Wisdom Arises in the Body

Mindfulness is a practice, a state, and a trait. We can choose to pay attention to the present moment (practice). And the more we do this, the more momentary states of connection and presence arise naturally. Over time, the more mindful and aware we naturally become (trait). Part of developing mindfulness within is learning to become mindful of the body or developing embodiment.

What is embodiment? What comes up for you when you contemplate the word? Does it feel intriguing and inspiring? Do you resonate with it and think of words like wisdom or ease? Or does it feel foreign or vague and make you wonder why you're hearing about it? Is there resistance to the word itself?

Embodiment is a core principle of the path of presence. It is developing awareness of the body and our experience within it. If we want to develop the mind, reduce pain, and cultivate peace and joy, we want to trust in the connection between mind and body. Discovering the “oneness” of mind and body can be achieved by developing mindfulness of the body.

Embodiment is a journey. It is a gradual rediscovering of our bodies, which we may have abandoned to a degree. It is a reunion with the felt sense. Embodiment is learning to engage with the external world from within our physical form. Just as we would not attempt to drive while keeping our head outside of the sunroof, embodiment teaches us to navigate our daily life from within our one true vehicle.

Do you know what it’s like to stub your toe? This annoying little moment may offer a vivid understanding of a common relationship many of us have with our bodies. Maybe you’re sitting at a table and your phone rings in the next room. You know it’s an important call, and a sense of urgency arises within you. You quickly jump up, and in the rush of things—ouch.

While stubbing toes occasionally is not the end of the world, the causes and conditions of this moment might be worth our attention. Due to the sense of urgency about the phone call, we basically leave our bodies. Our attention jumps out of our physical form.

Although you may be awake in this moment, there is a loss of knowing where the body is in space. The body is in the kitchen, but the mind is in the living room—on the phone. There is a disconnect between mind and body. There is disembodiment.

Disembodiment has become normalized, even when there are no injuries. We’ve become skilled at learning to live outside of our bodies, as our overly driven attitudes, demands, and agendas tug our bodies along for the ride on a daily basis.

Many of us do not pay much attention to our bodies until there is pain or a medical problem. We don’t think about the knee much unless it hurts. Then the body is a problem or something that needs to be fixed so that we can move on and get back to all the things. We want and expect the body to obey and we struggle when it doesn’t.

Or we may pay attention to the body with an obsessive, judgmental, critical eye, as though our bodies must meet particular standards of beauty or performance. We may deny the realities of bodily change, as we engage in all kinds of practices attempting to reduce the appearance of aging.

And while we may think that mindfulness practice is all about cleaning up the mind, de-stressing, or fixing our thoughts, embodiment teaches us that our stressed out, activated, and agitated mental experiences are not simply locked in the head. They dwell in the muscles, connective tissue, and organs of our physical form. Indeed, the mind is linked to an emotional body, which carries our history, our memories.

So embodiment means that we are gradually getting back in touch with our bodies. Developing a new friendship with the place we’ve always lived. The body is quite literally where we live; it is our true home. It is the place of all of our human experience. It is where our stress and pain reside. And it is where we can discover our inner life and cultivate peace and happiness. Where else could we possibly do such a thing? Could you do this outside of your body?

Part of the journey of embodiment means recognizing that the body speaks. Yet we may have spent much of our lives not hearing its words, for understandable reasons. We may be totally accustomed to getting life done without having a relationship to the body’s communication, its language of sensation.

Acknowledging that the body is speaking its language of sensation—and learning to listen to it with awareness and care—is foundational for our purposes of developing the mind, reducing stress, and cultivating greater appreciation for our lives. We cannot learn to live with greater presence while ignoring the body and the language of sensation.

When have you felt a present, balanced connection to the body? What does embodiment feel like to you? Perhaps activities like dance, exercise, art, fishing, sports, martial arts, or gardening bring you back into your body. Maybe you feel “in your body” when you’re in nature or with a particular person. What brings you into your body?

Embodiment begins by bringing attention to the physical body in the present moment. This does not mean thinking about the body, evaluating, or analyzing the body. It means learning to contact and inhabit the body with mindful awareness.

From the perspective of embodiment, we need not solely rely on other activities to live in our bodies. We want to learn to live in our bodies in all moments, even the difficult ones. We have an opportunity to inhabit the body regardless of what we’re doing. Why? Let's find out together.