4 Embodied States to Expand Your Range
“The body always leads us home… if we can simply learn to trust sensation and stay with it long enough for the guidance to emerge.” ~ Pat Ogden
There isn’t one perfect way to show up.
Some moments call for fire — focus, courage, forward motion. Others invite a slower, steadier ground. Or a more open, receptive presence. Or a spacious, visionary state.
And you don’t have to be just one kind of person to navigate it all. That’s the point.
One of the most liberating things I’ve learned through embodied practice is this: awareness + range = choice.
You’re not broken if what worked yesterday doesn’t work today. You might just need a different way of being. A different internal posture. A different kind of support.
There’s no single ideal state. The “right” way to show up depends on what’s being asked of you in your work, your relationships, your creativity, and your rest.
What follows is a simple framework using the four elements — earth, fire, water, air — to help you tap into the kind of energy that’s most needed. You can use these cues to shift your internal state gently, intentionally, and in a way that supports meaningful presence.
Each element invites a different quality of attention. All of them are already within you.
Let’s explore.
To build a sense of stability, order, trust, structure, and reliability, try this
Ground yourself down into your roots by feeling your feet on the floor and your body on the chair. Feel the support of the earth beneath; notice the structure of your skeleton holding you in place. Breath slowly into your belly. Imagine yourself as a mountain or the roots of a tree.
What would it feel like to be a little more square?
Ask yourself, “What is true?"
To cultivate more flexibility, collaboration, acceptance, receptivity, empathy and ease, try this
Relax into your flow by sitting back, softening your spine, belly, jaw and gaze. Breathe slowly into the area around your stomach; emphasise the out-breath, perhaps with a sigh. Sense the fluidity and movement of your body.
What would it feel like to be a little more circular?
Ask yourself, “What needs to be accepted?"
To generate more focus, determination, passion, vitality, courage, and direction, try this
Engage more of your forward fire by leaning slightly forward in your chair. Take 2 or 3 breaths into your chest, pushing and pulling the air. Focus your gaze on a single point. Feel the tone of your muscles and the heat in your body; you might even push against a surface. Feel the strength and length in your back.
What would it feel like to be a little more triangular?
Ask yourself, “What needs to be done?"
To tap into your creativity, spontaneity, humour, playfulness, and vision, try this
Lift up with your wings by sitting upright and allowing your head to be light on your shoulders. Bring your awareness to the top of your head and face; pay attention to the air moving at your nostrils. You can even imagine you’re breathing rainbows. Soften your gaze into your peripheral vision; imagine you’re soaring above the landscape, seeing the big picture.
What would it feel like to be a little more spacious or shapeless?
Ask yourself, “What is possible?"
*This has been inspired by Liz Peters and her book Own It! and teaching from Mark Walsh on the Embodied Facilitator Course.
Want some more?
Get out of your head and develop a trusting relationship with your body’s wisdom with my free guide to Listening to Your Body (as well as your brain).
This post is adapted from an article first published on 27 August 2020.