all about SoulFlow™ embodiment.

“This is a story of becoming embodied, impossible to walk straight through.” —Maggie Smith (from You Could Make This Place Beautiful, page 167)

🧘‍♀️ a note on embodiment.

“Embodiment means to be in the body. Embodiment means honoring the body as a bridge between emotion and motion to better integrate experiences and heal.”

^This is a quote from a post I wrote in May called “What Does Embodiment Even Mean?” Check it out if you’re interested in expanding on this topic before diving into this post, which references this concept a lot.

🫶 my origin story.

I first discovered SoulFlow™ embodiment at a retreat in May 2023. One of the practitioners that came in was certified in the practice and took us through an experience where she incorporated inner child journaling and release.

I was terrified going into this session. I remember my mind spiraling—what if everyone thinks I’m awkward, what if I look like an idiot, why do we have to do this, I’m not going to take anything away from this session.

I didn’t know much about what we were getting into before we started, but other girls had seen clips from the previous two retreats that incorporated some sort of dancing. The word twerking came up.

Cue my panic.

I’m gangly, I can’t twerk! I can’t dance in front of people! My arms do weird things and I need choreography! I just met these girls… I can’t let loose in front of them!

Basically, I missed the point entirely.

But, it’s not my fault. That’s how society has conditioned us. I was immediately sucked into the chatter of my mind—the chatter of conditioning that wants to keep me safe from judgment, looking like a fool, and being wild and free.

I didn’t want to do it, but I did, and I leaned into the experience.

I remember once the meditation and journaling section was over, we were asked to get up and move.

And for the first time in a long time, I just moved.

I let my arms do their thing. I let my face do its thing. I let my hips do what they wanted.

It was the first time in a long time that I just let my body take the driver’s seat.

And fuck it felt good.

I felt something break open inside of me—some portion of my soul that was just begging to be released. The part of me that wanted to be silly and loose and free and unconcerned.

The part of me that wanted inner peace. The part of me that was so tired of sitting still and restraining my movement and hiding in the shadows.

I left that retreat knowing I had stumbled on something big, but I didn’t know what, exactly.

I looked up Andee Love, founder of SoulFlow™ embodiment, and immediately got sucked into her world. When she opened the doors to her SoulFlow™ Master Practitioner certification last March, I knew that I had found my path forward.

I dove into a whole new world of reading, experiencing, and researching about dance movement therapy, somatics, nervous system regulation, and modalities like EFT tapping, internal family systems, polyvagal theory, and breathwork (all of which inform and are integrated into SoulFlow™ sessions).

🤸‍♀️ what is SoulFlow™?

If there’s one thing that I know to be true, it’s that movement is one of the #1 ways to improve your life (even the expert from the podcast I shared in last week’s post recommended movement as the best way to overcome anxiety and stress!).

Aside from the biological benefits, when paired with embodiment, it can change your life because it moves the stagnant energy that you’re holding onto. It shakes up the stories and feelings and trauma that is literally stored in your body, in your cells.

SoulFlow™ is a somatic practice of embodiment. It follows no choreography and asks you to intuitively move in the way that your body wants—following your core sensations and wisdoms—while being guided and led through phases of intention, release, calling in, and meditation/reflection. With this practice, you are cultivating safety, compassion, and trust in your body. And don’t worry, no twerking is required (unless you want to, of course!).

It is different from ecstatic dance—and it isn’t just a meditation class—because we’re pairing smaller movements with bigger ones. This titration is unique and allows for integration of the happy chemicals instead of just experiencing them ecstatically all at once and then noticing they quickly fade. In the session, I help you activate Alpha and Theta brain waves to bring yourself into a flow state (a state typically only accessible by deep rest). This connects you to the presence of the present moment.

The sessions are about 40-70 minutes (depending on if in-person or virtual), and I care deeply about creating a safe and inclusive container where you can move freely, lovingly, and playfully.

When you can get out of your mind and into your body, you cultivate long-term, sustainable self-trust. You can transcend trauma, better understand and release limitations, and embody full self-confidence.

To me? SoulFlow™ is a time to be free. To have fun. To cultivate inner peace and trust. A time to turn inward. A coming home to myself, to my body.

We all need that, now more than ever.

If you’re interested in learning more, you can always check out the official website. You can also check out their Instagram at @soulflowembodiment.