003 The “Obstacles” of Embodiment

Today I'll be talking about obstacles we encounter at the beginning of the embodiment journey. And though obstacle isn’t exactly the right word, it can feel like that when we’re starting out. 

I’ll be referring to last week’s guided meditation throughout this letter. If you haven’t had a chance, I highly recommend going here and experiencing it for yourself before reading on. Though the meditation might seem long (20 minutes) it’s quite simple and - bonus! - you get to do it lying down.

If you missed last week's issue, you can find it here.
If you're new to this list, you can check out past issues here.

**Be sure to check out the video at the end of this letter where I teach you to apply the basic principles of somatic meditation to specific issues in your own life**

Feeling <> Thinking

For two weeks I’ve been going deep into embodiment. And while I’ve covered a lot, it can all be summed up with a single word: Feel. It’s a word we all know but it takes on extra weight in the context of embodiment.

That’s because, when I’m asking you to feel things - physical things, your emotions, or the funny in-between sensations that could be either - what I’m really asking you to do is put aside your thinking mind and connect to the part of yourself that knows through feeling. 

If you find that sentence confusing, it's ok. It’s strange to consider that some of our physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual problems can be the result of thinking too much and feeling too little. 

How can it be that physical disease can sometimes result from an over-reliance on the mind? How can fear, anger, or anxiety be addressed effectively by focusing on the body rather than thoughts?

It’s perhaps even stranger to consider that in applying intellect in situations that demand creativity, intuition, and compassion (all of which arise from the body) we can under-perform in our jobs, relationships, physical activities, and our stewardship of the planet.

Rather than elaborate, I’ll ask you to consider the last few paragraphs and whether they have any relevance in your own life. If you found yourself feeling confused, frustrated, alarmed, numb, ashamed, or dismissive while exploring last week’s meditation then it’s likely these ideas are highly relevant.

The “Obstacles” of Embodiment

There are countless reasons why someone might have trouble connecting in the beginning. And although I can’t address all possibilities, let’s look at some of the most common:

Obstacle #1: You don’t feel anything

This is the most frequent concern people have when they start to explore embodiment. They a) aren’t feeling anything or b) they’re not feeling what they think they should be feeling.

Though the best way to address a specific issue is in a private session, the best general answer I can give is in two parts. 

First, making the effort to feel is vastly more important than what you feel.

In fact, it doesn’t matter if you don’t feel anything at first. The “looking”, the conscious effort to observe the body, is what activates the body’s healing mechanisms. This is true whether you feel it or not. 

And, your effort will bring buried sensations closer to the surface. Stick with it, don’t get lost in getting it “right” or “wrong” and you’ll gradually feel more. 

Second, everyone has the innate ability to do this work.

Because you are human, you are capable of embodiment. Rushing to evaluate either yourself or the practice will only delay and diminish your capacity to connect.

This is a prime example of how thinking can be an obstacle to feeling. Your role is to show up, try your best, and trust that the body knows what it’s doing (even if the mind doesn’t)

Obstacle #2: You’re feeling too much 

Your body has been waiting for you to pay attention. In some cases, you might be startled by what comes forward when you decide to engage. Again, my advice is two-fold. 

First, your body will never give you something you can’t handle. The material that surfaces during embodiment practices is never, in and of itself, traumatizing. You can trust the intelligence and benevolence of your body. 

Second, you can choose the level of intensity that feels safe. If the sensations are too strong, you can back off by turning your attention to something neutral. Perhaps you focus on your breath or you open your eyes and gaze around the room. 

The gazing is especially effective if you state out-loud what you’re seeing. “This is me looking at the light switch”, “This is me looking at the house plant”, etc. It sounds strange but it works. 

Allow yourself to dip into the feelings and, when it feels like too much, take a step back. This back and forth motion is extremely effective whenever you’re working with difficult feelings. Above all, you need to avoid pushing yourself. 

**The body will never traumatize you but your mind can when it convinces you to push beyond what feels safe. There’s a lot of healing simply in allowing your process to unfold in a gentle way**

Obstacle #3: You feel sensations but they don’t seem to be evolving or resolving 

Though this is another common experience, the scope of why it happens and how to work with it is far too broad for this one edition of the newsletter. I’ll record a video for next week’s edition that covers this issue in some depth. 

Phew! That’s enough for this week. 

The following meditation applies the principles of last week’s recording to your specific circumstances. Enjoy and let me know how it goes for you!

Enjoy and let me know what how it goes for you. See you next week!

Energetically,
David