Extend to freedom

Through asana (posture & movement with breath) we develop sensitivity of body awareness; training the body to develop and extend its consciousness and allow the mind to drop into this expandedness.

Simple movement to begin; mountain standing posture and raising & lowering the arms with the in and out breath . Movement originates in the core (hara) and extends to the periphery.

A core sequence of postures develop emotional and physical core stability:
- down dog
- standing forward bend
- warrior I
- tree
- seated forward bend

Working up through these, with guidance from a trained teacher, until we can hold them for 3-5 mins. Thus through the body, we strengthen the ego.

Each movement sequence into and out of the posture is an art. Moving mindfully; teasing fascia, encouraging muscles, tendons and bone, we extend into the body. And the breath expands into every nerve and cell in the body .

We feel the extension into the limits of our skin and feel the brain of the skin connect to the brain of the gut (enteric nervous system ) . The body brain sing to the Cranial brain a sweet, sweet harmony. Our nerves tingling and alive with energy; energy flowing freely.

By extending ourselves physically and emotionally in these postures, we open our nerves and brain pathways to new ways of being. Extension is freedom; and in this freedom we can deeply release and relax.

Tapping into your body intelligence

We live busy, stressed lives which means many of us are living in alienation and fragmentation with ourselves and others.

Embodied living is about bringing all levels of ourself into alignment and harmony (we are like an onion, with many layers or sheaths) with one another; bringing us to integration and wholeness. Freedom is the ultimate goal, a blissful worry-free existence of integration and balance.

To begin we must repair the schizm between the physical body and the mind. Many people use their bodies so little, or with such lack of awareness, that they lose sensitivity of bodily awareness. However consciousness itself originates in our bodies and without this awareness we are only using a tiny atom of vast intelligence and sensitivity available to us.

In Embodied Living we initially work through the body to change the mind. First, stress must be overcome and resilience built. When we are thus energised yet relaxed we are ready for the exploration.

Then, by bringing the sensitivity of the body and the intelligence of the brain and the heart into harmony we begin to tap into a fuller consciousness.

The cranial brain becomes more receptive, our consciousness evolves and we reach our soul. The higher levels of Embodied Living open us up to deep bliss, wholeness and connection with ourselves and the world. But the foundations are built in the physical body.

By extending our physical body we expand our mind. This helps us develop a sensitivity and receptivity toward life which we are yet only dimly aware.

The Importance of Ego

In Embodied Living, like many self transcendence programmes, we are ultimately aiming for egolessness. However, and here is the paradox; egolessness simply cannot be achieved without a healthy and well-developed ego in the first place. In black and white terms, I guess there is 'good' ego and 'bad' ego.

Bad ego is embodied in that egotistical person that we all know who is so sure of him/herself, arrogant (even if this is 'couched' in a seemingly high sense of admiring others) to a point of simply not being able to recognise when he is in the wrong. I guess we all know one person like this. The twist here is that, quite often, these people actually have self-esteem issues, and the 'big' ego is hiding this.

Weak ego is often present when people show the following:

1. over idolising someone else


2. over protective of oneself - fearful of making mistakes, or of being vulnerable. This manifests in someone who is quick to criticise or cut others down, or often makes judgements of others


3. being attached to being of service - martyring oneself to others/ a cause in order to have a sense of self (ie the wife slavishly serving a family to the detriment of her own health and wellbeing)

'Good' ego has a stamp of humility, service to others, magnanimous behaviour. The person who appreciates themselves or others, despite recognising failings and weaknesses.

In Embodied Living we can develop ego through working with the body and the centres of intelligence in the energy centres and the enteric nervous system, the heart and the brain, thereby integrating the nervous system. The stronger the core ego, the greater ability we have to live fully and deeply in the world, without it buffeting and throwing us about like we are in a storm.

Related to ego are two terms that often get confused. Self-confidence and self-esteem. People can be very self-confident, yet lack self-esteem. Quite often the former is used to make up for the latter. Self-confidence comes from experience and having the skills and successes behind you to do the job. If you practice public speaking and build up a bank of positive experiences, you will be confident.

However, self-esteem is something deeper. It is a sense of valuing yourself for just being alive, feeling worthy and accepting yourself unconditionally. This comes from our childhood. And we can develop it later, if we missed out earlier on in our lives.

Let go and improve your relationships

Have you ever found that what you most want often comes to you just at the point when you let of wanting it so much?

Think about the time you forgot someone's name or when you misplaced your car keys. Last weekend I was attending a course and the trainer wanted to know the name of a wonderful man I had studied with recently. 'Phillip .......' I replied and could not recall his all important surname. The harder I tried, the more I knew it would not come. So I gave myself permission to let go of trying to remember. As soon as I truly let go, lo and behold, his name popped straight into my head!

A recent article in Scientific American's Mind magazine posits that relinquishing power over oneself appears to thwart overthinking and “liberate” people for more authentic relationships. We admire people who show determination and have the will power to succeed at what they do. We look up to those who have the self discipline to get up early to run 2 miles, or avoid eating chocolate or drinking too much wine. Self control is cherished and applauded and we try to install such things in our children. Too much self control and will power has a downside and relinquishing personal power can be a tonic for our times.

The article highlights some research that shows when we have less power over self control we are less inhibited, more candid and more authentic. Which works wonders in our relationships with our selves and others.

Read Try a Little Powerlessness .