What is 'Sacred Embodiment' ?

Sacred Embodiment is the practice of experiencing spirituality, truth, healing or growth through our body, rather than only through the mind, beliefs, or ideas.

It is the recognition that the body is not separate from the sacred - it if often the vessel for; and one of the ways we can have a living experience of it.

Many spiritual traditions have, at times, emphasised transcending the body. Sacred Embodiment takes a much different approach:

The body is not an obstacle to our spiritual journey.

Our body is part of the path.

What is 'Sacred Embodiment' ?

Where can i start with where this exploration has taken me!? It's been a great long journey, over many continents, with many chapters, twists and turns, and spontaneous experiences that led me to go looking for answers. I can't write all of them in this one short blog, though i may sprinkle a few of my personal stories through a series of them. Suffice it to say i've been exploring mysticism through the canvas of the body for a very long time. The journey deepened after a short stint in the mountains of Spain in, what i unaffectionatly call - a raja yoga cult, - called surat shabd yoga.

So much of this path seemed to be focused on transcendence of, and denial of the body, that i eventually came to a place of inner rebellion.

Sitting hours in meditation trying to 'transcend my body' felt effortful, straining, utterly boring and nauseating. I had zero experiences. Add in the insinuated peer pressure that 'i obviously wasn't at an evolved enough level' ( roll eyes ) and the heavy judgmental silences whenever i spoke something that was deemed irrelevant to enlightenment, & it was all enough to put me off transcendence for LIFE !!! lol You may well ask why i joined it in the first place! ( thats another story! ) In any case, my rebellion involved, naturally, going in the opposite direction - into my body.

There, ironically, i found that the deeper i went into embodiment - into feeling and travelling through my bodies sensations, - that i readily accessed expansive, sometimes ecstatic, embodied transcendental states. Without any striving.

Even states of one-ness, & interconnectedness.

My path into an embodied feminine spirituality was born. Along with the exploration into tantra, deeper aspects of subtle yoga, taoistic energy practices and finally somatic work. All to say - that i discovered a phenomena that is steadily gaining more recognition: that deep states of embodiment lead us often into sacred experiences.

Aka - " SACRED EMBODIMENT ".

The Kundalini Curve

Despite all this, even i found myself asking - what does " Sacred Embodiment " actually mean? It sounded quite elusive, and this is one of the reasons i decided to write this blog. I used to call this deeper embodied phenomena of: energy liberation, ecstatic and sublime states, one-ness, interconnectedness etc - the energy of Kundalini, Goddess or life-force energy, awakening, rising, and moving through us.

Once again, as my own path deepens, i've found that my spiritual journey has been shifting. The work in the sessions that i called 'Kundalini Energy Activations' has began feeling deeper than merely awakening kundalini energy.

I've found myself re-examining the term 'kundalini' and wondering what to rename these sessions. So far 'Sacred Embodiment' and 'Embodied Awakening' seems better to encompass it.

What Sacred Embodiment can involve

• Being fully present with bodily sensations rather than escaping into thought, belief or philosophy

• Listening to the bodies wisdom, intuition and subtle signals - where do we get led when we surrender to this guidance vs our minds?

• Bringing awareness and presence to breath, movement, posture and feeling.

• Integrating our spiritual insights into our everyday life and relationships, and the transformation of our character

• Healing patterns of disconnection, shame, numbness, trauma, or self-rejection.

• Accessing our ancestral and soul lineage through our bodies.

• Experiencing a sense of connection to something greater, through the lives experience of being in a body.

• Feeling the presence of God / Love descend and fill us with grace.

And of course this is not an exhaustive list, but you get the essence.

Some Examples of Sacred Embodiment -

To help make it a little clearer, especially for anyone reading this who is new to this type of experience - as i am sure, all of us, at some time or another have had such experiences:

A meditation practitioner might experience sacred embodiment by feeling the aliveness of each breath, which can become a profound experience in itself, rather than striving for a mystical state.

Someone walking by the sea, might feel the breeze, the ground beneath their feet, and a profound sense of belonging to life itself. That too, can be a taste of sacred embodiment.

A person doing somatic work might notice a ball of grief stored in their chest, allow it to move through their body, and experience it transforming into vibration, bliss & radiant energy that feels both healing and sacred.

You may notice that the common denominator is presence. Presence, brought into the body and the lived experience of what is, quietens our mind, and acts as a doorway into a deeper fabric of life. One that is actually always there.

When i first had a few of these experiences spontaniously, they blew my mind. But what i learnt, from doing a lot of somatic and this type of embodiment work, is that we can train ourselves to access these states. It is cultivation of presence and sensitivity.

A Simpler Definition

The integration of body, mind, heart, and spirit through direct lived experience, recognising the body as a vessel for wisdom, healing, and connection to the sacred.

or,

Sacred embodiment is the practice of coming home to ourselves so fully, that the ordinary experience of being alive becomes a doorway into the sacred.

Which definition do you prefer?

The bigger question though, and the one that i myself feel i am moving closer to, is not only 'What experience did i have?' but, ' What is this producing in my life?' , and 'What kind of person does this help me become?' As we mature spiritually there is often a movement from seeking extraordinary moments, towards seeking enduring transformation.

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If you'd like to find out more about my Sacred Embodiment sessions and journey's, that support you in walking, exploring and deepening into this, you can do so here:

EXPLORE SACRED EMBODIMENT

Or feel free just to send me a message with a question, and let's have a chat.

Love

Laura xx