The Principles of Embodyoga®

Fully inhabiting ourselves in practice reveals a felt-sense of depth and beauty that can be felt profoundly by the practitioner. Each posture and movement expresses itself from the inside out and is specific to the individual and the moment in time. 

Our sense of alignment is one of weaving body, mind, and awareness into a unified whole. It involves an inner organization and acceptance of what is. We feel alignment to be rich with all aspects of the personal, consciously embedded within the context of a universal whole.

embodied-inquiry™

EMBODIED-INQUIRY™ is an intimate exploration of all layers of our form and consciousness, through the body’s systems to the cellular, sub-cellular and pranic levels. We weave Embodied-Inquiry™ into our asana, pranayama, and meditation practices.  It softens our thinking mind and encourages us to move more deeply into sensing, feeling, and directly experiencing our essential selves. Guided by discriminative mind and profound self-acceptance, fueled by curiosity and desire for greater depth, Embodied-Inquiry™ is playful and absorbing.

WHOLE-BODY-SUPPORT

Every posture, every movement, every breath you take expresses through your entirety. Enlisting the natural relationships of the inner world, force and weight can be fluidly distributed throughout the body. Everything is in the game—all the time. Unified, whole-body-support and movement relieves the stress on specific joints and muscles.

When we fragment our bodies in order to attain a particular shape, our consciousness fragments as well. Engaging inner patterns of organization and support, we encourage a more unified self-awareness and a softer expression in our yoga postures.

embodied anatomy™

Through EMBODIED ANATOMY™, we directly experience the intelligence of our cells, organs, glands, tissues, fluids, body systems, and the qualities of awareness that are expressing through them at all times. We locate ourselves in form and space to deepen our understanding of our personal expression in the world. We become witnesses and active participants in the symphony that is our body, heart, and mind.

EMBODIED DEVELOPMENTAL MOVEMENT™

Through all phases of life we are evolving and changing. EMBODIED DEVELOPMENTAL MOVEMENT™ explores our human journey from beginning to end—from our embryology and the first years of life, through the rising complexity of adulthood, and the eventual dissolution of our individuality.

We learn to reach for what we desire and we pull it into ourselves. We learn to digest and assimilate life as it is. We yield into the Earth and feel the support her support. We learn to recognize our individual lives as the interface between Unity and duality, the play of the Formless within form.

* Embodied Anatomy™ and Embodied Developmental Movement™ are trademarks of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and The School for Body-Mind-Centering®.