The Embodied Art of Life

I have been reflecting a great deal about what it means to live life not only artfully, but in an embodied way- where there is space for all of life’s experience. The temptation is to want a magic pill to help me not be in the dark ever again and only have the light. But, I know that is not true. Here’s what I do know:

• There will be dark days to experience. It is a given

• Often I want to rush through the darkness- to make it pass as fast as possible but this only makes me bump into things- making my journey more challenging

• Light dispels darkness

  
  

I have been asking myself, ‘What if I slow down while I am here and simply be with it? What if I take small moments to invite in some gentle nourishment in the midst of it all, not expecting to dispel all the dark, but simply to let the dark know I am taking care of it? What if I let go of the push and grind which has been the hallmark of my life since I was small?

I can intentionally build in moments of light, and the intentionality of this is resourcing in itself, like the soft glow of a slow, snowy sunrise. Metaphorically, I could let the swirling whiteness of the wintery air clear the stagnation.

Doing this, I can gently unfurl from my dark corner and re-engage at a pace my nervous system can handle. I did this last night and today by taking a walk in the fresh snow. There is always a shift of some kind after a walk. It is a wonderful way to remind myself to live and keep things simple. When I get back to the coziness of my home, there is a sense of accomplishment as well.

Listening to what I need, how fast, how much and how soon, I wonder if this is what it means to be more artful, more embodied? As I sketch, erase, layer, and make mistakes. I use shape, shade, colour, and symbols, and then wait for things to dry before adding the next piece. There is no rush in art. It is something that slowly takes shape over time.

What are the things that will nourish the artful, embodied process? They are the simple, healthy, non-addictive, wholesome pleasures of life which we find in colour, sound, texture, nature, true connection, movement, rest, presence, and in the rhythm of our breath. Mostly, it is permission to be.

As the snow is falling, see what it is like to follow one snowflake on its descent. Or notice how it sits on the trees, or the sound of softness that there is as it lands on the ground.

This is how I bring in small pockets of lightness to my nervous system when it's registering ‘dark’.

Do you need some light? That's what a treatment at The Embodied Way is also designed for. To support your nervous system so it is fully resourced to respond to life in a more artful, creative, and wholesome way.

Before I stepped deeply into the world of Post-trauma growth and nervous system regulation, I had no idea how important being able to name what we are sensing is to the healing person. When an experience is described and noticed, it is one of the best ways to regulate a nervous system.

Noticing what I am sensing is a whole new language for me- as it is for many people (I think we have this language intuitively, but if we don’t practice it, we lose it). Since it feels so new to many people, I recommend to my clients to go slowly and work on their sensing in ways that are low risk. In other words, doing things which feel good and getting a read on what that is like before jumping into anything heavy.

Hard and heavy right off the bat will tend to make me panic a little which takes me out of the embodied place I want to be in. It’s much easier to be with my experience when I have practiced in a safe and nurturing place first, and in a way that feels lovely.

Which is why a facial is such a wonderful, sensorial experience. We move seamlessly between warm, coolness, tingles, bubbles, smoothness, being wrapped, holding, and stretching, all while you are in a supportive, cozy environment and receiving care.

Everyone’s nervous system can benefit from a facial. Not only can you regulate and resource your nervous system but you can also broaden your expression of yourself and your experiences in life. This makes you much more present and happy too- something I know I need daily!

You can book in for your embodied treatment HERE.