If you have ever felt a disconnection between your body and spirit, you know how off-centering it can feel. Many people carry this disconnection without ever naming it. It may feel like you spend all day “in your head,” while your body just goes through the motions of your life. Or you might notice it when you arrive somewhere and can’t really remember the drive.
Embodied living is the practice of returning to full awareness of yourself, including your physical, spiritual, and mental wellness.
To live in an embodied way, you have to understand that the body is more than just a carrier for the mind. Rather, it is an intelligent system that is worthy of your attention–and trust. Your body holds information that your mind, as amazing as it is, overlooks or fails to recognize.
Some examples:
- Tension in the shoulders that reveals just how worried you are about an upcoming conversation
- Heaviness in your chest that arrives before you are consciously aware of how grief is affecting you
- A gut feeling about a situation that proves to be accurate
Embodied living, which is related to inner alignment, means that you have learned to listen to these signals, rather than pushing past them or ignoring them altogether.
This is not a new idea. Somatic therapy, yoga, dance, breathwork, and many contemplative traditions have worked with this principle for generations. Spiritual healing happens in the body, not just the mind. Today, we also have a growing body of research that supports what these practitioners have always known.
You can practice embodied living in many different ways. For example, when you exercise, move in ways that feel pleasurable, not punishing. When you are hungry, eat in a way that allows you to notice both hunger and fullness. When you experience stress, breathe intentionally, rather than holding your breath and bracing against the pressure. Spending time in nature, resting without guilt, and engaging in self-care are all excellent ways to embrace embodiment.
Embodied living is all about coming home to your body and trusting what it already knows