Coming Home to the Body with PHILIP SHEPHERD...Reprised
In this episode of The Brilliant Body Podcast, Ali Mezey interviews Philip Shepherd, a luminary in the global embodiment movement. Together, Ali and Philip explore countercultural aspects of embodiment, the importance of challenging societal norms, and the need to advocate for a shift towards present-centered awareness.
Central to the conversation is the profound impact of the pelvic bowl, a core element of Philip's teachings. Drawing inspiration from cultures that value the body differently, Philip highlights the concept of Hara in Japanese Noh theater. He traces the historical shift in Western culture from the belly as the thinking center to the current emphasis on the head, revealing a narrative of mistrust in the body.
Sensitivity emerges as a core theme of the conversation, which Philip positions as the foundation of intelligence. Ali and Philip delve into the subtleties of staying “dropped in” to the pelvic floor, stressing the gentle and patient approach required for restoring sensitivity, especially in individuals who have experienced trauma.
Throughout the episode, the exploration of embodiment, cultural shifts, and the profound connection between the body and the world converges into a call to action. The duo inspires listeners to nurture sensitivity, embrace radical wholeness, and reclaim their true intelligence, fostering the evolution of both individual and collective consciousness.
FOR MORE PHILIP SHEPHERD:
PHILIP – Facebook
PHILIP – Facebook
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, centred presence in it. He shares TEPP worldwide through in-person workshops and Facilitators Trainings, 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 theatre 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'S BOOKS: (these links are to Amazon, but all distributed by Random House (yay, Philip!), you can find them in your friendly, neighborhood bookstores)
OTHER RESOURCES, LINKS AND INSPIRATIONS:
ILARION MERCULIEFF – Aleut Nation TedTalks:
NOH THEATRE: A short National Geographic film | A Noh play called Tomoe
[From time to time, a word or phrase goes wonky. Please forgive my wandering wifi.]
