embodied intelligence

The Myth of Failure

The Myth of Failure

In my journey of training and working as a professional dancer, the most harried learning curve I had to make it through was that of my fear of failing. It nearly broke me, and many times over.

What I realize today, many years later, is that while I did - thankfully - make it through that particular form of the challenge, everyday, every year, new and different shapes of this same challenge are showing up

I’m also realizing that, as I am able to see more clearly where and how the fear of failing is still present in my life, the very concept of ‘failure’ is starting to fall away. I’m not sure a more relieving experience exists than this, of gradually understanding that one’s worst fear - or at least one of them - is not even a real possibility but simply a misunderstood distortion of the mind.

Twelve Principles for Powerful Somatic Practice

Twelve Principles for Powerful Somatic Practice

Over my decades of experience as an athlete, professional dancer and practitioner of meditation, I have come to realize several key ingredients that deepen the potency and impact of somatic practice. Take a look at these foundational ways of relating to your embodied experience, bring them into practice and begin to feel the full magic of somatic practice unfold for you firsthand.

The Power of a Bow: Priming All Parts of Your Brain for Meaningful Action

The Power of a Bow: Priming All Parts of Your Brain for Meaningful Action

The wonder of movement is that it connects with and impacts both our limbic and reptilian brains. In this practice, when you connect the movement with your intention, you are allowing the impact of your intention to resonate through not just your thinking mind but the whole of your human self. In this post we explore the power of the bow as a means of powerful communication outward and inward.

What is embodiment anyway?

What is embodiment anyway?

‘Embody’ is one of those words that is getting a lot of use these days. Like most words that become trendy, it is also getting a lot of WRONG, or at the least vague, use.

It is often being used as a replacement for the words ‘be’ or ‘do’ or ‘succeed’ and while there is truth to that, it isn’t the whole truth.

To truly embody something means that you have a full-body, FELT experience of that thing/state/experience. It means that you don’t just know something as thoughts or mental understanding, but that you also feel it as it occurs within the sensations of your body.

You CANNOT develop your embodiment through thinking. You can think about embodiment and that is very different from actually getting into, experiencing and increasing your felt sense/awareness (also known as somatic awareness) of your body.