Embodying authentic living

“The greatest hazard of all, losing the self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss - an arm, a leg, 5 dollars, a wife, etc. - is sure to be noticed.’ ~ Soren Kierkegaard

In the yoga tradition we often speak of setting intentions, or a sankalpa. A rough translation for this Sanskrit word is ‘a vow in connection with the highest truth.’ I think that this word carries more weight than an intention (meaning: a thing intended; an aim or plan) because it is aligned with the very core of who we are and we must honour that if we are to live a life which is authentic and free.

My greatest sankalpa for this year, above all else, is to practice radical honesty and that means showing up 100% authentically as I am in every moment, no matter how difficult it may be. Why? Because to not do so is to deny that part of me, and all parts of me deserve to be heard.

I’ve spent years living my life on the periphery. Always on the outside looking in, never quite fitting in; a non-conformist conforming in an in-authentic bid to be accepted and, quite frankly, its exhausting. And not only is it exhausting, but it’s also a major trigger for anxiety. So much time has been wasted saying yes to things when I should’ve said no, minimalising my feelings in the moment to prevent another’s discomfort, or preventing myself from expressing myself for fear of judgement and disapproval. Life is just way too short and far too precious to live like that.

This is why embodiment is so essential; because it’s our greatest ally in living an authentic life. The body doesn’t lie. It can’t. We can become numb to the point that we cannot feel, but the truth being communicated by the body is always present beneath the surface. It’s a compass and an indicator that is always seeking to steer us in the right direction. It’s a barometer with which we can measure the credibility of the decisions we make in any given moment, from the most trivial such as what we should wear, to those that are important and potentially life-changing, such as deciding on a change of career.

Can you think of times in your life when you have made choices or reacted from a dis-embodied place? What were the consequences? With hindsight can you see what the missed signals were, if any?

As Kierkegaard’s quote above states: the process of losing the self can occur so quietly that it could be some time before we even notice that loss at all. Months, years, decades can go by with us living on autopilot, wearing that same old comfortable pair of slippers with the hole in the bottom. We’re aware of the distant irritation that it causes but are not prepared to do anything about it because its too late/we’re too old/we’re not educated enough/we’re not adventurous enough/___________________ (fill in the blank.)

The meaning of life is the meaning that we create for it. It’s the sense that we make of our experiences, the awareness with which we walk the path and journey with one another, the ability we all have to see the beauty in even the most painful of times - because its during these times that who we are is revealed to us. And it’s also having the audacity to present ourselves to the world in all our truth. The unfiltered, raw, vulnerable, messy, authentic us.

Embodiment teaches us to pay attention, to redirect our focus inwardly to the one person who already holds all the answers: us. It paves the way to set sankalpas and make choices that are aligned with the highest truth of who we are revealing ourselves to be right here and now. As the antidote to a life that’s reserved and inhibited, embodiment is the key that unlocks our freedom.

The price to pay for losing the self is a costly one, but a life grounded in unwavering truth is abundant and worth waking up each day for.

Pause.

Breathe.

Listen.

Choose.