Embodiment and Wellness: A Dietitian's Guide to Body Peace and Mindfulness
How have you arrived at this point, contemplating the concept of embodiment? Was it the pursuit of weight loss? Or repeated attempts to change or control your body, shape, or size that have left you feeling disconnected and confused? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you are not alone. I recently gathered around the topics of body image and embodiment with a group of people and asked, why were they there? What did they most want to get out of their experience together? These were some of their responses.
“I want freedom. I’m done with dieting and not liking myself; unpacking my mental load on my body. I’d like to nurture the environment that my head needs.”
“I feel so isolated - weight gain and body image is such a part of that. I want to be happy and healthy - how can I be wrong?”
“I had a conversation with my former coach at CrossFit. He’s concerned about my health because I’m gaining weight. I tried to share about Intuitive Eating, and he got defensive. He used science and said you need to track and get metrics - What’s real?”
“It’s empowering to talk about everything - food and body problems. I want to be kinder to myself and have less negative self-talk, to feel more comfortable in my skin, at any given time - at any size - freedom.”
“We don’t all feel like we have the ability - being here shows the positive potential. What if I tried?”
“I’ve been doing this work for a long time and it’s exhausting. Maybe I don’t have to figure it all out, and I don’t have to change everything about me?”
“There are so many triggers out there, like Ozempic… that ‘miracle’ thing… would it even help?”
“My purpose is to be comfortable in my body. To learn to love my body the way it is. The way society looks at people that are bigger is scary. I feel like there is something wrong with me - I feel judged all the time. I want to feel peace and freedom.”
“Doing any type of diet always brings you back to your own issues, fuels your ‘bad stuff.’ I wish society could understand - why are we dumping junk on each other? I want to be okay going out again - the light that my patients need - they will be exposed to diet culture, too. I want this to change.”
Do any of these reflect your own experiences or feelings? If so, it’s clear why embodiment holds such great interest.
Unlike body image, which primarily concerns the way we think, feel, perceive, and act toward our physical appearance, embodiment is a felt sense - a somatic experience. Embodiment delves into the fundamental question: what is it like to have a body and to live in yours?
Clearly, many people feel isolated, trapped, uncomfortable, and even at war within their bodies. Considering our innate desire to belong and move towards safety and away from threat, coupled with social conditioning and experience that being thin is most valuable and least “scary,” this is entirely understandable. So then, if we are all seeking the same acceptance, why do we continue to “dump junk on each other?”
What if we lived in a world that no longer placed value on bodies based on size and used them as currency to sell, what? Health, diets, beauty, the promise of a better life? Who profits by making you feel trapped and alone?
Jax nailed it with her 2023 hit song, “I Know Victoria’s Secret”: “She’s an old man who lives in Ohio making money off of girls like me” What is the allure of Victoria’s Secret? Perhaps the path to increased vitality, confidence, peace, and liberation lies not through weight loss but a you-turn inward to reclaim your ability to be and care for yourself.
What about Health?
Does “obesity” cause chronic disease, or does living in a chronic state of dis-ease in your body increase your risk of various health conditions? Does the unrelenting stress hinder your ability to engage in self-care and develop sustainable nurturing behaviors that support you? What “if you tried?”
Taking the journey back to you is an arduous one, not all rainbows and butterflies. However, the ultimate reward is immeasurable - “the gift of a lifetime…getting to be who you are.” It is not my intention to prove that you are worth it. It is my hope that you believe that you are and, more importantly, that you can. The following are my ideas on embodiment. Perhaps they will spark your interest further and encourage you to make that powerful, pivotal you-turn.
Embodiment is the ability to:
Feel connected, spacious, and centered in your body. Drop in, tune in, listen, and respond to the sensations arising from your body. Hold space for and be with your body and how it functions and feels.
Notice and appreciate all the miracles your body does: leaks, creaks, wrinkles, bruises, gets sick, feels pain, feels pleasure, touch. Expresses joy, sorrow, excitement, and love. Feel E-motion, fluid dynamic energy that must go somewhere and is permitted to pass through. Learn your body and interpret its signals without judging, avoiding, attaching to, or fixing. Do things for the body rather than to the body. Care for rather than exert control over your body. Exert your power with your presence, here and now, exactly as you are.
Be with.
Coming into your body is the most valuable thing you can do. The more you try to reshape your relationship to your body, rather than “it,” and practice taking good care, the more you may begin to realize that it is your body that takes care of you. Beautiful you.
Embodiment is a journey back to self, a path to realizing that listening to our bodies is a form of self-care. If you're seeking to improve your relationship with your body and food, our team at CV Wellbeing can guide you through mindful nutrition and body image strategies. Contact us for personalized support in your journey to health and well-being.
