Embodiment

 “Get out of your head and into your body.”

I say this often to clients, and anyone else who will listen.

We have gotten so far away from the connection to our bodies. We have been taught culturally and throughout our life to rationalize, stay in our head, and allow the mind to lead the way. We ignore what our body might be telling us, and listen to our thoughts instead of the body wisdom we all possess. Most of us disconnect from our bodies, breath, and movement and how it relates to the rest or who we are. It is common to only pay attention to our bodies when something starts to ache.

Your body is your true refuge and resource— it is always there for you. It serves as an anchor particularly in moments when things feel tough. When you are embodied, you move through life connected with your heart, belly, and body’s wisdom in the most profound way. You are present, mindful, tapped into your self-care, living in the current moment. Living embodied allows you to respond to life’s challenges with a positive mindset. The benefits include peak performance, peace of mind, wellness, and improved interpersonal relationships.

Consciousness, mindfulness, agency in one’s life, well-being, and purpose are all unlocked when we get into our bodies. For example, in the context of food, embodiment allows you to know when you are full and satiated, rather than turning to emotional eating. Also, when we listen to our body’s wisdom our intuition increases. We are able to function from a place of listening, that innate instinct that shows up as a pang in the stomach or uneasiness when we are around someone or something that feels off.

Women often grow up with a critical view of their bodies. Rather than viewing their body as an incredible vessel that allows us to do the most amazing things, it is unfortunately a source of stress that creates an even greater detachment. In this headspace, we end up feeling out of balance, disconnected from not only ourselves but from other people and our environment ultimately living a life that is not vibrant and full.

“Taking action is the core issue. It’s inaction that people take back their power and create healing, and words cannot substitute for action (Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score)

The Science

Neuroscience supports the benefits of embodiment and its positive impact on the mind body connection. Embodiment allows us to make a shift in our brain’s wiring. We move from the brainstem limbic system and parts of the left brain where fear, stress, anger, guilt, shame, and insecurity live, to the middle prefrontal cortex, empathy circuitry and parts of the right brain where curiosity, creativity, love, passion empathy, and purpose reside. We have the power to change our circuitry when we are in a stressful situation, from being pushed by fear to pulled by love. Stress responses are decreased; we don’t stay in flight, flight, or freeze. Our sympathetic nervous system, and the negativity vortex isn’t a tsunami that depletes us and those around us. The stress response and negative emotions that come with it quickly convert to a calm clear headed and laser focused response. Functioning from this place is powerful. Our outlook and actions are grounded in a reality that is optimistic and filled with happiness, hope, and gratitude.

A significant part of my work with clients revolves around embodiment. It is an exercise and lifestyle I practice myself and truly the source of my well-being. There are so many ways to get into your body.  The following are a few of my favorite:

Breath – Your breath is your true anchor, always present and accessible. I have various ways in which I teach clients to connect their body and breath but the one that I use the most is 4-7-8 breath.  Breathe in through your nose to the count of 4, hold your breath to the count of 7, and then fully exhale through your mouth to the count of 8. Repeat several times.

Activating your senses – Our taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell senses are always used but often on autopilot. For example, eating can be a sensual and full body experience. Try to invite all your senses to the table for your next snack or meal experience. Turn on your sense of smell and touch as you engage with your food. Look at the texture of what you are eating, take a moment to take it in. Allow the food to linger on your tongue and let the texture of the food and the flavors lead you through your eating journey. The slower you eat the better your experience. Your body will thank you for slowing down so it can truly receive what you are feeding it. 

Tense and Relax – Breathe in and tense a muscle group. You can divide your muscle groups into sections: for example, all the muscles from the waist up, including your face, arms, shoulders, neck, upper/lower back so on; and your mid-section, everything from mid-section down, lower abdominals, pelvic floor, thigh to tips of toes. Contract and tense the muscles hard but not to the point of pain or cramping for 4 to 10 seconds. Breathe out, and suddenly and completely relax the muscle group. Do not relax it gradually.

Movement – Moving your body is an extremely effective tool to get you out of your head. It is one of my favorite ways to get embodied. I have a daily moving mediation/dance practice where I move in a non-linear way. Aside from being fun, it allows me to own all the parts of my being. I can move grief, sadness, joy, love, anger, rage, sensuality through my body so it is not stuck. This can be a more advanced embodiment practice as most feel self-conscious surrendering to the body’s lead but once experienced, it is life altering.

Body Scan – This technique brings your full attention to real-time experience happening in the present moment—helpful when emotions or thoughts feel out of control. It helps to explore and be with pleasant and unpleasant sensations, learning to notice what happens when we simply hang in there and feel what is going on in our body without trying to fix or change anything.

There are so many more practices I teach and would love to share. Let me know if you would like to learn more.