Movement
Spirit is what matter does
Phillip Pullman
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Spirit borrows from matter the perceptions on which it feeds, and restores them to matter in the form of movements which it has stamped with its own freedom. Henri Bergson
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Cultivating Embodied Agency
Our past experiences are held in the soft matter of our bodies, in our flesh and our bones. Listening to the body’s wisdom can help free what is ready to be released.
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If appropriate, and you feel safe in doing so, I offer to lead you through basic movement within a herbal consultation session.
Our uniquely human prefrontal cortex cannot always process traumatic events and experiences in the moment logically. These survival energies then become stuck in our nervous systems. Animals deal with this by immediately shaking their bodies to release any 'escaping danger' energy from a threat, once they are safe. We humans try to carry on as normal, and as we do, we carry the energy of the threat along with us which wreaks havoc with our health.
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Through movement and dance we can access our instinctive reptilian brains to express the words that cannot yet be spoken or even thought, making the invisible, visible, giving feeling to what has become numb.
Those ‘unthought knowns’ that reside in our bodies but not yet in our conscious minds, can come to the surface to be released. Movement can be a powerful and effective way for trauma that is held in the body to be felt with embodied agency and ultimately be discharged.
Our bodies are reflections of our feelings, our past experiences and our beliefs in a particular moment and as such, movement cannot always be dictated or predicted. Movement can be slight, subtle, slow, or vigorous and flowing, it can be standing up or laying on the ground, barely moving. Sometimes a little guiding can help focus on certain areas of the body that would benefit from opening, softening and being given some love.
Moving outside
When moving and dancing outside in the Nature, we are supported by the ecosystem, this pure non-judgemental presence that strives for balance and vitality of all living beings. When we enter a wild space with respect and care, and remember we are part of this community of beings - then very tree, plant, insect, bird and fungi holds space as our invisible truths come to the surface.
For me, dancing outside allows me to remember the animal ancestors from where I have come and find those wilder parts of myself that are perhaps wiser in understanding the importance of releasing those toxic stuck energies towards more integration and deeper wellbeing.
