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If you have a body:
You need to read this.
Loren Boyd
April 01, 2024
We all have a body. And if you are reading this, then you have the ability to connect with it.
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend an ecstatic dance event led by my dear friend Sarah Sampson, director of the Dallas Movement Collective. Dance is a huge part of my background. I never played sports. Growing up, I was in the studio after school multiple days per week practicing ballet, jazz, tap, modern, hip-hop, you name it. I love music. I love rhythm. I love letting it take me over. I love giving myself to it. Ecstatic dance is free-form movement. You just let your body move in the way that it wants to. You express. You release. You heal. Last week’s dance was a powerful experience of embodiment for me. Much like my yoga practice, it was an invitation to experience freedom in its purest form… such a gift in this rigid, structured world we live in.
Only when you truly inhabit your body can you begin the healing journey.
It’s easy to live in our head and let our minds run the show. We can think about things — decisions, behaviors we want to change, situations we wish were different — until we are blue in the face. But it requires action from our body to make any real change. And if we are disconnected from our body for any reason, this will not be possible. We will just stay stuck in our heads. And that is not a fun place to live.
What is embodiment?
Embodiment refers to the state of being manifest or expressed in physical form, particularly in relation to abstract concepts, ideas, or principles. It implies the representation of something tangible or concrete.
How do you embody freedom in a world full of structure? What practices do you have in place that allow you to break free from what makes you feel small, limited, or restricted from living in your fullest human expression?
Being — existence, energy, vitality — means that our spirit fills our body. Our full self is embodied. But when we look in the mirror, what do we see? A dull, vacant stare? A sunken chest? A phony smile? Go take a look. What do you see? If it isn’t a vibrant self brimming with energy and presence, then you’re shortchanging yourself on the gift of life.
The body is where the healing journey begins. The body is where our ancient wisdom resides. When we connect to our body, we connect with that wisdom — we find the answers we are looking for, whether that is through movement or stillness. It is possible to embody freedom when we allow ourselves to move in a way that feels good — to take up space, stop playing small, and fully claim the importance of our presence. To embody something means to alchemize it through the body. We must use our sacred vessels to bring our desires and intentions into living manifestations of our truth.