BLAKE & THE BODY ?

The physical form is a vessel for our heart and soul, an exterior which allows us to communicate, connect and BE in the outside world. Amongst many of the teachings which I engage with this is one that I feel more personally. The physical form is something that as a western society we get transfixed by and in, but amongst Eastern teachings and beliefs it is here to serve a purpose like other material possessions in this realm. It is this teachings that I find rather interesting when then talking about trauma, rehabilitation and integration of movement patterns. A subject matter I am fascinated by, and one which I am going to engage with further bringing in the symbiotic questioning of 'how if our physical form - our body - is only a possession by which we are able to communicate, connect and BE in the outside world, then why when it goes 'wrong', gets injured, has a disformality or anything along this spectrum do we attach ourselves so strongly, struggle to sit with its new form, way of communicating, connecting and Being and why do we at times truly fight and find discomfort in being simply still and embodying, being IN our bodies, our physical from, the vessels for our heart and soul. Yet why is stillness so important within the process of healing, learning and becoming whole again. 

Reflecting on Amanda Blakes work 'BODY = BRAIN' and her notions around somatic intelligence; from where she researches, believes and teaches about creating a greater interoceptive and proprioceptive connection. Thus building the capacity and ability to be more confidence, more comfortable in Self, have a deeper sense of purpose and meaning,be more relaxed and have stronger, less conflicted relationships. It is amongst these teachings and the guided practices which she illustrates that I am going to explore. 

Building awareness and resilience into your body is a foundational point to then open to the unlimited opportunities and possibilities you have within and before you. Coming back to my opening point around the Buddhist teaching of the body being a vessel for the soul, Blake instead (I believe) interprets the body as a mechanism for the soul to explore and communicate within the world. The body, brain and Self therefore not being a separate elements for which have individual roles but instead it being a fluid combination of these that we are then able to fullfill our souls purpose and recognise that with is within - oneness and unite as many ancient teachings define. When talking about then BODY=BRAIN she states 'your body is stuff with which you do your thinking, your conceptualising, your decision making, your sensing of your next move..." Thus for us to separate them into 2 formats not only limits our potential and the opportunity to experience life at its fullness, it also limits our understanding of what is possible as well as what is actually going on. 

Her (and the current clinical) definition of Embodied Self Awareness is 'our capacity to pay attention in the present movement non judgementally to our body in space'.It is through this embodied self awareness that further questions surrounding how the impact of trauma, rehabilitation, movement patterns and somatics raises. From the viewpoint of my practice I have found it professional and personally hard to engage with the non judgementally element to this definition. Majority of my clients, students and patients have a preconceived idea of how their bodies should look, feel and move. So acknowledging how they are moving without thinking it should be another way, recognising sensations without association of a positive or negative. Learning to be in this body without seeking change, gratification or remorse can be one of the hardest things coach them towards. Whether this be a reflection upon societal pressures, media influence or even conscious or unconscious biases is a discussion for another time. Yet interlacing this definition -Embodied Self Awareness is 'our capacity to pay attention in the present movement non judgementally to our body in space'.- with ideas surrounding injury, trauma and rehabilitate movement patterns I believe can provide a scope for improvement in the profession. 

"We ought to think of the body more like a river then a rock. Like a river, the body is constantly exchanging new for old, renewing and replenishing..." (Blake 2018, pg 59). This is another beautiful statement which helps use build on the idea of non-judgement, rather accepting the present for the present and allowing it to be that way. With regards to the body being a vessel for the soul and sensations that can arise with the injured body-vessel, knowing that it change with every breath not only brings the freedom for the patient/client/student and me but also allows for the capacity to let go of any judgement and negative connotations whilst helping reestablish and recognise how the body is feeling within this moment; gaining the opportunity to connect, build a stronger resilience within the Self and have the unity of body=brain > purpose and strength.

One question that has arise for me during this exploration of the body as a vessel and delving in deeper to Blakes work is ' Can we witness and embody simultaneously? ' She discusses how parts of us are 'designed' to happen without conscious awareness i.e. the heart beating, digestion, temperature regulation and other endocrine, homeostastic processes. Yet when we learn to bring the interoceptive and visceral sensations into our conscious awareness through stillness and learning to pay attention we then get more behavioural choices becoming available. Therefore this ability to witness and embody simultaneously may become available, it being a behavioural choice that we have awareness of. But it can only be initially attained through stillness. Also, this brings into motion how with more awareness, choice and consciousness available we can bring greater confidence and comfort into our form. For me this brings into play how it then increases the potential for our ability to heal. And our form; the vessel for our soul is and place of multiple consciousnesses has an improved movement range, is more balanced, fluid, agile and harmonious. If we are able to tap into this embodied witnessing state, especially during times of injury and rehabilitation then we may become stronger in our form and our Being. 

These are all starting points for further research and expansion within the area of rehabilitation, trauma, movement patterns, stillness, embodied awareness and somatics. Expanding on the question on what is the body and how can we best connect and feel and BE within our vessel.   Finishing with the final quotation from Blake '(our Soma) is LITERALLY part of your intelligence. unique wisdom which our bodies hold that we need to learn to tap into. 

References:

YouTube: Learning In Action; Your Body Is Your Brain with Amanda Blake | Heal The Divide Podinar (2020)

The Embodied Podcast; the neuroscience of embodiment with Amanda Blake (2019)

Your Body Is Your Brain: Leverage Your Somatic Intelligence to Find Purpose, Build Resilience, Deepen Relationships and Lead More Powerfully (2018)