"Being in the Present": What does this mean?

I recently had someone say to me, "what do you mean when you invite me to 'be in the present'? I'm right here, aren’t I? How can I not be in the present?"

And while it is true that your body IS always here, as a noun, a “thing”, it is not always actively present as a verb. The body is always trying to be actively present right here in this moment as a living, sensing, moving being because that is how it was designed, however, without an active practice of allowing your body to be fully living, sensing and moving (known as the act of embodiment) your mind can easily convince your body that it is NOT in the present. This is because we’ve all been deeply deeply trained to disconnect from the body and to let our Selves be led by the mind. Without practice the physical Self can lose its ability to stay connected or return to the present real experiences of this moment, and will yield to your mind’s beliefs and thoughts of the past or of the future as IF these are what is real right now, while they are not.

While this experience of feeling the past or future as if it is happening right now can be a wonderful way to relive and reconnect with the sensations of a fond memory or to anticipate a future hoped for event, it can also be the foundation for incredible unease and dis-ease in the body, especially if one’s memories or expectations are of danger and overwhelm.

As a somatic movement therapist, I believe that deepening one’s capacity to actively BE in the body as a living, breathing, sensing, moving experience with more and more ease is essential for spiritual, physical and mental health.

Because I believe this, I invite you to consider prioritizing the practice of embodiment in your life.

What does that mean, you might wonder?

Let’s explore!

if you would prefer to explore with video support, check out these videos on my Youtube channel, and if you like what you see, please subscribe!

Feeling Your Body

Checking in: Experiencing the Body in the Present Moment

Letting Go of the Hungry Mind

Otherwise, I invite you to join me now in this written guided embodiment practice:

I invite you to Pause.

Right now.

I invite you to stop reading for a moment and let yourself notice where your mind's focus is, without judgement.

And when you return to this reading, I invite you to give yourself permission to take note - was the thing your mind was focused on about you and the environment you are experiencing right in this moment or was it about something that is outside of what was actually present in the moment?

Whatever you noticed, I invite you to let go of anything the mind is focused on that is not right with now, in this moment.

I invite you to let your mind practice focusing on the experience of the breath and then let the experience of your breath soften. Let your breath go.

let your eyes gently close or rest softly on an object on the room that causes your body to feel neutral or pleasant or safe, until you are ready to return to this guided practice.

As you return to the reading, I invite you to let go of any thoughts that arose and pulled you out of this present and then return your awareness to your breath. Let it go with a gentle sigh, and perhaps a yawn

invite your focus to shift from reading at the end of this paragraph and to shift to the experience of your physical weighted body being supported right now. Feel the experience of being in contact with the bed or the couch or the chair or the floor and, ultimately, by gravity. Notice the sensations you notice. Allow yourself to soften into the support and, when ready, allow yourself to continue to feel the support when you choose to return to the reading.

As you return to the reading, I invite you to honor the sensations you are noticing, even as you read. Be curious. Again, shift your attention from this reading after this paragraph and give your sensations and all your body parts permission to move, if that is what they desire in this moment. Give them permission to breathe and sigh and sound. Give them permission to open and/or close, to stretch or to tighten. Repeat this until you feel a little bit of satisfaction, a little bit of ease, a little bit of ease, until your body is ready for your eyes to return to reading.

Give yourself permssion to let go some more.

Each time a thought comes up that is not about this moment, let it go.

Invite yourself to let go of reading to return, over and over again, to the practice being present with the sensations of the experience of your breath moving into and out of your body, and the sensations of the experience of your physical body receiving the grounded energy of the planet, and with the sensations of the experience of what you are seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching, in this present moment, even as your also focusing on reading this blog post.

I invite you to give yourself permssion to practice being present with yourSelf and your physical environment right now for as long as you desire.

And when you decide that the time to finish reading this blog post and exploring this practice with this guidance, I invite you ask yourself these questions:

”Do I feel any different - in my spirit, my body and/or in my mind?”

“Has anything changed from when I started reading this blog?”

“Did I feel any challenges?”

I’d love to hear your answers. Whatever you experienced, please know that this practice is not only valuable, but essential for spiritbodymimd health!

If you’d like more guided support in your practice of living, breathing, sensing and moving more fully and with more ease - whether as an individualize or in a group - please contact me for more information.

Enjoying a Hyacinth: A Living Story of the Process of Change

It all started with an intention, a desire to have hyacinths blooming in my garden this Spring. I had a desire, even though I had my doubts.

You see, I have tried in the past and it has been unsuccessful...for various reasons.

Sometimes I would forget where I planted the bulbs and they'd get damaged as I dug around to plant something different in the same place.

I suspect that sometimes squirrels were to blame - or at least, I chose to blame them, even though I never actually SAW a squirrel digging up a hyacinth bulb.

And then there is the fact that hyacinths are delicate.

They are easily pushed over by the wind, especially early in the process when they only have their single stalk as support.

I realized going into this that I could be disappointed.

I also realized I had a lot of experience of what NOT to do that I could build on. This is the process of growth, learning and change.

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And so, with all of this whirling around in me last fall, I took the first easiest step toward enjoying the blossoms of this hyacinth: I bought the bulbs…with awareness.

Consciously I chose high quality bulbs, rather than impulsively picking some up at the market.

I then considered - for many weeks, as the weather got cooler and the time for planting loomed: where would I plant these bulbs and how could I do it so that I might have more success this time?

I thought about where I could plant them that would protect them from the wind, the squirrels and, most of all, my own forgetfulness!

I thought about how I'd never invested in bulb food in the past...and then made the investment to do so this time. What could it hurt? It might even help! That’s its purpose, right?

I found a protected spot right outside my front door where my future hyacinths would be sheltered from the wind.

I hoped that the proximity to my house would not only discourage the squirrels but would also encourage me, as I passed the spot each day, going in and out of my house, to remember my hibernating desires deep under the soil.

And after all that consideration, I planted the bulbs…

hoping

and yet not knowing whether this year would be any different.

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The photo above shows what a difference two weeks makes in the springtime life of a hyacinth

Two weeks from bud to bloom but, in truth, the whole process took months...and in fact, took years, from the very first time I ever desired to grow a hyacinth sometime in the early 90’s to having a successful and gorgeous bloom in Spring 2021.

This is a story about the process of change.

Sometimes it seems like it happens overnight

or in two weeks

but the truth is, it has been happening all along.

Intention. Attention. Failures. Learning. Intention. Attention. Practice.
I hope you enjoy the sharing of my blossoming desires! Wonder I will learn this time around?

Finding Comfort, Support and Ease in this time of Covid19: the practice of The Check-in

This is a slightly revised excerpt of an email that i shared with my clients yesterday. I hope that at least one of you will find what I share helpful to you in your process of staying healthy and fully alive in this unusual of times. - Victoria

Today is day 28 for me in this process of keeping to my home, physically distancing when I am out and connecting with other humans only on-line or across a 6 foot trail!  There have been challenging moments and rewarding moments:  I can share with you that I have felt the experience of ALL of the zones a person can live in (according to Tom Senninger), and have been finding all sorts of opportunities to practice my tools of self-soothing - the very same tools that I share with all my clients, whether in private movement sessions, private clinical sessions or moving together in my group Embodiment classes.  

The process of what I call “The Check-in” has been crucial for me in my pursuit to find some sense of the Comfort Zone throughout the day.  When Comfort, Security, Safety is not really to be found, it is the Check-in that helps me keep my feet and head in the Learning Zone.  

Sometimes I need to do a full-blown, time-out sort of check-in, giving myself 15 - 20 minutes of breath, grounded support, orienting and constructive thinking.

Sometimes it is a mini-bringing-myself-back-to-the-present-moment kind of check-in of one breath, one shift of focus, one jiggle of my Upper body into my Lower.

And sometimes it is simply reminding myself that I am free to notice where I put my focus.  

Regardless of the length of time in the Check-in process, I have found that daily, hourly, sometimes moment-by-moment the practice of Checking-in to the "right now" of where and how I am has been crucial for me.  

How about you?

To support you in your process of Checking-in, I have shared below some of my writing about my practice this past week.

(I’d like to acknowledge that I learned the value of the phrase “I am free to…” in my training and conversations with Imogen Ragone, and have enfolded it into to my Embodiment practices because I have found it to be powerful in supporting change!)

I am free to notice the experience of my breath.  I am free to choose the speed and depth of my breath.

As I notice my breath I think about these more than 650 hours of quarantine and the changes I have experienced and witnessed in that time.  Crocuses and daffodils have bloomed and then waned.  Tulips and spring beauties (the small white & pink flowers that have been blanketing Stewart Park) have emerged as well as the leaves and buds of various types of trees.  (And although the frost may have done some damage, I can still see the pink explosion of the red bud trees out my window so I have hope that this week I will still be able to find and enjoy color in nature!)  I notice a loosening in my chest and gut as I choose to focus on my memory of what I have seen of spring blossoming.  I notice my breath deepens and slows.  Joy.  Peace.)  

I am free to notice the experience of my body being supported by the Earth.  I am free to accept and allow myself to be fully supported.

 I am free to orient in the environment that is outside of me right now.  I am free to notice my sense of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, temperature and texture of my Outer environment as they come into my Inner environment.  I am free to notice the experience of my Inner environment:  my Back body and Front, my Right body and Left, my Upper body being supported by my Lower body.  

As I settle my awareness and my Weight into my feet I think about all the walking I've done this week. In those walks, with the Earth rolling its support through the heel, balls and toes of my feet, I've had the opportunity to witness so much wildlife  - seeing swans and muskrat at the Cosmos-Bethel lake; observing the sights and sounds of herons standing in stillness, ducks floating in pairs muttering to each other, geese flying and honking their air-traffic control calls, frogs hopping and several baby snakes slithering their way across the trail at the wetlands of Forum Nature Area, and hearing the multi-faceted and omnipresent calls of the tree frogs at Stewart Park, Forum Nature Area and Grasslands Trail.  Remembering these things, I recall the sense of excitement with a widening in my chest, the power of recuperative energy rising into my leg bones, and the satisfying experience of being a physical body present and supported in this moment.  Satisfaction.

I am free to notice ease.  I am free to notice where it seems a little easier right now.  Where else?  Where now? I am free…

If this felt valuable to you or piqued your curiosity about Embodiment, I invite you to check out my website. For a schedule of online movement events  visit here. To find our more about private sessions visit here.

The Monday and Tuesday Easy Movement Breaks are 30 minute seated or standing explorations of embodiment tools and easy free-style movement.

The Thursday Mindful Move Groove is a 1 hour class that can be standing or seated.  The first 30 minutes focuses on boosting immunity and soothing nerves, followed by easy choreographed movement and ending with a gentle cool-down.

The Friday On the Floor Movement Break is 30 minutes of exploration of grounded support and movement at the lowest level possible:  we are currently focusing on Constructive Rest!

In everything I offer professionally, we practice Checking In in some way: taking the time to notice, choose, finding ease and support, practice living life more fully! I believe this is all so important, and especially in these challenging times we are living in together right now. Let’s keep our combined energy recuperated and alive! Live life more fully with Embodiment!

A Morning Contemplation on Staying Connected in the time of Covid19

I am working on a blog post called “Pacing Yourself in the Time of Social Distancing”; however, because I am pacing myself, it is not yet ready to share. Meanwhile, I would like to share with you this morning contemplation I wrote on connection. My gift to you. - Vic

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Good morning, my friend.

Let's get together right now. Would you like that?

We may not be able to touch hands or hug. I may not be able to rest the right side of my face on the right side of yours, heart to heart. We may not be able to face each other, just across a table, coffees in our hands, our words bumping into each other through the sagittal space we share. We may not be able to do any of these things right now...and yet,

we can breathe together, in this space that is spaceless, where there is no real distance, where we are all connected.

I exhale, fully aware that I am releasing parts of myself to the environment. I am confident that my body knows how to release the stuff I no longer need - and while, right now, we might be inclined, consciously or not, to focus on the stuff we or others are exhaling that can be of danger, I'm suggesting we choose to remember that our out breath is also a gift. The trees, the grasses, the crocuses that are just finishing their debut, the ready-for-their-show daffodils all live because of our exhale, and, likewise, we because of theirs.

My exhale becomes their exhale, my toxic waste taken in by their wise cells, accepted, transformed into nourishment for them, and then passed on, out into their environment. Passed out of them into others and others until it finds you, a gift of breath especially for you, to do with what you will.

And please know that I am here, accepting your gift. As I inhale again, I give thanks to you, my human friend, and to all the plants between us, who have made this breath possible. I give thanks to the connections that exist, always.

I urge us both to take time, at least once today and as often as possible, to consciously honor this Breathing thing we are doing and often don't even notice. I want to remind us both to spend some time out of the house and in nature, breathing and paying attention to the life that is all around us.
And to remember: we are all in this together.

Blessed be, my friend.

The Importance of Embodiment in the Time of Covid19

Like I suspect so many of you are doing right now, I am thinking about what the spread of this coronavirus thing means to me and you and the world at large.

I am also thinking about my role in the world as someone whose life purpose is to help others live life more fully. When it seems like the threat of illness and chaos is everywhere and when we have done all that the authorities suggest - washing our hands and avoiding public places - what else can be done to live life fully?

I know I certainly do not have an exact answer: however, I have thoughts and I plan to share them in hopes that they will support at least one of you.

Remember: Our bodies are self-healing systems. Our cells know their jobs. They are designed to nourish and detoxify, to respond to invaders, to feed and relieve us of waste, in order that we may live as fully as possible. Our bodies are self-healing systems, as long as we don’t persist in getting in the way.

With our minds and our actions, we have the capacity to support the cells, tissues and systems in their processes. We also have the capacity to challenge them and even shut them down. When we are stressed in our minds, we affect our body’s vast abilities to breathe easily, to digest nutrients, to eliminate toxins, and to recuperate: in other words, to self-heal. When we are stressed in our thoughts and in our actions, we create stress on the systems of our bodies and then we have less capacity to fend off attacks from viruses, infections and other antigens. We have this capacity to add to the stress and to allow stress to do us harm…but all is not lost.

I know that many of you are feeling scared and unsafe. I know that the temptation is to further distance yourself from your body: please know that this a very typical American reaction. I know that you want to try to figure this out in your head, to think your way to safety. I understand if you want to hold your breath or numb out in front of the television or internet or with alcohol. I know some of you want to make yourself really small so maybe the bad things won’t find you, while others of you are rushing around trying to DO all the right things to prepare for…whatever it is you are preparing for. I know you want to do SOMETHING to get away from this thing that feels unsafe. I understand.

I am inviting you to considering doing none of the above because there are other options.

On a regular, non-pandemic day I spend my time teaching and supporting clients and workshop participants to use embodiment tools to cope with anxiety, trauma and overwhelm. The things I offer are simple, powerful actions that any person can do to support the tissues of their physical body and their whole bodymind system. These are all natural, small movements and actions that are not only a valuable part of healing but crucial to maintaining one’s health. Everything I offer is based on scientific concepts such as functional anatomy and human development. They are “tools” that, for the most part, are already available to all of us, but most adults overlook and take them granted in their daily lives. We all have the capacity to use them easily and regularly.

Interested? If so, read on. If not, I understand.

The first of the skills I’d like to share is this: Know that you are free to choose. I know this might seem obvious; however, I have discovered it is one that is most often a shock when I first introduce it to people. (Credit to Imogen Ragone of the BodyIntelligence Community for languaging this concept for me. Her community is another great resource for self-care!)

I invite you to say this to yourself, right now and notice what you notice: “I am free to choose.”

For example, we are always free to choose where we put our focus.

I invite you to consider that if you choose to put your focus, your energy, your time, and your thoughts on the things and people over which you have no control, you deplete yourself and you give up at least some of your capacity to support yourself - your bodymindspirit - in the very small, mundane, crucial ways that embodiment provides.

You are free to choose.

Choosing to focus on yourself does NOT mean to shut down or numb out; however, it invites you to care for yourself FIRST as you also choose when and how much to inform yourself about things outside yourself.

The question I am usually asked at this point is: “I think this sounds good but how do I do this?”

Over these days and weeks, as we all live through this big unknown thing together, I hope I can support you in this very process. I hope to be writing regular blog posts offering trauma-informed, resiliency-focused, embodiment insights and practices. I am also planning to offer Zoom sessions designed to move folks in ways designed to maintain our bodymindspirit health, even if we can’t be in the same room together.

I have always believed in the importance of my mission of supporting folks to live life more fully. Now, in the midst of these global events triggering our collective sympathetic systems to fire in ways that cause us to want to fight, to run, to collapse or to simply numb out, I know that what I have to offer is crucial. It is more important than ever that we ALL learn ways to soothe our natural and biological reactions to this sort of thing- if for no other reason, for the sake of our immune systems.

So here is the second “skill” I have to offer: the practice of fully embracing the first of the gifts of life and health that we were given in our earliest days of our development. It was the first gift of life and it continues to be the MOST IMPORTANT gift you can give yourself right now and at any time. This wonderful gift? Accepting your free and full BREATH.

I imagine deflation in some of you. I hear some of you think thinking really, breath? “But I AM breathing”, I have clients tell me when they want something bigger and more magical as a practice.

And while it is true that if we are alive, we do some form of breathing; however, it is usually NOT true that we are taking full advantage of this health sustaining process. ALL of us have, in some way, let the patterns of our bodymindspirit control and compromise the full support that our breath has to offer us. So, if you choose, join me in knowing that we are free to allow and to accept our Breath’s full support. (In my next post I will share a bit about HOW a full and easy breath supports the whole immune system!)

Ready?

First, I invite you to say this statement so that your mind is fully involved “I am free to allow and accept my Breath’s full support”.
Continue to say this constructive thought as you allow your next exhale to be as slow and long and easy as you can, right now. Trust that by allowing a full emptying you are not only removing toxins from your system, you are creating more space for nourishment. When your exhale is as complete as is possible for you (without stress!), allow your body to naturally and reflexively fill you with the next inhale, in through the nose if possible. Repeat as frequently as you can.

And that is it for today. I would love any comments. Check in tomorrow for more embodiment support during this time of so much unknown.

If you are curious about the image for this blog post, please visit here.