A guest article by Fiona
Have you ever wondered what the word “embodiment”, which appears more and more frequently in connection with yoga, actually means?
Maybe you've already looked it up and found out with Google Translate that "embodiment" means "embodiment" in German. Or you just thought, without looking it up, that it has something to do with "body". What? What does that mean exactly? Yoga or Hatha Yoga (physical yoga) always has something to do with the body! In this article, I'll explain exactly what the terms embodiment and embodied flow mean.
The term Embodied Flow is a registered trademark. The inventors of this style, Tara Judelle and Dr. Scott Lyons, call it a system of transformative yoga that invites you into your deepest sense of self. This system consists of an integrative blend of Hatha Yoga, somatics, movement meditation, tantric philosophy and transpersonal psychology.
Phew, take a quick breath. That was quite a lot of complicated terms in a row.
OK, we have already explained the term Hatha Yoga above. But a few more words about it. If you have previously believed that yoga only consists of physical exercises and a bit of meditation, then you are not quite right. Yoga is in its origins both a state and a method or science for reaching a higher level of consciousness or experiencing a higher level of consciousness.
Somatics means related to the body. Movement meditation should be clear to everyone. Tantric philosophy: No, it's not just about sex!
Tantric philosophy is very extensive, but here I would just like to go into what it essentially means in relation to Embodied Flow Yoga. All popular yoga styles that we know today are rooted in tantric philosophy. Hatha yoga emerged from tantra. Tantra was a movement in India that began to change a worldview. Before tantra, the body was seen as a vice or an obstacle to achieving enlightenment. Tantra, on the other hand, suddenly put the body at the center and recognized that IT is the real path to enlightenment.
Transpersonal psychology summarizes various psychological approaches that deal with the experience of altered states of consciousness.
The combination of the above methods, which is what makes up Embodied Flow Yoga, is intended to awaken the experience of entering into the flow of meditation in action.
Ok, that all sounds very theoretical at first.
It is very difficult to understand Embodied Flow purely from theory, because this style is designed for experiencing and feeling. And it is precisely when we are experiencing, feeling and sensing that we are in the body. When we are absolutely in the body, it means that we are less connected to the analytical mind.
Our modern worldview is strongly influenced by the quote "I think, therefore I am" by the philosopher Descartes. With this sentence, Descartes equated thinking with being. Since then, humanity has grappled with the mind, isolating the mind from the body and increasingly trying to solve all problems using the analytical mind alone.
As we know and experience every day, this approach only partially succeeds in solving problems, and above all, this method often turns out to be infinitely laborious and difficult. An example of this: We know it all too well - we have long since understood and grasped it with our minds, but in the corresponding situation our body still reacts in the usual pattern.
Embodiment is concerned with understanding humans as a unified system of body, mind and intellect, without a higher level. Embodiment does not limit our intelligence to the mind, but brings us back to an understanding of ourselves that goes far beyond the brain in our heads.
This sense of self is achieved through Embodied Flow Yoga, where the teacher creates a strong imaginary space with images that open and expand the experience of one's own nature in relation to the environment. The whole thing is accompanied by music.
Embodied Flow in the classroom
An Embodied Flow class begins with free and highly intuitive movements. This method comes from Body-Mind Centering, a type of meditation in motion and a perception and exploration through movement. The meditative state that results from this is then transferred into a yoga sequence. The sequence is repeated slowly and very consciously several times with the aim of weaving asana after asana together more easily and smoothly. Embodied Flow Yoga also includes other, mostly experimental exercises that expand on classic yoga.
There are other ways to use embodiment techniques purely through imagination or even meditation; for example, just perceiving the physical reaction to a problem, without interpreting it through the mind. I have tried this too, and it works much better than using the mind alone. Above all, it allows problems to be solved easily and effortlessly. Eckart Tolle says: "All of our problems today are based on the dominance of the mind."
And I think he's damn right!
I believe that embodiment is super important and helpful for the further development of humanity and will help us to be more compassionate, tolerant and loving with ourselves and thus also with our fellow human beings.
My own experience with Embodied Flow Yoga has shown that I can experience access to strength and endurance with accompanying lightness in absolute presence. That I can understand myself as my individual self in harmony with the greater whole. Embodied Flow Yoga not only straightened my posture, as I had previously known from yoga, it even let me float over the floor under the soles of my feet.
I am very excited to see what else Embodied Flow will do for me.
Fiona
Fiona is a yoga teacher and designer from Bad Rodach. In the combination of yoga and design, she has found the means to express herself freely and creatively. As a yoga teacher, she wants to help others find their inner truth through yoga. It is important to her to guide them through all aspects of yoga, to combine tradition with modernity and to exploit the full potential of yoga.