BY LEO BABAUTA
Most of us live in about 8% of our body most of the time – the head. Even though we have a lot of body beneath the head, we forget about that most of the day.
We’re on our screens, doing work, consuming content, messaging. We’re distracted, worried, ruminating. We’re overthinking, building up a case against someone, or watching video after video.
There’s nothing wrong with this, it’s a very human thing. But what would it be like to live more fully in our bodies? We might call this, “Embodied Living.”
To live embodied means to:
- Notice when we’re caught up in our heads, and bring a mindful pause.
- Feel and appreciate the breath.
- Move the body, stretch it, appreciate it.
- Be more present in the moment, feeling the experience of the moment.
- Notice our surroundings more often, and be curious about them.
- Feel more alive, rather than stuck in thoughts.
- Act from the heart, instead of overthinking, and to trust those actions.
Things that help with being more embodied include meditation, yoga, breathwork, movement, awe walks, coaching, martial arts, and more.
But it can be hard to move from being in our heads most of the time … to being more embodied throughout the day. Let’s talk about how to do that.
The Embodied Pause
It’s always a good idea to start small. Let’s start with the Embodied Pause:
- Multiple times throughout the day … pause.
- Take in some breaths. Notice how the breath feels. Let yourself savor each in-breath, and let tension out with each out-breath.
- Stretch. Stretch your neck (gently), your shoulders, your jaw. Maybe the rest of your body too if you like. Let yourself release tension in these areas, and remember that you have a body.
- Ask yourself what you need. Do you need to move around? Take a break? Drink some water? Have some tea? Talk to a friend? This is a way of honoring your body’s needs.
It’s fairly simple and doesn’t have to take long. Notice if you’re resisting this – it’s common to want to skip past this because it feels too basic, or it interrupts whatever you were doing on a screen.
Practice this for a week. I promise it will have you feeling more embodied. It’s a great start!