The key, as I have witnessed within myself and other women I work with, is embodiment. How can we possibly live, and be in a new way of being, without being present in our bodies? When we are embodied we connect to our feminine energy source. This is imperative for women for our own well-being and health.

Today I treated a woman with lower back pain. She is a mother of two, busy, working, juggling sports, volunteering at school, driving kids around, plus everything else (you know …) and guess what, she is tired, fatigued and in her head, pushing herself . She is not finding the time to breathe into her body, to listen to her inner guidance, to fill herself up from the inside. She has not found the room to take care of herself, so her body lets her know she is out of balance through pain. She is hungry to do something for herself, but cannot find the time.

To truly birth something, we need to stop and take time to listen, to be fed by what is around us, to receive, to not always be giving, to set boundaries, to take care of ourselves. This allows us to find the space to be connected to our whole being, which means listening to our body wisdom, where our feminine connection lies. This is where, as women, we can truly be guided from a profoundly supportive place, and give birth to what we are passionate about.

Please let me know what you are birthing right now, I always love to hear from you.

So often in my work with the somatic (feeling) body (usually through an area of pain) I find a part inside that is not heard or listened to and feels totally alone. This part is often missing the feminine connection of feeling loved, seen, feeling they have someone they can trust so that they can fully be themselves. This part is devoid of the feminine connection….. usually tracing back to childhood.

Marion goes onto say that “the great work of our time is to bringing the feminine into our culture. And it is not an easy path” And how it is important to “take time to listen, …. and recognise there are things that need to be felt, or said, or lived, or grieved…..Pay attention to your authentic self”

So how do we find that authentic self and heal that part of us that has lost the feminine connection? The way for me is by being more embodied in my feminine. It is the feminine self, energy system, principle within ourselves that gives us the opening to be, express, relate and love who we are and be able to be present for another.

Marion also says “when you are living your own reality, you become the sovereign of your own life. You know who you are, you speak what you believe and there is a natural pride that goes with it. So I ask you are you living your authentic life? Do you embody the feminine principle? Are you feeling connected, loved, and seen? Let me know how you feel about these questions, I would love to hear from you. I believe that it is the feminine principle that will assist in healing our world.

So what does this have to do with the body?  Well, the body is like a map or a blueprint that shows us in ways both obvious and subtle where we are free or not free. If we are in acute physical pain or physical restriction, the body is giving us a pretty obvious signal as to where we are not free.  Less obvious, until you learn how to tune in and ‘read’ the body, is that the body will show and tell us what we are holding on the emotional, mental & spiritual levels that is keeping us stuck or ‘not free’. Often, it is the lack of freedom on these ‘other’ levels that creates the physical restriction in the first place.

Here’s an example.  Recently, a woman came to my office with pain in her neck and radiating into her eyes that was not responding to “standard” treatment.  As we connected with this pain through hands-on manipulation, breath, intention and awareness, it became obvious that she was holding a tremendous amount of fear in this area.  On deeper exploration, it became clear that the fear was caused by repetitive negative and catastrophic thoughts (ie, fear of being in a car crash, fear of being alone, fear of illness).  As a result, she described feeling tight, contracted, disconnected, and stuck in her body.  As she let herself feel these fears her body was storing, she felt herself shut down and lose feeling of her body altogether as her overactive mind took front-and-center stage.

I know how she feels.  I understand the body contraction that comes when I get angry or anxious for example.  The body naturally contracts and restricts when there is pain, disease, fear or judgement at the mental and emotional levels or we feel separated at a spiritual level.  When we can bring in awareness, compassion, forgiveness and healing at these levels, we open the doors to gain freedom in every part of our lives, which is reflected in our physical body.

So, back to my client.  What do you think happened when we moved into an expanded place of positive and loving thoughts?  Try this… think of something that upsets you and FEEL into your body.  How does it respond?  Now think of something positive, fun, something you love… what happens in your body?  (Is it easier to breathe; more relaxed; are your muscles softer?) When I asked my client to do this and speak what was present for her, the first word out of her mouth was FREEDOM!

Yes!  When we connect to what is happening in our body we find the freedom we are longing for.  By allowing ourselves to slow down, feel inside, embrace what is present, become aware of what is truly going on for us, we give ourselves the opportunity to feel our truth, which then flows into our life. Ah… doesn’t that feel good?!

It can be a bumpy road as we awaken ourselves to the Freedom we are longing for, and it is a process, not a quick fix.  However, by sensing and feeling our world through our body we are more easily able to assess what is happening to us and how to take care of ourselves.

I have deep respect for body knowledge.  When I live my life including my body, I feel the deep connection to source, and that gives me tremendous freedom.  To me, true freedom can only come when we inhabit our body and live a body-mind existence.

So… what does this mean for you?  How do you do this for yourself?  How do you access your own body wisdom?  When do you take the time to do it?  And anything else for that matter… please share your thoughts!

We also did some partnering work, which I love to teach as it is about being in relationship with yourself and with another and the girls LOVED this part of the class.  They loved being supported and they loved having someone support them.  They really got the importance of  taking care of yourself before taking care of another and how valuable that is.  One of them expressed how she felt uncomfortable that someone was crying, and I explained how when we move into the body emotions get released and it is a good thing to have them expressed otherwise those emotions can build up in us and create other issues.

I was delighted to hear how these 17 year old girls got a piece of understanding about how to connect more deeply to their body…. and that made me feel like what I do is worth it.  I encourage you to spend some free time moving/dancing and take your time to FEEL as you do. Don’t just move, move with intention and focus – your body, mind and spirit will love you for it, like the girls did. Post a comment below and share your experience?  How did it go?