What is Embodiment
My belief is many people have forgotten who they are and where they come from. Many of us wander through our daily activities. We’re driven by our circumstances, rather than tuning in to our deepest values and desires. Our environments and experiences encourage us to adopt low-aim steering. We go with the flow of the world around us.
Then, when we want to live a more fulfilling life, we find it difficult to change direction. We’ve been going one way for so long! However, I believe we’re far more powerful than any situation, circumstance or condition that drives our behavior. I know we can create lives we love. Embodiment can help us get there.
What is Embodiment?
Embodiment is that act of bringing something from the mind into reality. In other words, it translates a feeling or idea into something tangible. In this process, that which you desire comes to life.
This concept can be easier to see from the outside. For example, consider a friend who’s always relaxed and never seems to panic. They don’t get riled up very easily, and frequently act as a trusted mentor to others. You might say that this person embodies calm and ease.
On the other hand, you could consider the embodiment of a family member who loathes parting with money. They’re known for bargaining down to the last cent, and regularly complain to restaurant managers in hopes of a discount. Maybe they even re-gift presents for the holidays or weddings. Perhaps you’d say this person embodies stinginess.
In some ways, embodiment happens naturally without any effort at all. Imagine a day when you “wake up on the wrong side of the bed.” From the moment you wake up, your mental state is foggy and ill-tempered. As you proceed through your morning, your entire day begins to embody the reality of what’s happening in your head. You burn your breakfast toast. Some idiot cuts you off in traffic on the way to the office. You step in a wad of gum on your way to the doors. A colleague lets you know some bad news about a project before you even get to the elevator.
We all have days like this. However, the real test is in how we respond to these conditions or circumstances. Our mental energy drives our experiences in life. It is possible to harness this energy for better outcomes.
What’s Actually Happening With Embodiment?
Embodiment happens when you emotionalize that which you desire. It’s being the thing that happens in your mind. You’re actually in the scene. This happens generally unconsciously and often in a nonconstructive manner, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
In its most empowering form, embodiment allows us to create a vision of the future and actualize that energy in real life. Energetically, reality comes to us after it’s already been created in the mind. That is, for something to come to life, that energy must already exist. You can create this energy by envisioning your future self in the present, as though it’s already happened. This is what enables the dream to come to life in this physical reality.
I mean this in a literal way. For a moment, take a pause from this blog post. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and envision a life that you’d love in very specific terms. For instance:
-
- What does your schedule look like today?
- With whom are you spending time? Who’s on your team?
- How does your team interact together?
- What kinds of clothes are you wearing? What transportation are you taking?
- Where is your office located? What does it look like?
- How do you feel physically? What sensations are you feeling in your body?
- What emotions are you experiencing? Are you feeling joy, fear, sadness or anger?
Take your time creating a high-level vision. Then, fill in sensory experiences that bring it from the mind into your body. For instance, feel the leather seat in your car. Admire a small green plant on a desk that’s flooded with light from a large picture window. Taste the dinner you’re enjoying with your family after a fulfilling day of work. Smell the tropical blossoms as you sip a beverage on a well-earned vacation. Listen to the words of a client telling you how your work has changed their life. Feel the serenity or adrenaline that you’d feel in this reality. Bring these sensory experiences to life in your mind and start to feel them in your body.
Ultimately, embodiment is about asking yourself, “How do I own this experience now?” You resonate with energy and can take ownership of a way you want to feel right away. In other words, you don’t need to wait until you’ve achieved something to become it. If you become emotionally open to receive something new, you allow that thing to enter your life. This is the magnet that attracts a life you love.
What Holds us Back From Embodiment?
Ultimately, you’re the artist of your own life. You have access to infinite supply of creative imagination that’s happy to deliver the life you love.
Unfortunately, the other-than-conscious mindset can hold us back from creating this new energy. It’s normal and common for our non-conscious to focus on wounds of the past. Our body and mind hold finely tuned defense mechanisms that try to protect us from future harm. In the background, we focus on relationships that didn’t work, times when we failed, and people who let us down. Our operating systems run through this dynamic over and over. In the process, we create roadblocks to creativity and positive energy.
Our other-than-conscious mindset activates paradigms rooted in worry, doubt, fear, shame, and blame. Typically our instinct is to repress these emotions so we can continue moving forward in our day-to-day realities. However, this isn’t the most productive way to create a new life that you love living. Imagine the energy it takes to hold a beach ball under the water. It wants to be let loose, and at no point will we ever be able to relax without the ball popping to the surface! When we continue to hold things down in this manner, it can cause mental and emotional anguish, and even disease in the body.
However, if we’re willing to just reside in this space and shift the energy, we can make powerful changes. You might say to yourself, “I don’t know how to do that,” or,” I’ve tried to change unsuccessfully.” This is very common. It takes high quality support to release those paradigms. With support, you may even begin to identify and work through energy patterns before they become entrenched. This is a process that can productively harness the powerful creation of new patterns. Together is how we bring a new reality to life.
How to Get Started With Embodiment
Start by connecting to your physical body. If you reside only in your headspace, your purpose cannot easily come to life in the physical realm. Your body is the vehicle that delivers your purpose and desire to the material world. Conversely, you can also feel “stuck” in your body and that may be impacting your headspace. This can show up in the presence of overwhelming stress or addiction.
The first thing you can do on your journey to embodying a life you love is to hit the pause button. Take a breath and connect to the resource of your body. Typically, bodies carry a lot of wisdom – and also a lot of trash. Take inventory. Are you running quickly to avoid certain feelings or paradigms? What have you been avoiding?
Next, envision what you’d like to be different. You create all things twice: first in the mental realm, and then in reality. Think of it like a garden, where your thoughts are the seeds. You must choose the right seeds for the end result you want. What will it feel like to cut a rose and give it to someone you love? What will it feel like to eat nutritious, tasty vegetables that you grew yourself? If you don’t slow down, you’ll grow broccoli when what you really wanted were spicy peppers.
In short, embodiment starts with a visualization of the results you want. Then, you must nurture those seeds with energy and care so they can flourish. Tend to the garden in your mind and before you know it, you’ll be living a life you love.
Complimentary Consultation
If you’re ready to explore ways to become a better leader, create a high-performing team, or how to make money doing what you love, schedule a complimentary video call to learn how our coaching programs can empower you! We provide solutions that prepare professionals to move from empty jobs into careers that fulfill their purpose. To get started, schedule a complimentary consultation via Zoom.
In this 30-60 minute online breakthrough coaching session, I will help you get crystal clear on where you are right now and where you want to be. I’ll give you my best professional recommendations to help you take your first steps toward your success breakthrough.
Click here to book your session now.
 |
Written by Monttein Alonso At Engaging Breakthroughs, Craig Tennant and Monttein Alonso deliver |