I love finding new and creative ways to talk about what embodiment means to me.
My answer to this question when people ask me, is usually a mixture of thoughts about the various things that make us human – the capacity to feel our feelings in and through the body, the capacity to sense our physical and emotional needs accurately, the capacity to reach for our desires and express our needs, and the capacity to take in life with passion, presence, gratitude, and contentment.
Embodiment is a bi-directional experience between what is happening inside me and outside me as well as how I am tracking the in-between space. As I come to understand the in-between space, I think of it more and more these days as something that is alive and sentient. Paying close attention and sensing this sentient space around me, is much like stepping into a river where I can be in a relationship with the energy that connects me to people and the world around me. Neuroscientist Dan Segiel refers to our capacity to feel into the in-between as an aspect of interpersonal resonance. It is energetic. It is alive. It is relational.
Eastern philosophies call this Chi, Prana, Life Force.
You may wonder what tools have helped me to cultivate a relationship with this superhighway of energetic connectivity.
The truth is, it has taken some time to develop my capacity to sense and feel energy in and through the body in this way. My natural curiosity about my internal world and the external world has been a helpful resource in that it has offered me many opportunities for exploration. One helpful tool that I have used throughout my life is to ask this question - “what am I noticing inside my body in response to this experience?”
You see, when we bring the body into the equation, a whole world opens up.
In addition, my engagement in somatic therapies gave me a solid base for traveling inward into the body from a place of safety. In fact, I think a seasoned somatic provider, yoga instructor, or movement coach who knows how to hold space without judgment is a true gift and resource for anyone who is willing to travel this path of conscious embodiment.
After years of somatic exploration and many experiences that have included holding and feeling big emotions, I can now surf through the body with ease and confidence knowing that I have the capacity to experience the most challenging emotions – no matter how big they are.
You see when we deeply feel or sense the presence and connection of something (a person, a sentient being, or an energy) outside of us that is supportive, loving, and non-threatening, it sends a message to the psyche and the soma (body), that it is safe enough to go inside to be in relationship with ourselves in our inner world. Through repeated experiences of this relational holding space, we eventually learn that we too can do this inner workout with our emotions on our own at some point.
However, without a sense of safety on the outside, it is hard and at times impossible to go inside to be with our difficult emotions. In this way, our sense of safety and relational presence on the outside informs and shapes our capacity to be with our inner world on the inside.
I have asked myself the following question:
In my journey, I use practices like inner somatic journeying to connect with relational vibrations like (joy, love, connection, and compassion) so I can bring these resonant vibrations into the places in the body that are stuck, hurt, or in pain.
For example, if I attune and stay present with the part of me that loves to dance and I feel her and see her dancing, I start to feel my physiology shift into a vibration of warmth, expansion, and connection to my essence. In this place, I can rest and feel who I am and the power that is held in this part of me as I connect to my creativity, power, and inner spirit. From this place of expansion, I can bring this resource or vibration that is relational, over to the more difficult place in the body that are tense or that holds the emotion. I may see inside an image of myself at a younger age and I may connect with her from this resourced place of power, creativity, and inner spirit. And I will hold my awareness there until I start to feel or sense an energetic shift inside start to occur. As it occurs, I may feel heat or I may feel an emotion move through me. I may sense energy moving through the body. I may see an image of a more in-depth story. Or, I may sense more of what is held in that space as images unfold.
Regardless, taking the time to dive into the body is worth it in the end. You see, when we do not express our emotions in and through the body, they get stuck. This stuck energy has a lot to do with many of the symptoms that plague us in our daily lives.
Today, I love using the phrase, “You’ve got to feel it to heal it”.
The art and science of somatic-based therapy involves a return to the body and a knowing that the body is the holder of our greater truth beyond that of the mind. When we develop more trust in this process, we ultimately find that our body is a great storehouse of information. It is truly a space of wisdom.
If you are looking for new ways to drop into the body, I invite you to try movement practices like Pilates, Yoga, and Qi Qong. If you are already comfortable in the body, find a daily practice that helps you to tune in and track your moment-to-moment experience through somatics, breath, and movement.
For direct experiences in and through the body, join me in one of my upcoming groups or sound labs at www.paulascatoloni.com
