Embodied Intelligence LIVE AUDIENCE Q&A Recording with Philip Shepherd
SYNOPSIS:
Following the enthusiastic feedback from Philip's inaugural appearance on the podcast with his episode "Embodied Intelligence: Wholeness, Sensitivity, and the Pelvic Bowl," we knew we had to bring him back! If you haven’t listened to his episode yet, we highly recommend you do! In this recorded version of our live Q&A event, step into the world of the body’s intelligence – delve deep into the intricacies of embodiment where our audience had the opportunity to interact directly with Philip and Ali. Enjoy a grounding meditation to start it off, offered up by Phlip as a unifying and grounding exercise as well as a basis for questions to arise.
Some of the questions posed:
- How do you experience the thought or the mind of the body?
- Could you discuss the difference between our conventional understanding of vigilance and the vigilance of the present moment, and how we might underestimate its potential significance in our lives?
- What does it mean if we open ourselves to the information that's available and we think with all of our senses, not just our brain? Please talk about how you understand that.
- What is the fear or resistance to just turn ourselves over to the body as the medium for knowing the world?
- Philip, where are you mapping the body, considering the balance between conscious and unconscious processes? How can we navigate our conscious mind to avoid potential pitfalls? Can you elaborate on mastering the mind within the broader context, where the heart houses the mind?
- I felt comfortable and truthful when I was in my head, but descending to my heart felt like entering a dogfight. There's a constant tug of war between being present and feeling pulled away by a powerful force that insists I shouldn't be here. It's a struggle filled with violence as I try to stay grounded. While there's relief in being in my body, it feels temporary, like I can't stay for long. How can I navigate this internal conflict and find a sense of home within myself?
- What can you say of the differences or advantages of spending time relating with people living from their head and those who are living from a greater sense of wholeness and embodiment? How do we be with others from that perspective?
- I'm curious about your perspective on the phenomenon of projection. After spending time with someone, I often find myself experiencing emotions that I don't believe are my own. For instance, if I'm with someone who appears sad, I might leave the interaction feeling sad myself. This seems to blur the line between feeling and thinking, as I'm left questioning why I'm experiencing certain emotions. How do you understand and navigate this process of projection?
- How do you approach or reconcile this heightened awareness of the Earth's pain as you become more connected to your body and the Earth itself?
- Regarding the concept of wholeness, groundedness, and centeredness. During the exercise, as we delved deeper towards the pelvic bowl, there was a profound sense of resonance and silence that felt ancient and powerful. Can you speak to the significance of this resonance and the profound silence experienced in that moment, where it felt like one unified body rather than individual bodies
MORE ALI MEZEY:
Website: https://www.alimezey.com
FOR MORE PHILIP SHEPHERD: https://embodiedpresent.com
BIO: Philip Shepherd is recognized as a leader in the global embodiment movement. He is the creator of The Embodied Present Process™ (TEPP), which provides both potent insights into how our culture desensitizes the body, and a series of over 150 practices to help people renew their sensitivity to the world and reclaim their calm, centered presence in it. He shares TEPP worldwide through in-person workshops and Facilitators Training, and has articulated the need for a new, more embodied way of being in two books: Radical Wholeness and New Self, New World. Both books identify the causes, perils and challenges of our culture’s disembodiment. Philip’s personal path to embodiment includes a two-year journey as a teenager, during which he traveled alone by bicycle through Europe, the Middle East, Iran, India and Japan. He has also studied classical Japanese Noh Theater; co-founded an interdisciplinary theater company; written two internationally produced plays and a television documentary; designed and built several houses; co-founded an arts magazine called Onion; played lead roles on stages in London, New York, Chicago and Toronto; and earned a reputation as a coach, both with individual clients seeking a deeper experience of embodiment, and for corporate clients seeking to improve their presentation skills. He developed TEPP with his co-director and wife Allyson Woodrooffe, who also shares the practices in person. His website and online courses are found at EmbodiedPresent.com. His newest book, Deep Fitness, was co-authored with Andrei Yakovenko and offers a revolutionary and highly effective approach to fitness.
PHILIP BOOKS: (these links are to Amazon, but all distributed by Random House (yay, Philip!), you can find them in your friendly, neighborhood bookstores)
Watch other episodes:
Episode Three: PHILIP SHEPHERD -- Embodied Intelligence: Wholeness, Sensitivity, and the Pelvic Bowl
[From time to time, a word or phrase goes wonky. Please forgive my wandering wifi.]
