun house mirror at the circus. My legs appeared about 21 inches long, while 36 women sat and stood staring at me. It was one of the most horrific moments of my young life. All I wanted was to run out of there and never return! But I didn’t. Even though I imagine I hold the record for the worst student ever to step into a Martha Graham class, I stuck it out.
One of the young women in the class told me one day to try an Afro-Haitian class. I did, and it resonated for me. It was physically demanding, fun, and I would leave the class with recognizable feelings from my basketball days—feeling I had physically pushed myself. From there, I began to explore the many possibilities of what dance was, and could be, for me.
In 1971, I moved back to California, continued with my Yoga practice, including teaching what I knew of Yoga at the time. I continued to dabble in some dance classes and, through a friend, was introduced to Tai Chi Ch’uan. The teacher was an older Chinese gentleman who only taught individual classes, and he moved with grace and power. This was perfect for me. Like Yoga, I could take classes as well as practice on my own. I could go to a park, enjoy the beautiful California weather, practice some Yoga lying on the ground, and then stand up and move through space in the Tai Chi practice. I was on my way!
In 1973, I met and began working with Anna Halprin. Anna opened door after door for me which completely changed and shaped my life. One important perspective she included in her work was that the emotional body was an essential and creative aspect of art and life. That life shaped our art, and that art had the possibility to shape how we lived our lives. She called this the Life/Art Process.
Additionally, at this tim,e the San Francisco Bay Area was the Mecca of the post-modern dance scene and its blending and merging with theater, therapy, and to some extent, the martial arts. I jumped in head first!
I studied improvisational movement theater with Ruth Zaporah, gymnastic dance with Terry Sendgraf, Feldenkrais with Norma Leistiko and others, Ideokinesis with Andre Bernard, sensory awareness, Butoh with Min Tanaka in Japan, and a number of other of the many possibilities at the time to see dance and movement in a more expanded realm of possibilities. At the same time, I continued my Tai Chi practice and moved into the study of other martial arts—including Aikido with Robert Nadal and Richard Strozzi Heckler. I studied Capoeira with Mestre Bira Almeida for 18 years (which I was introduced briefly to in Brazil in 1968) and practiced and taught Filipino Stick Fighting, or Kali, also known as Eskrima and Arnis, for 25 years.
With this flood of information and possibilities, I followed the advice Anna Halprin gave me in my early days of working with her: “Don’t copy me. Understand what I am doing, practice it, and integrate what works for you into what you know, and let go of what doesn’t.”
So, back to the question of what inspired my creation of Sotomotion—it was this tremendous range of possibilities and how it uniquely shaped me. It wasn’t this or that, it was all of the above that I found useful in my day-to-day practice and in my expanding teaching possibilities that include 23 countries throughout the world. Hence… Sotomotion!
How do somatic movement and functional fitness work together in your method?
If the objective in functional fitness is to live one’s life in a manner that allows one to accomplish the tasks they wish to perform, to maximize their efficiency in said tasks, and to be happy, then I assume the more conscious and comfortable they are in their bodymind, the more reasonable it is to assume that their functioning will reflect that.
One of the goals of Somatics is to be more aware and awake in their day-to-day activities through the study of awareness in their movement. We are the movement. When there is no movement, there is no life. I say that with the understanding that breathing, our blood circulating through the body, digestion, the amazing, diverse, intricate, and vast nervous system communication networks, and all the other functions keeping us alive are all variations in the world of movement. This is going on mostly below consciousness, and at the same time, we can bring more of this wealth of information into our kinesthetic awareness through conscious movement.
When I write this, I am also aware that what is possible through the Somatic model is a very tiny drop of information in the ocean of possibilities that the bodymind holds. And every little bit has an impact on how we experience ourselves, others, and the environment we exist in.
The more we study and become aware of our actions and the kinesthetic response, the more we know ourselves. The more we know ourselves, the more possibilities we have to express who we are, to transform ourselves into who we would like to be, and to manage our physical reality to maximize our possibilities to realize this goal.
Somatics is the study of the many aspects of our physical existence, as well as our mental, emotional, and spiritual realities. Somatics is becoming more aware of how changes in one of these dimensions impact all of them. There is a saying that I love, called simplified Zen: “Everything is connected. Everything changes. Pay attention.”
What makes your approach different from traditional movement or rehab programs?
I am not in a position to compare my work with traditional programs of rehabilitation. If you gave me a specific body part or injury, I can tell you how I would work with it, but as I said, I am not in a position to compare or comment on “traditional rehab.” What I do know is that, as the expression goes, one size doesn’t fit all.
I can only speak to my work. So, if you come to see me concerning tightness and discomfort in the lower back, I would begin with getting clear on what triggered the onset of the problem. Second, I would inquire about the individual’s lifestyle and everyday movements and activities, as well as some understanding of their background and history in movement. Third, I would explain the movement possibilities in the lower back—for example, flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation.
Then, I would take them through those movement possibilities and have them pay attention to what recreates the pain and what doesn’t. I’d let them know the importance of going through this range of movement every day and being mindful of the kinesthetics, or feelings, the body is giving them—not to push beyond the point of pain. The awareness and respect that their bodymind knows what is helpful in healing and what is not, and to begin to listen and respect that feedback.
The fifth element I would include is working with images. This work, known as Ideokinesis (“ideo” meaning idea/image/thought, and “kinesis” meaning movement), uses thoughts to create movement, which in turn creates new neuromuscular pathways designed to change the messages the nervous system sends to the muscles that are (correctly or incorrectly) affecting the bones.
The goal of Ideokinesis is to bring the weight of the appendicular skeleton closer to the central axis and deeper into the center of gravity. One key element is to see the image and not do anything—letting the image do the work. This changes nervous system messages to either free or engage muscles, depending on what is needed.
This work was first created by Mabel Ellsworth Todd in the 1930s. She has a seminal book called The Thinking Body. I also produced a manual titled Ideokinesis: BodyMind Integration and Integrity. The work is both very subtle and powerful.
Finally, I would talk about how paying attention—awareness—translates to mindfulness in movement, which is the root of Somatics. A definition of “mind” I love is “the body in action.” And action is movement. So, mindfulness is awareness in movement. Awareness is paying attention to the feelings and execution of our movements.
Can you share a story where your method made a lasting impact on a client’s life?
A young woman dancer of Chinese/Japanese ancestry was born and raised in the Central Valley of California in a predominantly white American culture, with her family being the only Asians in the community. She and her family suffered constant racist harassment. Although she was intelligent, talented, attractive, and a lovely human being, she had a very negative opinion about herself. She didn’t like who she was and questioned her dancing and creativity.
Years later, after leaving her hometown, these insecurities still lingered in the shadows. (“Shadows” meaning the negative aspects of ourselves held in the body from unprocessed or traumatic events.)
Over multiple sessions in a group of dancers and artists exploring Somatics, she took the risk to work with these themes and create a performance piece about her experience. With feedback from peers and me, she got clearer on her story and its emotional impact. She shaped it into a powerful, dramatic Movement Theater piece. Through expressing herself using movement, sound, and text, she began to separate the experiences from the emotions they once carried.
This allowed her to transform those shadows into creative resources. Using the Somatic model, she connected with, processed, and eventually redefined her trauma. Her journey not only healed her but also moved and enlightened the audience and those of us who worked alongside her.
Her story inspired others to reflect on their own feelings of not being good enough and to confront their prejudices and internalized limitations. Her Somatic work was the key to unlocking her trauma and turning it into artistic expression.
How do you support clients in reconnecting with their bodies after injury or trauma?
The process begins with getting in touch with the kinesthetic information held in the body due to trauma or injury. It takes willingness to bring attention to the feelings and sensations in the body and to experience them—whether the trauma is physical or psychological.
Once someone is ready to be with those sensations, healing can begin. This can include:
- Talking about the experience.
- Giving it sound, which can be even more expressive than words.
- Using movement to address the affected areas and begin to restore flow and mobility.
Movement is always central to the process. In some cases, even imagining movement or visualizing energy flowing to the injured area can help. Other tools include massage, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, or hands-on bodywork.
Eventually, reintroducing movement with awareness is crucial. Some people may first need psychotherapy before doing movement work, as movement can intensify unprocessed emotions. The therapist must adapt to the individual and situation—rigid approaches limit the potential for healing.
In nearly all cases, movement is a tremendous resource. All our history is held in the bodymind. Through it, we can recognize, express, release, and even transform our past into an ally rather than a burden.
What simple movement practice would you recommend for someone just starting out?
It depends on the person’s condition, goals, and motivation. But generally, I’d suggest starting with walking—in different environments like the neighborhood, woods, beach, or track. Vary the pace, notice the feet contacting the ground, feel the balance as one foot lifts and lands again.
Add simple stretches before and after walking:
- Spinal roll-downs: Bend the knees slightly, drop the head, let the arms hang, and roll down gently—then roll back up.
- Backbends: With hands behind your back at buttocks level, slowly bend backwards.
- Spinal rotation: Hold opposite elbows at chest level and rotate side to side while lying, sitting, or standing. Observe your breath and sensations.
- Tai Chi knee circles: With hands on knees, bend slightly and make small circular motions in both directions.
- Shoulder loosening: Swing arms across your chest and then behind you. Turn your head, hips, and back foot slightly in the direction of the swing. Make big arm circles forward and back if possible.
All of these should be done gently, staying within your comfort zone and paying attention to sensations.
If someone is already somewhat active, I’d recommend trying a beginner Yoga or Tai Chi class, or even a non-technical dance class that welcomes newcomers.
Find out more at: www.sotomotion.com
