Embodied movement (or somatic movement) needs its own article explaining what it is. I certainly had no idea what it was all about.

Embodiment/somatic essentially means ‘in the body’. So, embodiment practices are designed to bring us out of the head, and into the body. This could be body awareness exercises or longer movement-based practices.

We are, generally speaking, taught to live from the head up from a very young age; to use logic and do what we are told rather than trusting in what we know. As a result, over time, we can’t sense it anymore. We hesitate. Doubt. Second guess ourselves. And we do what we think we should rather than what is true for us.

And so, over time, the body starts to give us signals that we are not living in alignment. It could start as a stomach ache and turn into IBS. It could start as some minor neck pain and become chronic back pain. This is from all the tension that the body is holding from believing things about ourselves that are not true.

Tension also accumulates from unprocessed experiences - traumas - that were not able to complete themselves. Animals shake all the time; dogs often shake after a human pats them and a gazelle has a good shake-off after escaping the clutches of a lion. In doing so, they release the build-up of adrenaline and move the fear through their system. But we don’t do that. In fact, the opposite often happens - we repress the feeling and try to make it go away. As a result, it becomes ‘stuck’.

Embodiment practices focus on the internal experience of the body, promoting awareness and connection between mind and movement. They assist to release tension, improve body awareness, and enhance emotional regulation. In the practices we focus on the exploration of sensations, helping to identify and process stored emotions and trauma. This holistic approach not only benefits physical health by increasing flexibility, strength, and coordination but also nurtures mental well-being by reducing stress and anxiety and embracing a deeper connection to oneself.

From a biochemical perspective, the practices help to release excess cortisol and adrenaline thereby taking the body out of flight/flight/freeze response and into the rest/digest/heal part of the nervous system. This means that food can be digested properly. Hormones such as serotonin, dopamine, GABA, progesterone and other calming neurotransmitters can be produced.

As part of my teacher training and before I even began to learn how to teach these practices, I spent a year working through my own muck. Using the practices under the guidance of my teacher, my body slowly began to release all that it had been holding and my habitual patterns started to shift. I would no longer attempt to numb my feelings through busyness, food, alcohol or anything else. My nervous system rewired itself to become much more resilient and adaptable.

The best part about all this was the joy and vitality I suddenly had access to. It was always there of course, but I wasn’t able to feel it. We can’t know happiness unless we know sorrow. We can’t know pleasure unless we know pain. So by avoiding pain, I was also robbing myself of pleasure. By numbing fear, I couldn’t feel love.

Humans have been dancing for centuries, and certainly in many cultures they still often have ‘fire ceremonies’ where they dance and recalibrate. When we have an uncomfortable feeling, the tendency is to try and distract ourselves from it, when it really wants to be felt and moved. The irony is that we create far more pain trying to avoid it.

The practices return us to homeostasis; to the true nature of ourselves. In the beginning, it’s normal to feel numbness, or very subtle feelings. It’s normal to have racing thoughts through the practices (this still happens to me). This doesn’t mean they are not working. In meditation, we learn to return to the breath. In these practices, we learn to return to the body.

As for what it actually looks like, these particular practices are done on all fours (like cat/cow) or lying down. They can also be done in a chair if needed. We keep the eyes closed and something moving at all times. I provide the music and guidance; your body does the rest.

I’d love for you to join me to experience the magic of embodied movement in a public class or within a program. Whilst it can feel a little strange at first, the benefits are so, so worth it.