It’s vital to be connected with our bodies. The mind is not only connected to the body, the body also influences the mind. We call this phenomenon in practice “embodiment”. The Oxford Dictionary describes embodiment as, “a tangible or visible form of an idea, quality or feeling”. We use our bodily experiences to understand our own, and others, emotional experiences. When we are aware of our physical body we can discover profound insights. We notice our habitual movement patterns that may be debilitating us and begin to address this felt tension. We can even relate our bodies stories to childhood development and sociocultural conditioning to start understanding how we move through the world and what is keeping us stuck. More obviously, cyclical patterns start to show themselves, (maybe you play with your hair when you’re nervous, or make your body smaller/shrink when in the presence of an authority figure). Embodiment practice allows our bodies to communicate with us, inform us.
Today, most of us living in big metropolitan cities operate from a “mind-first approach”. This stems in part from our culture. We place high value on achievement, logic and quantifiable metrics, and while these abilities are essential, they end up dividing our mind from our bodies. We observe this in ourselves and our society members deteriorating relationship with their bodies. We blame it on sedentary lifestyles, over consuming media and mental health, which are all valid factors, but the root issue is disembodiment.
For some readers this may seem redundant. You might believe that it’s obvious to listen to your bodies signals and have operated in this way as long as you remember. The unfortunate truth is that not everyone has shared this life experience, and re-learning how to attune to your bodily sensations and feel at home in your skin can feel like a daunting, unattainable task.
From my life experience, cultivating this awareness starts with drawing connection between mental and physical discomfort. The earliest example I can remember is my struggle with my body image. The discomfort weaved throughout my relationship with food, the pressure of living up to societal ideals and a tad bit of vanity. The breakthrough didn’t appear until I realized it wasn’t my nutrition or exercise routine, it was the emotional stress and self-destructive patterns that needed to be addressed. My inner body dysregulation was showing itself physically, and inner work was the remedy.
Consider this: we are not a brain walking around in a body, our brain and body are interconnected and constantly engaged in communication.
Embodiment to me is living as a whole person. The phases of my life that I have felt out of touch with this flesh suit were moments I was only surviving through. Disembodiment is understood as the state of disintegration between body and mind, or as Willa Blythe Baker wrote, “a way of being that filters out the signals received from the body in the present moment, in favor of attention focused on the discursive activities of cognition”. The body knows when it’s hungry, when it needs rest, when it needs to move and through disembodiment we lose connection to these avenues of truth that our minds can’t access alone.
Actionable steps to reintroduce embodiment start with being in touch with the present moment. It is admitting that the mind does not know everything and becoming curious in your physical unfamiliarity. We discover what the body knows by listening deeply, not to our thoughts, ideas or opinions, but at the sensations that surround us, (the soft carpet between our toes, the warm air wrapping around your skin or the sweet taste of honey).
A practice I like to use is feeling gravity. You can feel the force of gravity in this moment so it’s a tool you can carry with you wherever. Starting from the floor bring your attention to how your feet feel and look, are you leaning more weight onto the sides or ball of your foot? Could you make yourself more comfortable? Work your way up to the knees, thighs, and hips all the way up the body. Feel the stability you can create within yourself and how gravity keeps you rooted there. Acknowledging your body by checking in with each part creates groundedness, you can realize that you are not lost spinning around in your thoughts, but are stable with the earth under your feet.
The truth is that there is exists a spectrum between embodiment and disembodiment. We don’t exist at a fixed spot until we come to these realizations, we travel subconsciously from each end continuously as time and circumstances change. The point is, I hope to spark a conversation between your body and mind in hopes of being able to empower you to live a fuller, more satisfying life.
Your Subtle Bodies 