Embodiment: Spiritual Approaches to Wellness

There is a strong connection between positive thinking and wellness. But psychologist Richard Wiseman, author of Rip It Up: The radically new approach to changing your life, suggests that personal development and wellness are ineffective when solely stemmed from positive thinking. Embodying change also requires physical action to nurture a healthy mindset.  

Yoga helps move beyond just positive thinking and put embodiment into practice. Every session invites you to step out of the mind and into the body. As you move through a series of postures, your body flows freely as guided by the breath to ease you into serenity. According to a study published in Top Cognitive Science, leaning forward into active positions, like during yoga, stimulates desire and purpose that supports the body-up approach to wellness. 

When you connect to the breath, you connect to the body. Conscious-connected breathwork encourages energy to flow through the body while keeping thoughts at ease. Somatic therapy breathing can improve your overall well-being, according to CCM Counseling & Wellness. 

Somatic breathing explores deep inhalations and exhalations through the mouth, without any pauses in between. The idea is to imagine yourself breathing in an oval. Starting off at the pelvis, draw your breath up the spine and into your throat before exhaling the breath down the front of your body and returning to the pelvis. Continue each round to create a natural rhythm. 

Through somatic breathing, you can connect with your natural rhythm as a way of releasing emotions. This approach allows you to embrace the present moment through focusing on the breath.

Chakra visualization uses a  body-up approach to wellness. You can connect your brain and body through meditation practices like chakra visualization. The physical and spiritual meet at the seven chakras, spinning wheels of energy that run up and down the spine. Begin by focusing attention on each chakra, one by one. Breathe into the root at the base of the spine up to the crown. As you move up through the energy channels, focus physical breath and mental focus to connect to each area. 

Dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) uses the body, movement, and dance as a way of self-expression and healing, according to The Conversation. DMP is a way of expression without speaking that promotes a body-mind integration or body-up approach to wellness.

A study in Frontiers also supports movement as an embodied wellness practice to regulate mood. Try it yourself and use movement as a way to experience, process, and regulate certain emotions. 

When people get their bodies moving in a mindful way, they can cultivate compassion and create supportive relationships with others. Exploring mindful movements has been proven to enhance and sustain wellbeing, according to the website MyShrink. Try mindfulness walking to connect the mind and body. As you move, mindfully, observe your posture. Pay close attention to how much pressure you require with every step while you walk. Breathe in and breathe out as you step. 

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