“When you practice Embodiment, you feel so much and you are encouraged to do so”
Ever wonder what we facilitators of what we call “Embodied Yoga” really mean by it?
Check out this interview on Elephant Journal I did with the lovely Maria. Let me know your thoughts.
Much Love, Satu
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Embodied Yoga, which has started to take off as a practice in yoga studios across Northern Europe, is less widely known than other yoga styles but is extremely powerful due to its inclusion of more Somatic approaches and Tantrik philosophy. But what exactly is embodiment and why is it becoming more and more popular? The benefits of this ‘non-asana centered practice’ are multiple and this is the reason of its popularity, although this ‘discipline’ “might not be for everyone at first”, admits Satu Tuomela, one of the most renowned teachers of this practice. I have studied the embodiment concept wholeheartedly through a long and inspirational interview with her and the insight it has given me has been priceless.
Maria M. Gonzalez: Why do you think embodiment isn’t practiced as much as say hatha, vinyasa or other classic disciplines?
Satu Tuomela: I don’t think embodiment is less practiced. It is just less practiced in yoga, still. There are a lot of somatic practices in the world. Embodiment and Somatics as approaches are fortunately coming into yoga more and more.
MMG: Might it be that embodiment is already present in people’s life but they just don’t know it?
ST: People definitely have an opportunity for embodiment in their daily lives, but we are maybe not intentionally practicing it. We have a body -we can’t not have a body- but many times we don’t pay enough attention to it, unfortunately. Only when something goes wrong do we listen and connect to our bodies. This is the moment when we realize there is something speaking clearly to us, as us. Embodiment helps us to be more aware of our bodies and to always listen to them all the time, not just at difficult moments. It goes beyond mindfulness because it doesn’t just recognize the body, but becomes the body. Yoga āsana practices like hatha or vinyasa bring about body awareness, for sure, but the way how they are taught most commonly is more often than not based on aligning the body correctly: We all have been in these classes where the teacher says for example “these and these are your muscles, they are called ‘this’, now feel them” or cues like “place your foot between your hands”, “back foot in 90 degree angle” etc… to create an asana. This is a useful way to place the body in a certain way (albeit it is not the same for everyone and this in not addressed many times) and there is definitely an opportunity for embodiment here, but I miss any guidance into the actual experience of the body. As teachers, we tend to say “make it a habit to listen to your body”, but we actually need to guide and teach practitioners how to do that. You can’t just order them to listen to their bodies, you need to provide the necessary tools to do this and teach them to use these tools.
ST: I base my teaching on my own somatic experience and embodiment. At first it is important to be here, to explore what is called ‘Presencing‘. With it I call all the parts of me here and presence myself into this moment and my body, which is always in the present. This brings my mind into my body. Since it is very real and authentic, based on the experience happening in that moment, it is a very powerful experience of embodiment already. I share this practice with my students usually always in the beginning of a practice. The way to do it is not just to say “touch your cheekbones and try to feel them”. Also, the human mind is full of stories, about the body too, so it’s essential to go beyond these stories. Personally, I like to create visualizations from my own embodiment and experience as it invites with its authenticity for my students to connect to theirs. Visualizations catch the students’ attention at a mind level, they bring the mind into a connection with the body, and when they have reached this, they start to sense and feel and keep their attention there: the amazing journey of embodiment starts. It is frequent to come in and out of this process or practice, as the mind is tricky and wants a lot of entertainment, but the visualization, the pathway into recognition and becoming whatever we are practicing, will gently guide students in the experience over and over again. Visualizations are powerful tools, imagination IS power, especially for visual people. For those who are not that visual, I incorporate other senses too. Senses help us to get “in there” so in my approach, we do not try to shut them down, we allow them to guide us, taste the experience and bring us more into the Now and everything that is in it. I know the way I teach might not work for everyone, but personally I consider it very helpful.
MMG: What would you say to a person who has experienced classic disciplines but has never been in an embodiment class?
ST: They might feel a bit lost at the beginning and not like it because I’m not telling them exactly what to do and how to align the āsanas. They might also start to feel a lot of sensations and emotions, which can be uncomfortable. People usually go to classes with the intention to forget about everything, be told what to do, or because they want to get fit. It means they don’t really focus on what it is happening in that moment because their minds are focused on the results they obtain with that practice. There is nothing wrong with that, but that won’t benefit embodiment. In embodiment, we are really asked to explore what is “in there”, what is here. You don’t come to my class just to check out, you are there to check in. In embodiment you feel so much and you are encouraged to do so. This is just amazing, very empowering and liberating when we truly release into the experience.
Finish reading the whole interview here.