It’s a valid question… How the hell does being more embodied make you a better leader? Does being in your body really help you get better results from yourself and/or your team?
This is a question I am also continually asking myself as I observe the process and results of bringing body-based tools to leaders and aspiring leaders. How is it that these tools support their transition into better supporting themselves and their teams?
Here are my insights so far…
1) Being embodied connects you to yourself more deeply.
Why? Because to be aware of what you are actually feeling you have to be present to the sensations of your own body. This seems like it should be automatic, but especially in today’s very intellect and technologically oriented world it, unfortunately, is not. Being present in your body is a skill that actually takes conscious development.
2) When you are more connected to yourself you are more connected to others and to what is present in your environment.
This leads to better, faster decisions, more effective communication and improves your responsiveness to inevitable, ever-changing situations as they emerge.
3) Being embodied leads to greater emotional health (AKA helps eliminate stress, anxiety and depression).
As mentioned above, to know what you are feeling you need to be aware of your own body. Awareness is the first step to skillfully processing emotions. From there, being embodied in turn teaches you how to connect to a very real sense of support from which can emerge a natural sense of playfulness, joy and a natural appetite for growth and exploration.
When you are more in touch with yourself, more in touch with others and the world around you and feeling good… I think we can all agree that this is the place from which it is easiest to lead well.
If you are curious about how these things might impact your life and leadership, drop me an email (ruth@embodiedinmotion.com) and we will find a time to connect. Together we will find out what it is you are really looking for and if you are a good fit to dive into an embodied approach to growing your leadership skills.
