Why the body matters when we want to grow
This is a brief explanation of why somatic work, which is working with the body, is so powerful for everything from maintaining well-being to boosting creativity, building peak performance to finding your purpose.
Our society, our programming and our philosophy are head-based. That is to say, we see the intellect as all-powerful and the body as the thing that merely serves and transports our brain around. This approach leaves a wealth of wisdom untapped. This top-down disembodied approach to living makes us feel disconnected from both ourselves and the world around us. It is the main driver of why so many people feel isolated and unhappy and the planet is in such a precarious state.
Nature operates as a whole. We, as human beings, are an expression of nature. When we connect to the whole of our body rather than just our intellect we get so much more. Whilst this is not new, only now is science catching up on what our ancient civilisations and sages have always known.
We access our embodied wisdom when we tap into what we feel. This intelligence is far more potent than the intellect and will guide us with our best interests as its compass.
We are taught to be suspicious and wary of our feelings and emotions. We fear they may hurt us, perhaps even overwhelm us. However, once we know how to engage with what we feel these concerns fall away and a whole new world opens up.
Both the body and the intellect can be passive (automatic) or active. To get the most from them we need to be fully engaged.
The intellect operates at the level of the conscious mind, based on the past (our memories). To save energy, it is highly selective of what data it chooses to focus on. This creates mental blind spots and biases.
The body on the other hand lives in the present. It is the doorway to the subconscious, where the vast majority of our beliefs and memories are stored. If we want harmony and authenticity we must explore this deeper level. If we want to see the bigger picture our subconscious will reveal it to us.
The Embodied Intelligence Process overcomes our biases and blind spots by engaging primarily with the body with the intellect in a serving role. Questions are asked that require a felt response rather than a thought. That felt response is then interpreted and checked to make sure the interpretation is correct. This process reveals what the intellect hides from us.
The information we receive is typically very powerful.
It inspires us, informs us and transforms us.
The intellect wants to maintain the status quo, according to its own logic. To a greater or lesser extent, we all underperform our potential. Part of the reason for this is that change puts our sense of ourselves at risk. Our intellect is reticent to reveal anything that could bring about something new because our ego fears the unknown.
The body, however, seeks only harmony. And when we are harmonious we are at our best.
If you would like to find out more, please email us at info@embodiedintelligence.world or you can book a free exploratory chat to get more information https://calendly.com/embodiedintelligence/30min