How To Tell When You’re Not Practicing Embodiment
Five signs that you are out of sync with your body’s messages.
Embodiment is a state of being that begins with a practice of awareness; by tuning into the body’s systems, we can notice subtle cues much more readily and easily. More often than not, we recognize when we are out of balance after the fact. These next five signs are some of the most common that I see among clients. Ask yourself if you experience any of these issues, and then check out below how to recalibrate the nervous system and begin operating from a more embodied place.
1. You experience aches and pains that seem to come from sleep or are inexplicable.
Having some “inexplicable” pains or aches? These pains can be tied to moments of stress. Most folks are pretty sedentary 5-10 hours of the day and many people are getting used to new WFH environments where they may be perched at the kitchen table on zoom calls all afternoon. Not only does the act of not moving create pain and discomfort in the body, but the wave of emotions encountered throughout the day create physical impulses, and when we stifle or deny these impulses we create areas of tension and stuck energy.
2. You often find yourself short of breath, or worse holding it!
The sympathetic nervous system’s response to stress is to shorten or hold the breath in preparation for a burst of fight, flight or freeze. For many of us, the sympathetic nervous system is over-activated daily due to a slew of stressors. This causes us to breathe much shallower in a manner called “vertical breathing.” Do your shoulders rise and fall when you breathe? Maybe it’s time to start practicing breath work or incorporating breathing techniques into your breaks.
3. You are constantly defending or correcting yourself in conversations.
While you may be constantly engaged in conversation with difficult people, if you find yourself activated into defensiveness regularly it could be related to being out of touch with your body. Defensiveness is another activation of the sympathetic nervous system. When we are out of touch with our breath and our wave of emotions, we can be reactive. Some folks will find themselves speaking out in ways that are not in alignment with their deeper values and belief systems, or fumbling for words to gain a sense of control.
4. You feel or have emotional spikes and dips several times throughout the day.
Throughout the day, many of us will travel along a wave of emotion. (In the current climate especially) We encounter things that excite us and anger us, but when we are not embodied, these feelings take center stage and direct our actions. Are you moving from one spike to the next? Constantly overwhelmed by any new information? It’s a lot to take in and process fully. When you’re not embodied, you’re jumping from stimulus to stimulus, constantly landing and leaping from the same foot.
5. You find it difficult to speak up for yourself.
This sympathetic nervous response is called “freeze”. There is so much to say here about blocked throat chakras and certain gates in Human Design, but not being able to speak up for your needs is a clear indication of detachment from the body.
There are systems in the body operating at all times that provide impulses about how much rest we need, what (or where) we should eat, and how we can relate to others. Being embodied gives these impulses proper attention and opens a clear channel to express them. If you have noticed any of these behaviors and patterns in yourself, GREAT! You’re one step closer to resolving them. Once you become aware of the limiting patterns, you begin to notice their triggers and gain a deeper understanding of your body’s messages. Take your time and feel it out. And please, PLEASE breathe.
