Cultivating Safety From Within

I used to be addicted to “knowing”- I couldn’t get enough. I would constantly consume information, courses, social media posts, podcasts.

And then I realized that I had a belief that the more knowledge I had, the safer I would be. 

I had untangle the belief that safety meant always knowing, absorbing info, constantly listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos.

That my safety was based on external people and situations. 

Of course this is helpful and important to a degree.

But I learned that safety is not something I could find from outside information. 

Safety is a feeling I needed to cultivate from within- by learning to be in my body, connect to my body, listen to my body. By healing trauma, patterns, and beliefs stored in my body. 

Knowledge Vs Embodiment

What’s the difference between knowledge and embodiment?

Knowledge is the mental learning, repeating, awareness. 

Embodiment is actually living what you learned on a daily basis. 

When I first dove into emotional healing, it was all about gaining as much knowledge as I could. I listened to all the podcasts. Read all the books.

But after time I realized that I wasn’t actually living this knowledge.

I could talk all about boundaries and the importance of setting them, but when it came to setting a boundary I would freeze and avoid.

I could talk all about the nervous system responses, but I was still having extreme experiences of nervous system dysfunction.

I could talk all about taking your power back, but I was still giving my power away on a daily basis, with even small things.

I could talk all about the importance of feeling your feelings, but I was still terrified of feeling mine on deep levels.

It wasn’t until I started doing somatic work that I realized: I had all the mental stuff down, but I was totally disconnected from my body.

And being connected to my body is how I can embody and live this knowledge.

Through body- based modalities such as somatic coaching, emotional release, and breathwork, I created more safety to be in my body, which led to feeling more connected to myself, which led to actually integrating all of the knowledge and living it.

Knowledge is power. Awareness is power. And embodiment creates even deeper levels of empowerment.

What is “Embodiment?”

When I first saw the word “embodiment,” I had no idea what it meant. I saw “embodiment coaches” and “embodiment exercises” on Instagram and wondered if this was just another trendy buzzword.

For me, I couldn’t really understand what embodiment meant until I experienced what it meant to truly be in my body- which happened during my first breathwork session. It was the first time I felt truly aware and present in my body while feeling safe. And it made me realize how I had lived my whole life escaping my body for protection.

I started doing breathwork on a regular basis and also started working with a somatic coach. Our sessions involved me noticing the sensations and emotions in my body as I spoke, becoming aware of what trauma responses felt like in the body, noticing when my nervous system was activated, and doing lots of inner child and parts work. I became better at noticing what certain emotions felt like in my body and over time created more safety in my body to feel and process them.

And over time, I discovered what “embodiment” meant for me- becoming more aware of my body on a daily basis. Acknowledging the wisdom and intelligence of my body. Involving my body in decisions, checking in with it throughout the day. Noticing the emotions coming up, where I feel them in my body, and determining what I need to do. Feeling more connected to my intuition and trusting myself more. Overall, living life with a greater awareness of my body.

As a society we are so disconnected from our bodies, living life on auto-pilot and unaware of how our thoughts, behaviors, and actions are affecting our bodies- and how trauma in our bodies is affecting our thoughts, behaviors, and actions. I lived this way for most of my life. And when we operate solely from our minds, we miss out on all of the information our body has to share.

Becoming aware of our bodies allows us to heal limiting beliefs and unhealthy patterns from not only our minds but from our bodies as well, where trauma is stored. This allows for mind-body congruence- which can provide deeper healing than mindset work alone. And when we have mind-body congruence, we can actually start to embody and radiate love, joy, abundance, empowerment, and confidence.

If you feel like embodiment is something you would like to explore, book a free clarity call here, book a breathwork session here, or email me at hello@laurenjill.com for my coaching package options.