Embodiment
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Your Body.
Your Body who?
Your out of Body experience that wants to come back in!
Sorry about that, not a good knock knock joke but the question is: are you in your Body? Often times we leave our body vacant of our Selves to make room for storage. Storage of programs and patterns that do not need our conscious mind to operate. It’s like out-sourcing the body’s functional movements and reflexes to a robot, you no longer need to be there. Learned automatic movement patterns are natural programs in the body that leave the conscious mind free to deal with immediate matters like your to-do list. This is all well and good except that the automated goings-on of the body can take over. The whole body starts wanting to operate on autopilot and body parts get downsized or taken out of the auto-loops that the brain has created. Before long all that’s moving in your body is two index fingers on a keyboard and the eyeballs in your head! No, no, no… don’t be such an alarmist!!!
It’s not all that bad….(yet).
Is this the future-shock of the Body? All work and no joint freeing, muscle-relaxing play makes Jack a sluggish and tired old body. Even if you are a seasoned athlete there is always some obsolete pattern that can be let go of to make room for fresh ideas and more ease of movement. If you are one who has not made contact with their body in some time, or maybe never, do not let that stop you. What is the worst thing that can happen if you try to connect with your body? That you’ll find some cob webs? That it won’t work the way you wish it could? That it won’t even want to talk to you after so long? You may feel accustomed to your body’s aches and pains; you may even think that it’s better to leave some stones unturned….well, suit yourself. Where ever you may be on the spectrum of couch potato to extreme athlete the fact remains that the body loves change and challenges. Keep it guessing, give it a surprise, take it for a walk or say “hey body let’s take a long hot bath and get a massage.”
The body can recover and rehabilitate itself from accidents and traumas big and small. To make a shapeshift one must first make a mind-shift. The body loves change and challenge but the mind most often likes status quo and the easy way out. The shift to take control of your body begins in the mind. The way to begin a shapeshift at any level is to observe and take note of all the things your body does on autopilot. Pay close attention to movement patterns of the most basic things like walking, getting in and out of your car, what pant leg you put on first and even how you breathe. All the movements you do without even thinking. Chances are that one side of your body is working harder than the other. If you have some chronic pain or injury it is likely that another part of your body is doing most of the work.
The goal is to inhabit your body fully. To be free of pain and have full range of motion of all of your joints. Try shifting into a greater awareness of the body by observing it’s automatic mechanisms. Once you begin to shapeshift the mind turns off the auto pilot and begins to navigate with all of it’s natural senses. Don’t worry if any of these senses are a bit rusty…time is on your side.
Watch and observe yourself. Notice what movements in your daily life you enjoy and what movements you avoid. Perhaps you avoid bending your left knee because of an old injury. Notice,observe and take note of all your automated movements throughout the day…you may be surprised at what you find.
Be well,
RM