embodiment, toxic positivity, + living multi-dimensionally
THE PULSE: Well, Something Is Happening.
YEP, WE'RE FEELING IT TOO!
How are you doing? The energy is off the charts. You are most likely feeling there's a lot happening all at once because the energetic floodgates have opened! For every person, the way it shows up in your life will be different. You may feel like you just had a doozy of some sort dropped in your lap, and for others the opportunity you've been manifesting is on its way to being realized. The momentum is there to push you in a certain direction. We're here to remind you to go with the flow, rather than push against the current.
GET EMBODIED
And there is no coincidence that we're talking all about embodiment this week because as you move forward, practicing embodiment will be key. You may be asking, what does that actually mean? The multi-dimensional and brilliant Maureen Pelton tells you all about it on this week's podcast. Listen now, and you can also read an excerpt below.
What You Need to Know About Embodiment in 2023
(Plus, Toxic Positivity + Living Multi-Dimensionally)
The word and concept of “embodiment” has come up in multiple conversations we’ve had over the last several months. In fact, we were hearing it so much that we started thinking that embodiment is THE “need to know” concept for 2023. And then synchronistically, we met Maureen Pelton.
Maureen is the co-founder of ShiftIt Institute, a behavioral scientist and a pioneer in the field of...you guessed it, embodiment. She is also a mystic, spiritual activator, wife, mother, intuitive, integrative psychotherapist, executive coach, teacher, and energy worker. With over 35 years of professional experience, Maureen has dedicated her life to shifting the consciousness of humanity and institutions. She is a highly sought after consultant among entrepreneurs, tech leaders, and people on the path of awakening. As a paradigm shifter, Maureen has led and developed courses, programs and retreats for universities, healthcare systems and corporations.
She is also an operating partner at Bridge Builders Collaborative, which helps to fund companies creating mind training, mental health and consciousness solutions through technology.
We couldn’t wait to sit down with Maureen on this week's podcast to do a deep dive on the definition of embodiment and so much more.
Here are a few highlights:
R+K: Maureen, is it just us or are you hearing the word embodiment more and more in conversations? And what is your definition of embodiment?
Maureen Pelton: You're right, I am hearing that term myself so much more in the last year or two. I've been deeply involved in it for a very long time.
I don't know that there is an easy definition of it out there, but I'll try to do it as simply as possible. As we know today, we are energy. Quantum physics, quantum mechanics, many different fields of science are really starting to understand and validate that we are energy. We have a physical form, which is our body, which is energy at, let's just say, a denser state. And then we have our spirit, or our soul, which is in the body.
So the human experience as I see it, is that we are energetic beings in physical form, having a human experience. And we are vibrating and engaging in the world through our vibration. We send out energy and we receive energy. And so for me, embodiment is really bringing our true nature, our essence, our sound, our vibration into the body.
The challenge with that is from the moment of conception we are being conditioned, and we are absorbing energy into our body. Carl Jung said, what our mind can't handle, our body absorbs. We are absorbing into our body: beliefs, narratives, wounds, trauma, intergenerational trauma. After spending a long time studying the brain, we're starting to understand that the body actually is really significant.
And so it's moving beyond the brain and into the body. The brain's job is to collect data, sort data, analyze data, and disseminate data. Now that data doesn't mean it's “true.” We hear, or see what's being shown to us, and it's our job to discern it, to analyze it, and to decide if it's correct for us. And the way to do that is by being in our bodies, because our bodies, through our senses, through our feelings, through our movement, tells us what is correct for us, what is true for us.
But so many of us are what I call, "living above the neck." We're just focused on that data and we're overthinking it. And we're not really experiencing our true nature, our intrinsic wholeness, our intuition, our wisdom, because that's in our bodies.
So embodiment is really about being fully in our bodies and aware and alive, and not in our heads. Not thinking, but actually being.
And that's why we talk about presence. Presence is that present moment awareness. When we're in our body and we're sensing, we're feeling, we're touching. All of our senses are alive, and we are experiencing the world around us. We're not thinking the world around us. There's thought-based knowledge and experience-based awareness. So to me that is embodiment.
R+K: That actually leads us to the next question, how do we actually live a more embodied life?
Maureen: Embodiment is the messy work of evolving consciousness. Embodiment means that we need to have what I would call, “our personal sovereignty…” to be sovereign in our bodies.
And in order to do that, we have to clean out the wounds, the beliefs, the narratives, the triggers, the baggage that we're holding in our body. And that's messy, hard work of getting into the body and feeling, sensing, knowing, and moving through it.
The body is actually our precious vehicle. We're oriented more towards controlling it and thinking it's supposed to be a certain way, when really it's this precious vehicle that we move through that allows us to impact this world. Our brilliance is our impact on this world through our bodies.
I don't know of any person on the planet, the 8 billion of us in physical form, that doesn't have some form of limitation, whether it's physical, emotional, mental, energetic, or some combination. Nobody in physical form is perfect. That's part of the human experience. So moving through those limitations, moving through those restrictions is part of the embodiment process. But to do that, we have to love our bodies. We have to accept our bodies, we have to understand, even if it's a limitation, we can still work with it and we can still move through it.
And for a lot of people that's hard. That's why they stay above the neck. They don't want to be challenged by the limitations in the body or the beliefs or the conditioning or the stories. So it's messy work. That's the thing that people have to understand. It's worth it. It's beautiful, but it's messy work.
R+K: You also talked about how sometimes people can seem to be in a state of “embodiment,” but they are actually in a state of “spiritual bypass.” Can you define that?
Maureen: Yes, spiritual bypassing is basically not doing the messy work of embodiment. Spiritual bypassing is having the information, having some experiences, having the knowledge, maybe even having the words.
You’re not actually addressing the wounds, the suffering, the pain and transcending it. You're keeping it stuffed down. And not always, but oftentimes, there's toxic positivity because if you're not able to meet yourself in those places, it's hard to have empathy for others or compassion for others who are in those places. And so that's where it can become toxic positivity.
So I think that toxic positivity, that spiritual bypassing is also a way to try and normalize things that are really painful, because if you're not equipped to deal with your own pain, it's really hard when there's so much pain in the world to know how to deal with that. So you just try and rationalize it, and say “it's all, perfect.” But in the end, it's not.
R+K: I think a lot of us can recognize aspects of that in ourselves.
Maureen: That’s what I mean about it being beautiful but messy work. I will say, as an intuitive, I am not a hundred percent, and I would say if anyone ever tells you they're a hundred percent, run like heck, because nobody is.
I fumble around. I'm still learning. I laugh with my colleagues and say, “when we don't have any more work to do, we're dead.” So I stress this so much with my clients and with all the students I’ve taught, JUST PLAY!! Don't take yourself or anything too seriously. We're supposed to be childlike in this. Find what works for you.
It really is about remembering your true nature and your connection to all that is, and the earth and each other. And really remembering that whatever your gifts are, to bring them forward, to express them in the world.
R+K: Yes! It's what you are drawn to…and if you're embodied to a degree, you trust that knowing. There's a pull to whatever that is, to get you wherever that you're intending to go. And we’re so grateful that you brought up “the remembering.” That’s why we startedSeeking Center and part of our tagline is “to reconnect you to who you really are.”
Maureen, thank you for sharing our wisdom today and for helping inspire people to look at their bodies differently, and remember why they are here. Listen to the full podcast.
To find out more about working with Maureen and the ShiftIt Institute visit ShiftIt.com. You can also find embodiment meditations from Maureen at insighttimer.com/mysticbridge.
SECRET POWER: Embodying Your Breath
We asked Maureen for some thoughts on practices we could start incorporating into our daily lives to start feeling and becoming more embodied. And guess what? It all starts with breath!
Maureen reminds us, “Humans are unconscious breathers. We don't think about our breath. So the first practice, (which is also the foundation of yoga, mindfulness and meditation) is simply to be aware of our breath.”
Try this embodiment practice of breathing now.
START WITH BREATH AWARENESS
FEEL YOUR BREATH: Be aware that you’re breathing. Stop and feel the sensation of breathing in your body.
LOCATE YOUR BREATH: Where are you breathing? Are you breathing into your chest? Are you breathing into your belly?
TIME YOUR BREATH: What is the duration of your breath? Is it long? Is it short?
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS: How is what’s happening around and to me that impacts my breath? Am I holding my breath when I'm stressed or for instance, when I'm driving in traffic?
SET YOUR INTENTION: Set the intention to be aware of your breath, to notice your breath, to pay attention to your breath.
MAKE TIME FOR A BREATH PRACTICE
EVENING: Starting by saying, “When I go to bed at night, I'm going to lay on my pillow, turn off the lights, and just breathe consciously for five minutes.” What we know about that breath is it activates the vagus nerve, which then activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which allows you to rest and relax. So just doing that for five minutes, your body starts to relax. Incorporating this practice can help you sleep better.
MORNING: When you get up in the morning – when you're drinking your coffee, or you're in the shower, just spend those five minutes focusing on your breath. One very easy breath exercise is to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth and simply have the exhale be twice as long as the inhale. So if you inhale for four, exhale for eight.
EXPLORE YOUR BREATH + BODY CONNECTION
DO A BODY SCAN: Pay attention to where you are breathing in your body. As you focus on your breath you realize where it is coming from. If you are chest breathing, that's a stress breath. Bring that breath down into the belly. Bring that breath expansively into the back of the ribs. That practice in and of itself really starts to help you understand, “Oh, I do have a body and it needs breath to be alive.”
PACE YOURSELF: Take note and be aware how your body's doing as you move throughout the day. There are people who move really fast and crash into things, and there are those other people who move really slow and are very deliberate. Neither is right or wrong, but if you start paying attention, you'll start to remember that you have a body and that it needs your attention.
Which brings us back full circle to our practice of embodiment. Simple reminders with so much impact for reconnecting us to who we are in both physical and spiritual form.
Thanks Maureen, we’re breathing better already!
THE WEEKLY DOWNLOAD
Keep Going + Believe in Yourself. We Believe in You!
Think of Karen + I…and Spirit as your unconditional cheerleaders. We’re rooting for you to live your most fulfilled life. This week’s downloads, that are for all of us, are brilliant reminders that the possibilities are endless – and to keep putting one foot in front of the other and move forward.
ROBYN’S DOWNLOAD
The river of possibility runs through everything…this is what we want you all to know in your heart. Use this week to dream into what is possible for yourself. And for the world. The momentum is speeding up. The possibilities are limitless. Stay in the light and think of your most fantastical dreams. How do they make you feel? What if you already had this dream come true? What does it feel like?
Now being shown being the belle of the ball. It’s a visual analogy that dreams really do come true. And this week use the energy to help your dreams come into this life.
Use your imagination. Make your vision board. Write in your journal. Do whatever works for you. It’s time to create the life you’ve always dreamed of. You have the support of the Universe all around you.
Don’t spend your time in doubt and fear. Gently send doubt and fear on their way — replace them with the feeling of excitement of what is to come.
Abundance is your birthright.
As difficult as it may seem, block the people who say no, or that you “can’t” do something. Believe in yourself. You have what it takes to accomplish what you put your mind to — once you believe it, you will be amazed at how the right people and opportunities will appear. It will feel magical because it is.
Life is magic. Life is full of miracles. You are a miracle. Think about all of the magic it took to bring you into this world at this very time. Believe in miracles. Believe in your dreams.
Picture yourself as bright light — attracting all of the other bright light.
There are no coincidences. It is “preparation meeting opportunity” as Oprah says. You are prepared, now call in the opportunity.
We send you love and support every day.
KAREN'S DOWNLOAD
Even though it has been said that time is an illusion, it often feels like a very absolute measurement in the so-called “real world.” And time always lives in opposites. Time flies, or it stops cold. There’s not enough of it or it drags on forever. Weeks and months may seem to slip by when there’s too much to do and then it all slows down when you are worried, or are trying to sleep.
And at this season of the year, time can also be a marker for our successes and failures. It may seem like “forever” since Jan 1st, when you took up that New Year's resolution to lose weight, or start an exercise practice, or commit to a dry January. You were so optimistic and sure at the beginning. You had so much certainty that you were finally on the journey to the “New You.” And now, with a week of the month left…where are you? Are you lost? Discouraged? Embarrassed or angry at willpower exceeded or lost? Are you ready to quit or has that resolution already escaped you?
It’s not that you're lazy, or that you don’t have enough will power. It isn’t that you don’t have what it takes to get where you want to be. This is not yet another lost attempt to get to where you want to go.
It is the opposite. It is THE WORK. And there’s only one way to do it. KEEP GOING.
This doesn’t mean you have to cling to every intention, or promise or commitment that you made. It doesn’t mean you have to climb back on the wagon or the scale or the treadmill. And it doesn’t mean you have failed.
Take a look at that beautiful soul looking back at you in the mirror. The one that is striving in vulnerable humanness to embody the best human form, the best life that it can.
Start again. Do it smaller, or lighter or less. KEEP GOING.
Just the attempt - of getting up and putting your feet on the ground and walking toward your intention IS THE THING! Like the little toddler who mindlessly continues to rise and stumble and gets up again… you are learning, you are growing, you are DOING THE WORK. It is not the getting it done that we are here for. We are here for the journey.
So next time you are feeling the weight of the promise, the overwhelment of the doing…KEEP GOING. For every step IS the resolution. It is the living and the being and the reason why you are here. BE all of it.
Just…keep…going.
SEEKING CENTER PODCAST SCHEDULE
DECEMBER 13: New Year Astrology Forecast: What's in Store for 2023?
DECEMBER 20: Coping with Loss: Messages of Hope + A Reading with the Other Side
JANUARY 10: Taking the WooWoo out of Wellness + Getting Your Life Back on Track
JANUARY 17: Your Witchy Bestie's Guide to Help You Create Your Own Magic
JANUARY 24: What You Need to Know About Embodiment in 2023 (Plus, Toxic Positivity + Living Multi-Dimensionally)
WE WANT TO BE FRIENDS
We want to hear from you.
Are you at a crossroads in your life? Are you seeking guidance? What do you want to hear about? What practices have you tried? Do you have a healer or practitioner or spiritual modality that we need to know about?
Email us: connect@seekingcenter.app
And follow us on instagram at @seekingcenterrobyn and @seekingcenterofficial.