As many of you know, last Wednesday (August 31) I held my first Facebook LIVE Chat.  It was a wonderful hour of engagement and sharing.  Most wonderful for me was the participation both during and after–being able to connect with local and far-flung friends in real time on the Chat and through comments after the Chat ended.  The response was more than I ever expected and still leaves me in awe.

After sharing some of my story for about 20 or 25 minutes, I took questions from my audience.  In this week’s blog, I would like to share with you one of those questions, and my response to it.

Question: How does this approach (of using Embodied Awareness in our daily lives) differ from others – what makes it unique?

{BH} All right.  So one of the things I think is fascinating today is there is a lot of talk about mindfulness–Mindfulness is a method for awareness meditation.  The difference with embodied awareness is it is about the integration of our awareness into our bodies.  We use our bodies as receiving stations for guidance from inner resources as well as outer resources (receiving input through our senses).  This allows that creative source within us to synthesize all of the information.  Then, when we ask for and receive inner guidance we can receive insights on how to take our next step in a way that is in harmony with ourselves, with our environment, with other people and with that Great mystery, we call the Creator.

How do all of those things come together?

Embodied awareness in many ways is a bit of a different approach, it’s similar to what I talk about in my Spiritually Directed Therapy programs.  There are five steps in spiritually directed therapy—embodied awareness is the core:

The first step is to connect within, connect with yourself and your inner spiritual resources to gain guidance and wisdom.

Next, observe and witness your experiences, your reactions, thoughts or interpretations of your experiences—that’s where mindfulness comes.

This is followed by deep listening—listening to ourselves and others with the ears of our heart, to listen with your whole body, heart and soul–and share your feelings with yourself and others.

Then we also engage our intuition and our creativity through embodied awareness.  We expand into our capacity to see, to hear, smell, taste, touch—as well as being aware of our gut responses on an energy level, our heart and emotional, telepathic transmissions.  We also get clairaudient signals, like our capacity to read intentions.  We open our inner eye through symbolic awareness, visions, dreams; and, this awakens spiritual discernment–the awareness of “how we really know what’s true”.  Our intuition, or intuitive awareness, puts it all together by perceiving the greater pattern. That’s why I think of ‘intuition’ as a pattern recognition ‘function’ that then ultimately brings us into full realization of who and what we truly are—spiritual beings, which is also known as Self-realization—So that’s what embodied awareness is about

The final step is to embody that Self awareness.  Ask your Self for guidance “what do you do now?” and commit to take action, to bring your gifts into the world.  So that’s what I would say is unique about this.