Class Description

We examine the role of the body in transformation and emotional well-being.  Bo reviews research that suggests disowning parts of the body, or being disembodied, actually elicit an inflammatory response in the body and in the nervous system.  We then make connections between disembodiment and common states of dis-ease including anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. We learn about interoception – or mindfulness in the body – as a tool for emotional balance, and practices to cultivate it.   We wonder about practicing embodiment ‘off the mat’ in life’s difficult moments.

Supplementary Material & Practice Toolkit

• Watch more on Re-imagining Emotional Issues as Diseases of Disembodiment
• Practice Football: Connective Tissue Release for the Plantar Fascia (you’ll need a tennis or Yoga Tune-Up ball for this tool)
• Try the connective tissue work as guided by the video
• Play with Karen’s suggestion to feel or awareness into your feet in “off the mat” moments in your daily life as a way of practicing interoception and embodiment  

Lifework

Reflect:

• How did you respond to Kayla offering “I don’t know” as the answer to the question how do we make embodiment, not just a practice, but a way of being? How are you feeling about this course posing more questions that answers so far?

Post to the Forum:

• How do you do bridging the gap between your practice “on the mat” (so to speak; it doesn’t have to be Yoga) and its application in life’s difficult moments? If you wish, share a tool or technique that has helped you stay connected to embodiment/ awareness in a difficult moment.
• How do you respond to the idea that emotional issues are also “diseases of disembodiment?”