What is Embodiment?
*A note on the terms embodiment/ somatics- these are on the most part used interchangeably to mean the same thing. While these terms may have gained popularity in recent years in the West, many cultures have long practiced body-centered awareness, even if they are not described with terms like 'embodiment' or 'somatics'.
The word somatic comes from the Greek word soma (body) and means- ‘relating to the body’ or ‘of the body’.
I do see how an attempt to define embodiment can be a helpful starting point, but because embodiment is felt, it’s a way of being, and a lived exploration, I’m not convinced we can adequately define it in words. But let’s give it a go…
Embodiment can be many different things in different moments, it’s our connection to what is true and present, it’s relationship, it’s a way of being that leaves nothing out - our heart, our spirit, our body, our collective body, our minds, and our relationship to life.
Embodiment is connection to our innate wisdom, it’s being with what is, and by its very nature it’s non-perfectionistic.
You will have your own unique experience, an evolving, cyclical exploration of what embodiment is to you, and I invite you to bring some curiosity to that.
‘Embodiment is the art of being present in our body as we experience life’ - Open Floor International
‘Embodiment can also be used to describe our developing awareness of ourselves, our emotions and habits, and our ability to perceive sensations throughout our bodies. The more we can act from both our thinking and our feeling, grounded in our own felt sense, the more we might say that we are embodied’ - Prentis Hemphill - What It Takes To Heal
‘I believed, and still do, that our bodies are ourselves, that my soul is the voltage conducted through neurons and nerves, and that my spirit is my flesh.’ - Ta-Nehisi Coates
‘Your body is the ground metaphor of your life, the expression of your existence. It is your Bible, your encyclopedia, your life story.’ – Gabrielle Roth
Embodiment is not a rejection of our mind but an inclusion of our body, heart and soul as well as the mind, not separate. In the West many of us have been so conditioned towards living through the mind only, so the ‘healing work’ is a gradual re-connection to all of our parts and a dismantling of a false hierarchy with the mind at the top.
To put it another way, (inspired by words from my friend and teacher Joanna Miller) you could google a tree but you wouldn’t know any one tree. You wouldn’t have experienced a tree’s scent, the sensation of the bark and moss on your skin as you place your hand on it, or the feeling of the tree’s presence and support. You wouldn’t have experienced the sight of the leaves dancing in the breeze or the sound of birdsong humming from the branches. Living through the mind alone could be described as the equivalent of just googling the tree. Embodiment is experienced.
It’s totally understandable, for many reasons that we may feel a lost connection with the fullness of our experience. There may have been times when we have needed to disconnect to survive and there is a real intelligence in that. But little by little, at our own body’s pace, we can begin to reconnect and reclaim our aliveness.
Invitation to Practice
By simply noticing what is happening in our inner world throughout our days we can invite more presence to our experience and come into deeper relationship with our felt sense.
This isn’t about trying to change how you feel, but bringing some awareness to the fullness of how you actually feel in the moment. What sensations do you notice? How present do you feel? What is your experience of being you like? Simply noticing.
For instance right now I feel tired, my eyes are heavy, breath’s a little shallow. I feel like I’m bracing very slightly in my legs and lower back. My mind is quiet and slow.
You can give this a go for a few days or a week to start with by setting an alarm for a few random times in the day to notice what there is to notice in your experience.
Remember there is no right or wrong with this and it can be difficult to sense the subtleties at first. Feeling blank or numb is an experience too. Whatever you notice, how might it be to experience it through a non-judgmental and curious lens?
This practice of sensing is also the foundation of a menstrual cycle awareness practice. Receive your free guide to Embodied Menstrual Cycle Awareness for these times, when you sign up to my Sunday Letters.
If you want to take your embodied explorations deeper or are looking for support with some emotional challenges you are experiencing you can find out more about my offerings here.