What is embodiment?
Apart from a buzzword in the wellness and holistic movement circles, how many of us do we truly understand the depth of the word?
I will attempt to give you a linguistic description of what is a deeply felt experience and I hope I do it justice.
Embodiment is to be in your body.
Embodiment is the full expression of someone’s being. We become the representation of our thoughts, beliefs, values, integrity via our body and life, our behaviours and actions.
We are able to find a place within ourselves that feels authentic and we speak, make decisions, take action from that embodied place.
From a physical perspective, it is the connection we have with our bodies, it is the feeling that we are one with our body instead of separate.
It is also referred to as mind-body connection or unity, mind-body oneness. The opposite is what we call mind-body split and it is when we view our body as a separate entity, as an object that we do things to.
Couple of examples to understand this better:
Going to the gym to exercise my body
Dieting to lose weight
They have an underlying mentality that my body is wrong/bad/ugly/fat and I need to do something to it to fix it.
They tend to hold hate, discontentment, dissatisfaction in our bodies, which are based on limiting and/or inherited beliefs and societal conditioning.
On the other side, from a wider life perspective, we may see cognitive dissonance that can be conscious or unconscious. As an example:
I say something different from what I think in order to not make someone else feel uncomfortable
I doubt my body’s messages and I act against them (eg. overeating)
We are ultimately sending the message to our bodies that we are not worthy
"Body, I want to fix you
By dieting, punishing you at the gym, feeding you less, keeping you unsatisfied, by not listening to you or trusting your messages"
So how can we work towards embodiment?
By looking at these 2 layers simultaneously:
The physical and the emotional/energetic layers
There is an emotional aspect that needs to be addressed, an energetic shadow work and a belief system reframe, and also a shift of our perception and mentality we have around our bodies.
AND there are many physical embodiment practices that can help with the process so that it becomes a felt experience and it doesn’t only stay on a mental level of understanding.
As we engage in the process there is a rule for life that I personally practice daily:
It is to align
what I think
what I feel
what I say
what I do
And bit by bit through practice, we can ultimately start sending the message to our bodies that we are worthy
"Body, I am feeding you well
I am moving you well
I am taking care of you well
Keeping you well, satisfied, full
I love you body
I accept you as you are"
And as we reach a point of deep acceptance that our beautiful bodies are integral and sacred part of this human experience, we feel more embodied and freer in our bodies physically AND emotionally. And then "miracles" happen - these aches and pains disappear, old patterns don't have such a grip anymore, habits change. Another beautiful paradox of this life: as we move away from the need to fix, we welcome change - change that comes from within and that is long-term and sustainable.
And with this, we start living our lives as a fuller expression of ourselves.
With all my love,
Korina xx
P.S If you are ready to start on your embodiment journey, working with me will offer you a safe space, support and guidance.
P.S.2 - You can also register for free to my φilosoφies membership and join me live or watch the replay of the first membership session on embodiment!