“You help people step into embodiment, to be the very essence of who they were born to be.”
I was having a soul-exploring conversation with someone, trying to put into words what I do and who I am, and this is what they said.
My initial thought was, “What does that even mean?”
The next thing I knew, I was five hours into reading and researching the terms “embody” and “embodiment.” Unsurprisingly, I found varying opinions and definitions.
The word comes from the 1540s and was originally used in reference to a soul or spirit giving animation to something. I have always thought of our soul as taking up space in our bodies, so it made sense to me: em (in) body (noun for physical body)
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines embody as “to give a body to,” and embodiment as “someone who is a perfect representative or example of a quality.”
Vocabulary.com defines embody as “a role to fill it completely,” and embodiment as “something giving concrete form to an abstract idea.”
From my perspective, it’s not just about allowing our soul to take up its full expression of space in our bodies. It also means giving form to ideas and even feelings that are not usually physical: like love, hate, fear, justice, and, ultimately, our purpose here on this earth.
We all want to feel a sense of embodiment.
The irony I found in this idea that I help people to embody who they truly are lies in the fact that, when I think of my last 40 years on this earth, embodiment is something I have always explored and strived for myself.
I suppose I followed Robin Roberts’s advice in her book, Everybody’s Got Something, and made my mess my message.
Growing up, I always had this underlying sense of anxiety that I still can’t fully understand. It felt like a buzz in my body and was often associated with a whisper in my head that I didn’t belong, I wasn’t good enough, and I should avoid certain topics.
I never felt fully comfortable or safe in my body.
I kept the important emotions in and let the unnecessary out to fill space. In general, I had a hard time processing. And when I did, it seemed to result in discord and dis-ease.
That is what eventually kickstarted my embodiment quest to embrace the feelings and thought-forms that would connect me to who I was born to be, that would help me feel at peace.
Over time I created a formula, one that has kept me on track to embodiment. I have found that applying this to all areas of our lives is effective. May it be of benefit to you, too.
The E.M.B.O.D.Y. Formula for Highly Sensitive People:
E = Energetic Hygiene
Around our bodies, we have varying fields of energy. The Law of Attraction states like attracts like. Energetic Hygiene is a process that keeps those fields clear and clean of old stories, patterns, and imprints, so we avoid attracting low vibrational experiences. My studies in energy medicine have taught me how important methods like grounding and clearing the body and home are.
One tool a fellow Feng Shui practitioner taught me to be consistent with is to use lemons as a gauge for the energy of the home. I place individual lemons in different places and observing how they age. The aim is to see them naturally darken, but if they mold, turn green, or have dark spots, it is likely that the energy is lower in that space. Energetic Hygiene can look different for everyone. I may use lemons and subtle energy clearing techniques, and someone else may resort to Epsom salt baths, decluttering, and using high-quality essential oils. The point is to keep your mind, body, spirit, and home clean and clear, so that only raw, beautiful, real energy is left around you.
M = Mindful Mindset
Simply put, be present. When we are present and live moment to moment, we are able to have easier access to our truest feelings, thus have a more mindful life. It helps to recognize the three parts of our being:
>> the “higher self,” which is ego-free and, as I perceive it, is the part of us that knows all the goodness there is to embody,
>> the “lower self,” which I refer to as the itty bitty sh*tty committee, is the one that is full of ego, worry, and non-truths, and then…
>> “the observer,” which is the part that can choose to simply watch things with neutrality.
For example, when we worry, by simply shifting from worrisome thoughts to observing that we are having worrisome thoughts, we become more present.
B = Body
It is vital to let our bodies be our primary gurus, teachers, and GPS systems. Naturally, it follows that we should honor and love our bodies as best we can. We can use the varying sensations of our bodies as tools to develop awareness, be present, and understand ourselves better.
The feelings and sensations we experience in our bodies signal when we need to say yes or no…sometimes even hell yes or hell no. Our bodies also tell us when our values are threatened. Of course, we have to know what our values are first, and, to this end, I have found it useful to assess my top five values regularly (about four times per year).
I perceive our values as messages from the divine that are coded into our DNA. They connect us deeply to our purpose. As an example, an oceanographer may feel full of passion while observing sea creatures, while a sailor might value the feel of the open ocean air. We all have different value systems, and when we let our values lead, we have an easeful path to a fulfilled and fully embodied life.
Simply put, if something doesn’t feel good, it usually isn’t. If it does, it usually is! It can be as simple as using our body as our gauge.
O = Oneness
I believe that we come to earth in divine time because we each have something to share that will help improve our world. When we can come into oneness with that energy, and perceive our state of being here on this earth as helpful, it can be easier to get out of the mind, into the heart, and fully embody who came to be.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The reason why the world lacks unity and lies broken and in heaps, is, because man is disunited with himself.”
Aiming for oneness every day can be key to embodiment. The way I like to currently practice coming into oneness is through meditation, prayer, breathwork, and simply asking myself each morning, “How can I help even one person today?”
D = Daily Routine
I recently read a book by author Darren Hardy, and in it, he said, “A daily routine built on good habits and disciplines separates the most successful among us from everyone else. The routine is exceptionally powerful.”
Author and coach John C. Maxwell agrees, “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
I recommend letting our bodies tell us what this needs to look like. If a 60-minute meditation routine sounds good, roll with that. If five minutes sounds better, sit for five. The bottom line is to do something, daily. At the time I am writing this, my morning routine consists of writing, choosing an angel card, reading a quote, tuning in with the moon cycle, 30 minutes of movement, walking the dogs, meditation, Energy Codes®, and release work. It may sound like a lot, but in reality, it’s 60-90 minutes.
Y = Yin Yang Balance
How can we be who we were put here to be if we are out of balance?
If we only give and never receive, our to-do list overflows. We feel overwhelmed. And, especially if we have no time for ourselves, it is difficult to know who we really are and embody that being.
When we are out of balance, we are typically disconnected from the body, or just refusing to listen to it. We can end up feeling out of balance with our community, our world, and ourselves. I bring in balance rituals by practicing balancing yoga poses, color-coding my calendar to make sure I have a balance of self-care activities carved out, checking in with my body on what it needs, asking for help, and making sure I address balance in my mind, body, spirit, and home.
So, we do all of this, and then wonder, “Can we ever reach full embodiment and, if so, how would we even know we have, and what would it look like?”
I imagine we’d feel a sense of fullness, purpose, and contentment. We’d feel secure and whole.
When living a fully embodied life, we live aligned and in better balance with community, world, and self. There is harmony. There is peace. Despite outward circumstances.
And who doesn’t want more of that? I’ll take an order of that every day of the year!
AUTHOR: GINA NICOLE BALLARD
IMAGE: MICHELLE CIAPPA
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