How to make 2022 your most embodied year yet!!
What does it mean to be embodied? And how can you do it more often? This blog post will explore the benefits of being embodied and give tips on how to bring yourself back into alignment.
Over the past few weeks I have spent many hours writing down what I want to ‘call in, manifest, magnetise’ in 2022. As I was looking through all of my scribbles yesterday, one stood out t0 me most -
“Make 2022 my most embodied year yet.”
As you may know already, when we manifest or set goals etc, we must put actionable steps in place to help us bring forth what it is we desire. So this really had me thinking….. “how can I make this my most embodied year yet, and how can I share this with my community so they can be more embodied too?”
Well, first of all you might be sitting there thinking “What does ‘embodied’ even mean?” Embodied means to be in your body, to accept your body, to trust your bodies wisdom, to feel at home with yourself, to feel safe in your body, to face your shadows, allowing yourself to be fully connected and present with your feelings on an emotional, spiritual, physical and psychological level, giving yourself permission to express them how you please, to also acknowledge and honour your wants, needs and desires!
Being embodied - is staying present and connected with life, the life that runs through you and the life that is around you, allowing yourself to fully experience what it is to be human without numbing and blocking out the ability to feel enough to care.
SIGNS YOU ARE DISCONNECTED FROM YOUR BODY:
You feel a sense of lack
Your always in your head (constantly thinking, lost in thought, thinking too much about the past or future)
Your searching for purpose/meaning outside of yourself
You feel meh, stuck, unsure of yourself and your inner power
You long to be someone else
You often abuse alcohol, drugs or food to numb out feelings
You feel disengaged with yourself and those around you
If you said yes to any of the above, You are not alone. I get it, I have been exactly where you are. I have numbed out my pain with alcohol, I have abused food for short burst of comfort, I searched for many years for more “purpose” wishing I was someone else. That was until I discovered that finding my purpose, being embodied and living my life was less about becoming someone different or chasing after something better, and more about recognising my inner power and accepting who I was, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Accepting myself meant accepting my past, allowing trauma held in my body to move through me, trauma that wasn’t even mind to hold. Today I feel safe in my body. When I feel safe in my body I make better choices, I have clear boundaries, I cultivate better relationships and I have a greater sense of clarity about life, what brings me joy and what doesn’t.
Now that you understand more about what ‘embodied’ means, if you have been following me for a while, its no secret I do live a mostly embodied life but I do fall back into old patterns some days living too much in my head (I’m Human!). Therefore this blog is a gentle reminder for me, as well as a nudge in the right direction for you.
Below I have shared with you 5 ways you can be embodied more often:
Breathe: Pay attention to your breathe. Notice if you are breathing softly, fast or holding your breath. Take a deep breath and sigh out, repeat this 3 times. When we feel stressed we tend to hold our breath. This effects our overall state of being. Becoming aware of your breathe throughout the day is a great way to be more present.
Move: Our human race has become so accustomed to sitting in cars, at desks, on sofas for long periods of time stimulating our minds while neglecting our bodies. Movement is a vital part of our overall wellbeing. When we have pain, trauma or stagnant energy living in the body, movement stimulates our circulation, calms our nervous system and allows for expression, as well as a somatic release of tension. Try free flow dancing/movement, moving intuitively guided by your body. I enjoy Michaela Boehm Non-linear Movement Method classes.
Connect with the earth: The earth is what sustains us, we are made up of many of the same elements as earth. We are earth, so connecting to her really invites us to be present and connect more to ourselves. Get outside, ground your feet and hands, breathe in the air, what does it smell like?, how does it taste? What season is it outside, how does that look and feel? Nourish yourself with seasonal fresh whole foods from Mama Earth.
Cultivate Body & Sensory Awareness: Become aware of your body, and in touch with your senses. What can you see, smell, hear, touch and taste throughout your day. Listen to the ways your body communicates with you through joy, pain, emotion, through your menstrual cycle, through your pleasure or lack of. Sit with it and journal. When we connect to our menstrual cycles, our wombs, our yonis our sexual energy we become more embodied. We have the ability to be in our body emotionally spiritually & physically. Able to listen to what our body needs from us from day to day, cycle to cycle. Connecting to my body through my menstrual cycle has been profound not just for me, but for my family, friends and the women I serve. Start tracking your cycle, your moods, sensations and emotions. This intention alone will bring you into the present moment and into your body.
Limit Technology To Build Relationships: in todays society we are often immersed in our devices and absent from our surroundings. We have no idea what is happening around us, we miss many opportunities to be present with our loved ones and with ourselves. Try putting your phone away one hour before bed and leaving it till one hour after you wake up. Spend that time doing a little body scan of how you are feeling, taking in your surroundings, journal, be in your body, ask “what do i need in this moment? how can i fulfil that need?” When your with loved ones try spending quality tech-free time with them.
“An embodied woman to me is wise, sensual, erotic, soft, but fierce. She feels deeply what needs to be felt, she knows what she wants has firm boundaries and honours them.”
So writing and reading this, I am feeling very much embodied but there is work still to be done! I want to make 2022 the year I breathe a little deeper, move a little freer, love myself a little harder and express myself a little stronger.
Wishing you an embodied, pleasured 2022
See you on the flip side sisters,
Alisha Faye xxx