Simple Embodiment Practices
For Beginners:
If you’re totally new to Embodiment Practices, let’s start with the basics first!
1. The 5 External Felt Senses: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste & Touch
You can tap into and bring your awareness to these senses in any circumstance.
Sight: The sense that we rely on the most as humans, take a moment to actually see around you - the colors, textures, shades, hues, shadows & light, lines & curves…
Extra practice! Notice what feels more pleasing to your eyes and what feels less pleasant. No judgement, just noticing.
(Note: We close our eyes when we tune into the other 4 external senses because in our daily lives we rely so heavily on sight that it tends to dull our other senses.)
Hearing: Close your eyes & listen to the sounds around you. The traffic outside, voices & people passing by, the wind rustling through the trees, birds singing, ocean waves crashing.
Extra practice! Notice how these sounds make you feel.
Smell: Again close your eyes & smell the aromas of wherever you’re at. If you’ve been in a space for a while, you may be used to the smell there, so move to another space where it might smell different. Breathe in deeply through your nose - air fresheners, ink, cologne, roses, car exhaust, pine trees, salt water, incense, candles, city streets, a fresh caesar salad, warm donuts…
Extra practice! Notice how these aromas feel in your body.
Taste: Again, close your eyes & take a bite of food, or a sip of a drink. Notice the texture on your tongue and in your mouth. The temperature. Savor the sweetness… acidity, tartness, savory, salty, spicy.
Extra practice! 1. Notice how these tastes make you feel 2. Notice if you can tell where they land on your tongue!
Touch: Again :) Close your eyes. Take a moment to notice the sensations on your skin. How do your clothes feel? Silky? Itchy? Stiff? Tight? Free? Is the seat you’re in soft or hard? The ground you’re standing on? Is there a breeze blowing through your hair? What is the temperature?
Extra Practice! 1. Notice how these sensations make you feel. 2. Take a moment to touch your own skin, I suggest gently and softly caressing. Notice how your own skin feels under your finger tips. Notice how it feels to be touched.
2. Body Scanning
First, find somewhere comfortable and relatively quiet you can lay down and close your eyes. (If you are unable to do this, simply close your eyes where you are seated or standing).
Bring your awareness to your toes - feeling each toe, one-by-one. Are they tense? Are they achy? Are the relaxed and free? No judgement, just noticing how they feel. And if they are tense, are you able to release the tension? Perhaps through awareness alone, or through stretching them.
Next, move your awareness up to your feet and go through the same process. Then on to your ankles, calves & shins, knees... all the way up through your body until you reach the tips of your fingers and the crown of your head.
It can be really helpful to find a guided body scan meditation if you are new to this - there are plenty on Youtube.