The Joy of Embodiment

We all long to be present for our lives and yet our thoughts continually put a veil between us and the living moment of life. To step out of our addiction to being lost in thought requires that we make friends with our bodies and that we learn to feel again—both the wonderful feelings and the unpleasant ones.

For most of us, this is a scary thing to do. Our bodies felt feelings when we were young that were both terrifying (rage, longing, sadness, and fear) and socially inappropriate (exuberance and sexuality, to name a few). So we learned to live from the forehead up, freezing these feelings in the nether world of our bodies. In order to stay unconscious, we only give our bodies fleeting attention and then abuse them with extremes of food, inactivity, overwork, and the social drugs of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and sugar. When our bodies give us the feedback that all is not in balance, we rail at these demands and often flood them with even more toxicity.

Usually, we only listen to our bodies when they call out in pain. Because we’re not at home in our bodies, they become a repository for our emotional pain. Many religions see it as something less than, a defilement of the spirit. It is interesting to note that most of our swear words are a judgment about some function of this exquisite creation. No wonder we move through our lives in such a disconnected way.

To come back into our bodies is to come back into our wholeness and into a deeper experience of life. To be present in our bodies is to access the health and energy we have yearned for, allowing us to consciously engage with the reservoir of wisdom that is always there. Let’s experience now what it is like to be in a body where our energy is not blocked so we can access the health and wisdom we long for.

After you read this paragraph, close your eyes, and allow a few deep breaths. Now begin to shake your hand vigorously. Let it to move back and forth through space, working up to a fast pace. Stop suddenly and bring your full attention to the sensations in your hand. Feel the pulsating energy of life moving through your entire hand. Stay with it as it slowly fades away. Be adventurous and shake your whole body. Stop suddenly and bring deep curiosity to what is happening. Experience the wonderful feeling of energy flowing freely.

This simple shaking exercise allows us a glimpse into the possibility of what it feels like to live in a body that is open to life.  When we are lost in our heads and absent from our lives, our bodies hold on. They also mirror the struggle of our minds (the furrow in the brow, the clenched shoulders, the tight fist in our stomach). To come back into our body is to soften and melt these ancient patterns of contraction, freeing up the flow of energy that we are.

Free flowing energy is the experience of joy and radiance. Shaking our hand is an artificial way to open into it. This can also be experienced through our whole body and into the depths of our being by paying attention—by simply being here. When we are here, it is safe to let go of our guard. Our muscles soften and our bodies open. This brings about the free flow of energy that is radiance—the essence of our true being.

If it interests you, pause a few times throughout your day and allow your attention to come fully into your body. Know that slowly and surely, your mind will discover it is safe to be fully in your body and, and as your ancient holdings let go, the radiance that is your birthright will reveal itself.

If this calls to you, enroll in my interactive online course beginning February 1st, Falling in Love with You. If you want an overview of the course, please watch Mary’s Masterclass Video for the course. Contact devrah@maryomalley.com for more info.