Understanding and Valuing Embodiment revolutionized my relationship with myself, my family and the world at large. I look back on the years before I had a practice that gifted me the experience of embodiment and see myself as I was; emotionally exhausted and unavailable, unsure of what I wanted and needed, dys-regulated emotionally, despairing about the future, uninspired in work and hyper-reactive in relationships. I held a misconception that my constantly spinning mind was not just normal but the only state of mind possible.
Embodiment is more than a concept or theory; it is a profound state of existence where I feel deeply connected and attuned to my body and senses. In this state, my mind actively listens to the wisdom and signals that my body communicates and a natural knowing of what I want and need emerges . The artificial division between mind and body fades away, allowing me to experience a holistic and integrated sense of being, allowing me to be emotionally available to others. Intelligence and wisdom within the body points me to what I need and want while the mind slows down and there is space between my thoughts. Embodiment opened up new avenues for restoring my energy, revitalizing my creativity, and fostered a profound, hopeful connection with the world around me.
I experience embodiment when I consciously shift my focus from my thinking mind to my feeling body. It’s a sensation that arises when I engage in physical activities like moving (qigong, yoga), walking, dancing, and conscious breathing exercises. I feel embodiment when my skin tingles with the touch of a cool wind, or when I deeply inhale the scent of pine in a dense forest, or when I delight in the sensation of grass scrunching between my toes. The true essence of embodiment emerges when I am fully present in the current moment, completely immersed in the here and now.
How did I understand and experience embodiment?
I started by embracing the idea that although the mind possesses knowledge, it is not all-encompassing. I recognized that my mind could sometimes be a limiting factor in my understanding of myself and the world around me. This realization sparked my curiosity: What valuable insights does my body hold that my mind may not be aware of? Growing up in Western culture, I was conditioned to prioritize the knowledge generated by my mind – my thoughts, ideas, and opinions. However, as I delved into practices like Breath Work and Open Space Meditation, I began to unlock the profound sense of liberation and security that embodiment offers. It was as if I had tapped into a wellspring of wisdom and intuition that had been waiting to be acknowledged.
4 Practices for Embodiment
1. Become grounded.
Shift your attention to feel the place where your body comes into contact with a horizontal surface—your feet on the floor, your thighs on the chair, or your bottom against a cushion. Hold your awareness there and expand your sense of gravity. Feel yourself stable and bound to the surface beneath. Observe how just this shift of your attention makes you feel differently in your body and your mind. Play with a visualization of roots moving from you down into the surface beneath you.
2. Be present.
Focus on your sense of touch. Feel the air temperature, observe any air movement. Focus on what you are smelling and hearing. All these sensations are happening in the present moment through the medium of your body. This body is not sensing all this in the past. It is not sensing it in the future. Stay present as you stay in your sense body. When your mind interrupts with a thought, gently notice and return to observing the senses. Celebrate each time you gently lead your mind back from meandering thoughts to being in the here and now.
3. Stay with your breath.
Don’t try to change your breath, just stay aware of it. Explore your breath as if you are breathing for the first time. Breathe through the nose, follow it into the chest and abdomen. Breathe through the mouth, feel the air dry your lips and pass in and out of your throat. Imagine you have to describe breathing and deepen your observation about how breathing works. Notice you are in your body.
4. Try Reiki.
During Reiki the practitioner focuses their attention on your Chakra system where intense concentrations of nerve bundles exist. This causes the receiver to follow that focussed attention into their own body. Energy goes where the attention is focussed and is experienced by the recipient as embodied presence. Loving, positive awareness is poured into those locations in the body. If you are challenged to feel a sense of embodiment on your own, the presence of a trained Reiki practitioner can open you to the embodied experience.
Self-Care Challenge
For seven consecutive days, as soon as you wake up and sit up and place your feet on the floor, move through each of the first 3 practices for 1 minute respectively. Then get-up and go about your day. Observe any changes in the quality of thoughts and actions as you go through the day and especially at the end of 7 days. This last step is vital – the effects of embodiment practices can be hard to describe but when you pay attention to accumulated practice you can track the impact they make.
Embodiment is not a binary state; it exists on a spectrum that we all inhabit. We can shift our position along this continuum, moving towards a deeper sense of embodiment in our everyday lives. These intentional shifts gradually lead us to fully inhabit our own existence, allowing us to experience embodiment as a visceral truth.
Embodiment goes beyond the pursuit of happiness and well-being; it beckons me to engage with the essence of presence, both on an individual and collective level. It invites me to establish a profound connection with my innermost, authentic self. It urges me to cultivate intimacy with the natural world, to feel the earth beneath my feet, and to appreciate the interconnectedness of all living beings. Ultimately, embodiment calls me to foster a sense of community and interconnectedness with others.
3 Ways to Deepen Your Embodied Presence
Sunday Reiki Service
10/8 2pm – 4pm
Hosted at Visionary Healing – 659 Auburn Ave., Unit 141
Reiki administered by Kaitlyn Scott of Rose & Ritual Apothecary, Rachel Craig of Reiki Healing and Lisa Jones – Recovery Studio at Visionary Healing Center
We are excited to announce a new community offering “Sunday Reiki Service”. Our first monthly event will be on Sunday, October 8 from 2pm-4pm at Visionary Healing.
You will have 3 Reiki Masters guiding the experience. If you are unfamiliar with Reiki this is a beautiful way to be introduced to this healing modality. Bring friends to share in this deep meditative journey.
Two 30-Minute Group Reiki Sessions: Our event will feature two 30-minute in-person group Reiki sessions, from 2:00 to 2:30 pm and from 3:00 to 3:30 pm. These sessions will guide you toward deep relaxation, inner peace, and rejuvenation. Together, we’ll create a nurturing space to breathe, release, and heal. Join our community, and let the collective energy lift your spirit and soothe your soul.
Full Moon Embodiment
September 28, Thursday, 7-9pm, Recovery Studio at Visionary Healing Center, 659 Auburn Avenue Northeast, unit 141, Atlanta, GA 30312
Experience the September Full Moon energy! Let us guide you into an embodied state – that state where you are relaxed in every aspect of your being: able to receive and able to release. Allow yourself to be taken on a journey into the Somatic State using Breath Work, Reiki and Sound Healing.
Immerse yourself in Full Moon energy and experience 3 integrated healing modalities. This will be a beautiful evening event to mark the September Harvest Moon.
Breath Work 1:1
The foundation practice I teach is Coherent Breathing. From this foundation we can branch out and explore together many prescriptive breathing styles such as Active Interval Breath work, Kapalbhati, Simha Kriya, or any of the 100’s of styles of breath work used all over the globe.
– Do you need more energy, more focus, more relief from pain, depression, anxiety and fatigue?
– Do you need tools to connect you to grace, concentration, clarity, and better health?
– Do you want to optimize your human experience and shift into and out of intense states of productivity and rest?
-Do you want to release stored emotions and negative experiences from the body in a safe and gentle way?