Wow I didn’t even know how much I needed this treatise on embodiment right now. I also struggle with being fully in my body, and feeling any sense of belonging in this world, which I think is a common thing for us sometimes in the LGBTQ fam (I shared my new wrist tattoo with you at the Omega Meditation Party last fall that I got in Portugal that says simply “I Belong” inside a bannered red heart because I was reading your book at the time too and it was all so so so aligned) and so I appreciate you continuing on this theme in your writings here too. Hearing that you have to physically remind yourself to ground multiple times a day was also encouraging to me. This full moon in Scorp is thrashing me about a bit, but it’s pointing to some deep, deep habituated things I need to let go of once and for all but I just keep resisting.
The older I get the more I seem to have to unlearn more and more. It’s like unraveling a too tight scarf around my neck to the point I can’t speak and I just want every bit of fear and anxiety that was foisted on us by dominant (western) culture to keep falling away little by little. I’m guessing it’s a lifetime and then some of work to do. Now that I’ve penned a novel here, I shall go to your meditation and get even more help in shedding what was never meant for me. I welcome the return of a feeling of sacred *everything*. Maybe my body/soul still has an ancient memory of it. Thank you Sebene, as usual for your voice. ❤️✨
Oh hey! Thanks for reminding me you're also part of the wrist/forearm reminder message club!! And for sharing all this Kellye. Powerful. Yes, soooo much un-learning. Hopefully the next generations will have less and less and less... xoxo
So glad this popped up in my inbox today. I just finished watching Dying for Sex on Hulu this weekend and it has a lot to say about liberation and embodiment as well. Remembering to feel my body is getting easier but it is still more often getting drowned out by my busy buzzing mind. But that’s why we keep practicing I guess. Thanks for keeping us honest Sebene 💜💜💜
So much to absorb here. Yes to everything about music and singing. I've recently joined a choir and although it is far from the world of the erotic that Audre Lorde describes (thank you so much for linking us to that essay/talk), it feels like it's a step in that direction.
And my goodness, 300 pages on coupledom! I'm hanging on by my fingernails when it comes to understanding what I'm reading. It is slow going but so interesting.
Thank you for this article. Reminders to Love are short in supply and desperately needed.
For the journal prompt "what supports your connection to a heart full of love, to the numinous and to the truth that everything is holy?" the breath was the first thing that came to mind. The heart is probably the part of us that is most under siege by the current society we have created. The more our heartspace can feel the breath, the more chance it has to be felt. And it's by design (white capitalist & imperialist) that we so often forget to feel it.
There are many more valid answers to this question but what's more simple and accessible to each of us than our own breath?
"I was reeling from the self-obliteration that can come from leaving the identity of couple-dom. Suddenly, there was no longer a singular and go-to witness for my existence: no one to text when the plane lands, no one to ask about every dinner or movie idea. I have a full life, with many friends, yet I instantly felt the stinging isolation that contemporary single life elicits for many. The grief came in engulfing waves. So I cried. A lot." OH MY. It's as though someone just sliced the top of my head off to peer inside my brain. Thank you for writing this!
Yes! I'm over here still reading... still geeking out over the synchronicities... I, too, have been reading Uses of the Erotic this week, using it to inform my writing, my daily practices. I had a sex therapist recently suggest a healing meditation for my pelvic floor that is designed to both help me remember I have a body and help me soften towards it.
And my final observation is about the power of group singing - which is actually a form of synchronized breathing (I'm sure you know this!), which is, in turn, a form of synchronized nervous system regulating! My sister / my friends who sing in choirs frequently talk about the sense of wellbeing that comes over them after a session, and how powerful that is. And that I've been at a few concerts lately, with a lot of singing, and was able to experience those benefits there, as well. I'm so glad it brought you sustenance and rejuvenation.
Just purchased the recording - I'm so happy to see it as an option. I remember wanting to participate when it was first offered, but then resisting because it felt too raw, too in-the-moment for me. Thank you for archiving it.
What a beautiful practice - thank you Sebene. As a menopausal person, I am so thankful for this guidance as I uncover a new relationship with my body and my belly in particular. Blessings.
This really landed: “an overemphasis on internalized placidity mirrors the hyper-individualism and disembodiment of our larger culture.” Yes! And then this: “As I sat still, my body buzzed from the melodies and beats, my heart resonated with warmth, my awareness filled with love.” Beautiful. Thank you, Sebene.
thank you for uplifting the whole hearted wisdom of bell hooks and Audre Lorde. Although they are no longer physically in this world, I will continually learn and glean so many phenomenal nuanced nuggets from them. And for you to Yes And their wisdom with yours, is going to keep me busy! In a damn good way. Embodiment. I know I hold at my core, so much I have yet to truly access and appreciate. Growing up in the 70's and 80's as a queer non-binary kid (without any of that handy language!), I had to monitor, disguise, and suppress so much of my inner self - but now I am beginning to truly tap into my fullness, investigate what embodiment means for this ol' sack of bones. I am grateful for leaning into what you're bringing. And the experiment and exploration will continue. Tapping into all the meanings and nuances of L O V E. There's no better thing to explore. Much love and healing and a strong whiff of the essential oil of curiosity, with a hint of mango.
Wow I didn’t even know how much I needed this treatise on embodiment right now. I also struggle with being fully in my body, and feeling any sense of belonging in this world, which I think is a common thing for us sometimes in the LGBTQ fam (I shared my new wrist tattoo with you at the Omega Meditation Party last fall that I got in Portugal that says simply “I Belong” inside a bannered red heart because I was reading your book at the time too and it was all so so so aligned) and so I appreciate you continuing on this theme in your writings here too. Hearing that you have to physically remind yourself to ground multiple times a day was also encouraging to me. This full moon in Scorp is thrashing me about a bit, but it’s pointing to some deep, deep habituated things I need to let go of once and for all but I just keep resisting.
The older I get the more I seem to have to unlearn more and more. It’s like unraveling a too tight scarf around my neck to the point I can’t speak and I just want every bit of fear and anxiety that was foisted on us by dominant (western) culture to keep falling away little by little. I’m guessing it’s a lifetime and then some of work to do. Now that I’ve penned a novel here, I shall go to your meditation and get even more help in shedding what was never meant for me. I welcome the return of a feeling of sacred *everything*. Maybe my body/soul still has an ancient memory of it. Thank you Sebene, as usual for your voice. ❤️✨
Oh hey! Thanks for reminding me you're also part of the wrist/forearm reminder message club!! And for sharing all this Kellye. Powerful. Yes, soooo much un-learning. Hopefully the next generations will have less and less and less... xoxo
So glad this popped up in my inbox today. I just finished watching Dying for Sex on Hulu this weekend and it has a lot to say about liberation and embodiment as well. Remembering to feel my body is getting easier but it is still more often getting drowned out by my busy buzzing mind. But that’s why we keep practicing I guess. Thanks for keeping us honest Sebene 💜💜💜
I have not seen it yet and I know I'll prob resonate with a lot of it. Thanks for being here Trish!
So much to absorb here. Yes to everything about music and singing. I've recently joined a choir and although it is far from the world of the erotic that Audre Lorde describes (thank you so much for linking us to that essay/talk), it feels like it's a step in that direction.
And my goodness, 300 pages on coupledom! I'm hanging on by my fingernails when it comes to understanding what I'm reading. It is slow going but so interesting.
Yes to singing! And you are brave to tackle that Rosemary lol.
Thank you for this article. Reminders to Love are short in supply and desperately needed.
For the journal prompt "what supports your connection to a heart full of love, to the numinous and to the truth that everything is holy?" the breath was the first thing that came to mind. The heart is probably the part of us that is most under siege by the current society we have created. The more our heartspace can feel the breath, the more chance it has to be felt. And it's by design (white capitalist & imperialist) that we so often forget to feel it.
There are many more valid answers to this question but what's more simple and accessible to each of us than our own breath?
Thank you Jun. So beautiful. Breathing with our hearts! YES!! Thanks for being here and sharing your wisdom. xox
Thank you, Seb! That meditation was beautiful on a rainy, bird-song filled morning.
Thanks for meditating with me Gen. xox
"I was reeling from the self-obliteration that can come from leaving the identity of couple-dom. Suddenly, there was no longer a singular and go-to witness for my existence: no one to text when the plane lands, no one to ask about every dinner or movie idea. I have a full life, with many friends, yet I instantly felt the stinging isolation that contemporary single life elicits for many. The grief came in engulfing waves. So I cried. A lot." OH MY. It's as though someone just sliced the top of my head off to peer inside my brain. Thank you for writing this!
Good to know it resonated Francesca. Honestly, people don't talk about divorce or family estrangements nearly enough! Thanks so much for reading!
Yes! I'm over here still reading... still geeking out over the synchronicities... I, too, have been reading Uses of the Erotic this week, using it to inform my writing, my daily practices. I had a sex therapist recently suggest a healing meditation for my pelvic floor that is designed to both help me remember I have a body and help me soften towards it.
And my final observation is about the power of group singing - which is actually a form of synchronized breathing (I'm sure you know this!), which is, in turn, a form of synchronized nervous system regulating! My sister / my friends who sing in choirs frequently talk about the sense of wellbeing that comes over them after a session, and how powerful that is. And that I've been at a few concerts lately, with a lot of singing, and was able to experience those benefits there, as well. I'm so glad it brought you sustenance and rejuvenation.
Just purchased the recording - I'm so happy to see it as an option. I remember wanting to participate when it was first offered, but then resisting because it felt too raw, too in-the-moment for me. Thank you for archiving it.
Thanks for your interest, and you’re not the first person that’s said almost the exact same thing to me lol.
What a beautiful practice - thank you Sebene. As a menopausal person, I am so thankful for this guidance as I uncover a new relationship with my body and my belly in particular. Blessings.
Welcome Amy! 😅
Great meditation! Thanks for sharing it ⭐️
Thanks for meditating Rafael.
This really landed: “an overemphasis on internalized placidity mirrors the hyper-individualism and disembodiment of our larger culture.” Yes! And then this: “As I sat still, my body buzzed from the melodies and beats, my heart resonated with warmth, my awareness filled with love.” Beautiful. Thank you, Sebene.
Thank you Liz! This is such a lovely reflection. 🥹🪞💛
thank you for uplifting the whole hearted wisdom of bell hooks and Audre Lorde. Although they are no longer physically in this world, I will continually learn and glean so many phenomenal nuanced nuggets from them. And for you to Yes And their wisdom with yours, is going to keep me busy! In a damn good way. Embodiment. I know I hold at my core, so much I have yet to truly access and appreciate. Growing up in the 70's and 80's as a queer non-binary kid (without any of that handy language!), I had to monitor, disguise, and suppress so much of my inner self - but now I am beginning to truly tap into my fullness, investigate what embodiment means for this ol' sack of bones. I am grateful for leaning into what you're bringing. And the experiment and exploration will continue. Tapping into all the meanings and nuances of L O V E. There's no better thing to explore. Much love and healing and a strong whiff of the essential oil of curiosity, with a hint of mango.