In a world that prioritises thinking over feeling, so many of us have become strangers to our own bodies. We live in our heads, driven by to do lists and deadlines, while our bodies quietly whisper their truths - if only we’d pause long enough to listen.
As an aspiring embodiment coach, I’m passionate about helping people reconnect with their felt sense - another word for the physical sensations that arise within us - so they can live with greater self trust, authenticity, and wholeness.
Whenever we feel something in our bodies - like a tight chest, a quickening heartbeat, or a clenched jaw - our brilliant, analytical brains instantly jump in to label that experience as an emotion: fear, anger, sadness, joy. These labels come with a lifetime of stories, judgments, and connotations - some uplifting, others heavy. But underneath those labels are simply sensations, or energy in motion.
It is worth noting here that the brain does not really have a concept of time, so therefore when it scans its filing cabinet of memories and experiences and stories, and then attaches these to the felt sensations in our body, there is a sense of “this is happening now”. When in reality, it is highly likely that it is not happening right now.
Take anger, for example. Our society often sees anger as “bad” or “dangerous.” But if we peel back the label and really tune in, anger might feel like heat rising in the chest, energy surging in the torso, a clenching in the fists. Each of these sensations on its own is neither good nor bad - it’s just the body communicating. When combined, our brain files them under “anger,” based on past experiences. But at its core, it is just a beautiful soup of sensations, and actually, anger is a powerful and protective force that often points to unmet needs or crossed boundaries.
This is the work I do with my clients: guiding them to step back from the label and get curious about the sensations underneath. When we break emotions down into their felt sense, they often become less overwhelming. We give ourselves space to respond instead of react. We can even choose to transform that raw energy - say, from anger to empowerment.
Our brains are incredible - like the most sophisticated computer processors imaginable. They take in information, analyse it, and categorise it. But without the body, this “computer” has no soul. Our bodies are where wisdom, intuition, and true self knowledge live.
Unfortunately, from an early age, we’re taught to ignore or override our bodies. At school, we’re told when to eat, when to go to the bathroom, and even how to feel. We are taught that certain emotions are good, whilst others are bad. We are encouraged to eat when we are not hungry, and hold in or suppress our need to use the bathroom. We learn not to trust our bodily cues. With my own children, I do my best to reverse that conditioning. If they’re not hungry, they don’t have to eat. We discuss the importance of sleep, so they understand and respect the need to not fight the body’s earliest signs of tiredness. If they’re overwhelmed, we pause, breathe, and locate where that feeling lives in their bodies. This simple act of noticing can defuse even the biggest feelings.
Yet this kind of learning is rarely taught in schools. Instead, education focuses on cognition - on thinking and doing. But to be fully human is to be - to live from the inside out, guided by the wisdom of both body and mind.
When we reunite the brain with the body, we breathe life into that computer. We become more than human doings; we become human beings. We learn to ask, “What does my body need right now?” Instead of numbing every discomfort with painkillers, food, or distraction, we might notice that a headache is actually a call for rest, hydration, or compassion.
It’s no wonder we fear emotions - especially the ones labelled “negative.” We’ve been conditioned to get rid of them as quickly as possible: to cry and “get it out,” to suppress or express or “let it go.” But this rush to process and move on can rob us of the deeper messages these sensations carry. I recently worked with a client who, for the first time, allowed herself to feel what was happening in her body. It was uncomfortable, and her instinct was to push it away, to process it, to get rid of it. But learning to be with these sensations - without judgement, without urgency - helped her begin to trust her own body.
I believe our culture has taught us to distrust our bodies, to numb our feelings, and to treat ourselves like problems to be solved. But when we pause, breathe, and get curious about what’s happening inside us, we ignite a powerful reconnection. We become more than just minds in motion; we come home to ourselves.
Embodiment is about how we are, not just how we do. It’s asking: How am I right now? Not in an abstract or analytical sense, but in a deeply felt way - tingling here, tightness there, warmth somewhere else.
This is what I long to share with the world: the reminder that our bodies hold incredible wisdom, if only we listen. And when we do, we can transform even the most uncomfortable sensations into pathways of self awareness, resilience, and growth.
It is our birth right to live fully, from the inside out.
And as Ram Dass so eloquently put : “We’re all just walking each other home”
