“A core concept within embodiment is developing and beginning to listen to our felt sense. We experience this sense when we compile all the sensations our bodies are giving us to viscerally know something and create a much larger picture of what’s going on inside our whole selves. Our felt sense . . . gives us feedback about how to be more deeply present to our physical bodies and attend to whatever they are telling us.”- Aundi Kolber
Aundi Kolber concludes Chapter 7 of Try Softer as she stresses that our bodies tell stories about our joy and our pain. Furthermore, God created us to listen to the narratives our bodies tell us.
Therefore, Aundi advises, we need to understand just how integrated our bodies are. Because we need to value our bodies the way God values our bodies. For, as Bessel van der Kirk notes, our brains extend beyond our heads. In a very literal sense, our brains are interwoven throughout our bodies. Essentially, no distinction exists between mind and matter. There’s only us.
So, we come to trust our bodies as we cultivate a felt sense. That sense helps your body, brain, and spirit remain aligned in happy or sad situations. And, in the process of trying softer, your felt sense assists you when you listen to, repair, and nurture the needs of your whole self. Rather than helping you predict future feelings, this sense gives you insight into processing the world here and now.
Finally, Aundi exhorts, take the journey of learning to love your body – rather than asking it to perform. Trying softer provides the foundation for this journey because your body is the home that holds you. And, growth and change only happens when you feel at peace in your own home! Come home to your body so you encounter life in the truest way possible.
Today’s question: What most helps you create a larger picture of what’s going on inside your whole self? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Recognize pain – or deny your emotion”
