The Realms of Embodiment is a framework for the energetic intricacy of what you were probably taught is only physical. They marry the energetics of anatomy (how the body is split apart into systems and individualities) and the soma (the body as a whole) to help you understand the energetic story of you in a way only your body can tell.

These Realms of bone, muscle, fluid, organ, nervous system, and DNA are rich with metaphors for moving through life and navigating this world, as well as the energetic healing they guide us toward.

A decade (yes, a decade!) of energy work and research in the Realms has created a solid framework and understanding of each part, what they do, and how the energy works within and between them. And though I could definitely cite my years of training as a scientist in labs for my approach, it’s probably (definitely) my neutral curiosity and child-like wonder that informs how I work within the Realms, and how I recommend you to approach them, too! 

I don’t sit down, see something, and take it as Truth (and please don’t do this either! There’s no dogma here.). 

Instead, it’s a re-remembering through curiosity and questioning what I see and am shown:

“What happens if this is interrupted?” “What happens if I increase energy flow here?” “What are the bubbles I see there?”

Then I experiment and test, over and over again, until I’m satisfied that, yep, that always yields the same response or result!

I started to call this process of questioning and observing The Cycle of Communication, and it’s the foundation of how I listen to bodies and work with our energetic architecture.

It’s also how you can quickly upgrade your own mind-body integration because you’re bringing curiosity, not judgment or expectation, to your embodiment practice or experience.

What Does It Mean to Let Your Body Guide You?

Even though I’ve spent years deep-diving the parts of each Realm, when I — or in this case, you — enter into a conversation with the body, you have to put what you think you know to the side and let your body lead. Don’t ruminate through an encyclopedia in your brain (or on the internet) to create a “plug-and-play” script of what your body is telling you. 

We’re not going to assume that because your body is guiding you toward your foot, it means xyz. I’m quick to metaphorically slap my own fingers when I start reaching for that.  Instead, you’re going to listen to the foot with the same sort of curiosity that brought this entire modality into being (and why it’s so wildly effective). 

The Cycle of Communication is a four-part process that teaches you to have conversations with your body and connect your conscious mind with all of the parts of you that are speaking. Or, mind-body integration.

The Cycle of Communication is a Mind-Body Integration Process

Similar to the scientific method of hypothesis, experiment, observe, analyze, and draw conclusions, there’s a repeatable process you can use when talking to your body that follows a similar format: the Cycle of Communication.

You notice, sit with it and expand, get curious, take action, and integrate.

And before you’re like “Aaaaassshhhhhh, I don’t want to pay this close attention to everything my body tells me.” I hear you, and that’s not what it’s about. It can be a soft process that integrates into your daily life, happening anytime you bring awareness to your body, or your body begins to cry out for attention. Although there are steps, let them be fluid.

Notice.

So you’re ready to listen and tune into your body? Perfect. This is noticing mode. 

I encourage you to notice from inside of yourself. Draw your consciousness into the center of you and focus it there. You may feel it center in your head, your chest, your abdomen, or even along your spine. It may help to shut or soften your eyes while you do this.

Notice what’s there. That’s it. Don’t go into the story of it; don’t try to make it make sense yet — just notice.

The first time you sink in and really let yourself surrender to the physical or energetic sensation, you may notice a lot or a little. Maybe even nothing. Let your body lead and go where you’re being called the most, whether that’s physically, through energy, or intention.

Through repeated conversations with your body where your intention is purely to notice and listen, each part will have its say.

Your job is to trust that and to trust where you’ve been led.

Sit With It and Expand.

This part of the Cycle of Communication is subversive, really. It may not seem like a big deal to let a feeling, sensation, or part of yourself expand and take up more space, but it actually is.

The world often asks you to minimize or shut down your pain. Your ideas. Your voice. Your personhood. Every single person I’ve worked with has a story of making themselves smaller or more acceptable in some way.

When you tell what’s inside of you that it’s ok to get bigger, to take up more space, to become wild and unruly, you give that permission to more than just the sensation. You give that permission to yourself.

This can feel really scary, and rightly so. It can also feel liberating!

Get Curious.

You continue the Cycle of Communication by listening with no agenda. You’re not here to fix, heal, or release something. You’re here to understand it. And if you can’t understand it, you’re beginning the process of relating.

Just like having a conversation with another person, this is an active thing you’re choosing to do. Your body will give you feedback, but it may not come back in words. In this step, you expand your senses and listen for the way your body talks, so you can start to understand its language.

A reminder for your curiosity: your body doesn’t have to give you an answer to validate your sensation or inner knowing. Instead, your curiosity and openness provide validation for your body. It can be seen, heard, and felt (even if it doesn’t give you anything you can understand.)

Take Action.

This step is really the conclusion of the Cycle of Communication.

And it’s also possible that your body doesn’t want you to ‘do’ anything following your conversation. So if you’re here and you’re like “well, I don’t really know what to do with any of that…” it’s likely that the answer is nothing.

There are many times, though, that an action step will come forward from your body and you need to muster the courage to follow through on it. You may have been shown that to love a piece of you more fully, you need a boundary with a certain person. Or a niggle in your wrist and hand showed you a beautiful vision of playing and laughing more.

It’s important to take the action and solidify the trust you’re building with your body and her/his/their wisdom. In those examples, taking action means having a difficult conversation. Or seeking out activities that bring you joy, and then making the time and space to do them.

I believe that the questions we ask when sitting with our bodies come up because there is a bit of wisdom or an answer trying to find us. We just can’t go into the conversation expecting it! If what they say is true, what you seek is seeking you.

Integrate.

This last “step” isn’t so much of a step, really. The entire Cycle of Communication is an integrative process.

Integration is the true essence of embodiment. Nothing that you call in, desire, or dream can be made manifest until it is integrated. However, that doesn’t mean integration needs to be complicated. It’s essentially taking a pause and creating space, regularly and with joy! It doesn’t have to be a big to-do.

Integration may include tending to your nervous system, drinking more water, sleeping more, being outside in nature, moving your body more slowly or intentionally, or creating a new morning or evening ritual or an altar where you spend time.

Mind-Body Integration At The Most Expansive Levels

The Cycle of Communication is, well, a cycle. Your body may take you through one Realm for a long time, staying with your bones or organs over and over again. Or it may take you wildly between them, connecting up dot-points and clues to weave together a bigger picture from the story your body has held for you.

As you sit with repeated cycles of this guided conversation, one thing may begin to be clear: While I’ve written this as a mind-body integration exercise, there is no separation between your mind and body! You’ll become acutely aware that your brain and nervous system are just one of the six Realms of Embodiment.

That’s the biggest embodiment integration of all, is dissolving the idea of separation between your mind and body, and you can do it through repeatedly setting the intention to listen. Notice. Expand. Get Curious. Take Action. And through it all, integrate. 

Make this practice work for you, and the more you use it, the more your body will speak.

And if you’re dying to host a meet-cute with your bones, to listen to what they have to say, click here — you’ll discover 10 days of daily emails, or love letters from your bones, that welcome you to the most foundational part of your embodied energy.