Embodiment and Being Here Now

“Maybe you are searching among the branches, for what only appears in the roots.” Rumi

Years ago, I had the pleasure of working closely with an elder, a wise man from the Blood Tribe in southern Alberta. As we spent time together he shared with me different pieces of wisdom, practices and insights. One of them was ‘how to call my spirit home’. I travelled a lot at the time and was finding a lag time between my physical and energetic bodies. I took the teaching to heart, and continue to call my spirit back, especially when travelling long distances in a short space of time.

A recent trip left me feeling particularly disconnected and disembodied upon my return home. Due in part not just to the long hours of physical travel, but to all the wonderful experiences and emotions that shifted and flowed through me in a short time. It didn’t matter that I really loved being there, or that I welcomed being back home as well. The waves of new perceptions and experiences led me to a place where I wasn’t easily feeling grounded or balanced, and on returning home I felt somewhat disjointed and disconnected. The adjustment has been slow, but meditation, mindful yoga and movement, and gratitude/metta practice all enrich and bring stability to this liminal period of time.

Embodiment refers to the experience of being present in and aware of one's physical body. Engaging in practices that help us to fully embrace our emotions, sensations, and spirits can be beneficial because they can help us to better understand and process our internal experiences. Becoming more attuned to our physical sensations and emotions lets us gain a deeper understanding and acceptance of what is happening within us. You've often heard me say 'what we resist, persists'. There is no shame in recognizing that disruptions or obstructions in our energy can occur. The question is, how do we come back into rootedness and coherence. Embodiment practices can help us to feel more grounded, present, and connected to the world around us.

I hope you can join me for classes beginning soon. The breath work, meditation, physical posturing of yoga, and practice of metta all contribute to our capacity to be fully present with ourselves and with the moments of our lives. When we feel rooted and anchored to the earth, there is an ease that arises. We can sit on the ground and feel the energy flow up and down our spines as we breathe in and out. There is a bond with the tree outside our window. We connect with the life giving oxygen each plant produces. We can feel its pulse. We can feel our own rootedness through the soles of our feet. We can feel our own branches, expansive and flowing rather than contracted and tight.

All of these things can be accompanied by the balancing of our energy, increased ease of movement and flexibility, general feelings of good health, reduced physical pain, a sense of release, the ability to flow with the currents, reduced sense of energetic obstruction, improved flow of circulation, better immunity, feelings of inner peace and contentment, expanded awareness, better sleep, clarity of mind, increased creativity, and a myriad of benefits. Ultimately, to feel really in tune with ourselves and our physical, mental and spiritual aspects is a gift we can give ourselves without reservation, that bears untold benefits we may not even recognize at first.

So get on the mat, feel your breath, open your meridians, connect to the energy flow around you, and feel the coherence of your life. Call your spirit back, again and again.

“Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again , come , come.” Rumi