Embodiment for your dream life
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[00:00:00] Hello, my friend, and welcome back to the Purpose Map Podcast. I'm Casey Bergland, your host, founder of Worthy and Well, co author of the Mind Body Way book. And today I wanted to let you in on my life a little bit, as well as share with you some creative inspiration, some inspiration around embodiment to help you call in abundance in your life.
And I am trusting that this is going to flow. I want to start by saying that a dear friend of mine, Aislinn Grant, who's also an incredible entrepreneur and the owner of Grant, which is a branding and design studio in Calgary, check them out. Aislinn Grant recommended to me a book before I left for Spain called The Creative Act a Way of Being by Rick Rubin. And I stumbled upon it, actually, in a bookstore here in [00:01:00] Barcelona and picked it up, the English version, because, you know, I'm not that ahead on my Spanish yet. And I thought I'd actually kick this off by opening this book to a random page. Reading it to you and tying that message in with the theme of this podcast today at the time of this recording, it's November 26th, 2023.
So you might be listening to this from the future. Definitely you'll be listening to this from the future, and I'm trusting the timelessness of this message. Here we go. What message will help to guide this podcast episode today?
Okay,
here's where I'm going to start. There's always a next scene. And that next scene may be one of great beauty and fulfillment. The hard times were the required setup to allow these new [00:02:00] possibilities to come into being. The outcome is not the outcome. The darkness is not an endpoint. Nor is the daylight.
They live in a continually unfolding, mutually dependent cycle. Neither is bad or good. They simply exist. This practice of never assuming an experience you have is the whole story, will support you in a life of open possibility and equanimity. When we obsessively focus on these events, they may appear catastrophic, but they're just a small aspect of a larger life.
And the further you zoom back, the smaller each experience becomes. Zoom in and obsess. Zoom out and observe. We get to choose. When we reach an impasse, we may experience feelings of hopelessness. The ability to stay out of the story, zoom back, and see new pathways into and around a challenge will be of boundless use.
If we allow this principle to [00:03:00] work on us as we work on it, Our imagination frees us from the web of personal and cultural stories engulfing us. Art has the power to snap us out of our transfiction, open our minds to what's possible, and reconnect with the eternal energy that moves through all things.
Okay. I just got a wave of chills. What is coming to me right now is that this is a message about the role of contraction that you feel in your body and that may show up in your life. All experiences lived through your body have wisdom. Including the ones that are uncomfortable, that feel constrictive, that create tightness or tension in the body.
If you've not yet listened to my TEDx talk, Let Your Body Lead, well, you ought to. The talk really focuses in on the power of experiencing... contraction, and how it is [00:04:00] a guiding force, a guidepost toward more alignment and ultimately more expansion. So when I read this message from Rick Rubin's book, The Creative Act, A Way of Being, I immediately go to how the practice of embodiment is in part powerful because it helps you to gain wisdom from discomfort in the body.
Of course, embodiment also helps you to gain wisdom from expansion and openness and alignment and those things that we judge as feeling good. And we get to have a different experience with ourselves when we learn how to be with, in a compassionate and curious way, the contraction that lives inside our bodies.
So that's the first thing I feel called to share here. The other part that I take away from this message or this reading is really about the process, the ongoing, never ending process. And there's a little, uh, voice in my head that was saying like, it doesn't end until it ends, but even then it doesn't end.
I believe that there's life [00:05:00] after death even. And so this little moment in time, this experience that you're living, especially if it's Not especially if it's, but even if it is a constricting one that feels like a rock bottom, that feels like your world is falling apart. In other words, you're going through a heavy contraction.
Even if that's true, it's a blip. It is a blip on the radar of the totality of your soul's journey. It is. a wee little baby part of the journey, and it is also an epic part of your journey at the exact same time. So I believe that this passage is here to bring hope, that there is wisdom in your moment right now.
The moment that you're in, the exact space or way of being that you're experiencing has great Wisdom for you, even if it feels, especially if it feels [00:06:00] uncomfortable, and especially if it shows up as contraction in the body, it will change. You may have heard the mantra, this too shall pass. So this passage is opening us to not get too attached to the contraction or the expansion, the difficult moment or experience that you're having, or the blissful, delightful, fulfilling moment that you're having.
Thank you for listening. Open yourself to being with what is and meeting yourself in a kind and compassionate way. I love that that's where we landed, where we started, and I'm going to continue to riff here. It has been an incredible integration week. If you listen to our podcast episode about integration, we're past our integration week or creating space for, life to [00:07:00] unfold for inspiration to happen for.
Rest to be taken for me personally. I flew to Barcelona in that time. I know Selena, who's on the worthy ML team took rest and lots of dog walks and settled into her space and Calgary. Our clients did a lot of deepening into their awareness is around what they're learning in our programs like energy leadership and human design, for example, And now we're back.
I'm back. I'm back to work. Last week was my first week back with clients and seeing clients from a little coworking space in Barcelona. It's been a bit of a transition going from, you know, starting my first client at 10 AM, you know, mountain time or 11 AM central time in Saskatchewan to, you know, what is that?
6 PM in Barcelona. So my schedule has been turned upside down a bit and I am flowing with it. It's come with its own challenges, [00:08:00] but actually, it's worked out super well. And if you're listening to this in approximately real time, here's what's going on in the worthy and well world. We are wrapping up our one month intensive with our cohort of community members in the next level success.
30 day experience. And that's super, super exciting. There are so many magical things unfolding in that group. In our last session last week, we kicked off by getting participants to share their like magic moments. And these are the kind of synchronistic events that unfold when you start to do inner work and start to bring your being into alignment.
So of course there's, there were new job opportunities that were popping up. There were new dating experiences showing up. new sort of recognitions of what has been made manifest. So one of our clients, attracted her dream home and was just like [00:09:00] reflecting on how much the process of, you know, practicing inner work and evolving herself spiritually and energetically has made that process.
Easier for her and she was just like dropped into gratitude. So that's really beautiful. So we're wrapping up our one month intensive and then of course our next level success 30 day intensive participants also get ongoing access to our community council calls, which are monthly gatherings for.
Community support. They're really quite fun. They're pretty casual. We do some hot seat coaching. Sometimes we pull cards or, or just like drop into an energy of inspiration and support one another with making real their visions. So that's what's happening in the next level success program that's wrapping up.
And in the next couple of weeks, we're also wrapping up our nine month, let your buddy lead facilitator training program. So our 2023 cohort will be graduating. We'll be finishing with our three day retreat. [00:10:00] And that's, wow, that's exciting that that's, you know, been happening for the last nine months and now that's wrapping up, wow, yeah, we'll be celebrating a lot, a lot of things, wrapping before the holidays this year at the end of 2023, and on that note, I'd love to just mention that if you've been following along and if our programs are on your radar, we will have another cohort of the next level success, 30 day intensive starting in the new year.
Either end of January or February 2024 and our next round of the let your body lead facilitator training will kick off in the spring of 2024. So jot that down in your calendar. If you're curious about it, definitely send us a direct message. If you'd like more information, I'd like to, you know, dip your toe in the water of exploring those offerings.
There's been really incredible [00:11:00] transformations that have occurred with our clients. So how is that connected to this reading? Oh, of course, it's connected. Of course, it's connected. Because through both of those programs, we got our clients to learn how to navigate. Contraction in their bodies and also how to open up to more expansive flow.
And we shared these like magic moments because that's what happens when we learn how to trust our body and understand how our energy works and come back into alignment. So, it's all unfolding and One of the greatest gifts of this work is, is really about enjoying the journey and being in awe and gratitude and wonder of the magical occurrences that happen when inner work is done.
I can't help but mention something that feels really beautiful to me as [00:12:00] well. You've heard me speak about Siblings on this podcast before, and maybe one particular sibling, my brother, Blake, there was a recent episode where he asked a question that inspired part of a podcast episode with, Hannah Powley on next level strength, where we talked about the difference or the line between self compassion and self.
Discipline. So you can check out that podcast episode to hear what my brother Blake sparked in me then, and I'm feeling called to share that he and I have been in close connection recently as well, because he has been binge listening to the book I co wrote with Courtney Emo and Julie Bolak, the MindBodyWay.
And he's been sending me these texts, regularly. It's, it's been really beautiful. You know, sometimes, especially as like a sensitive, intuitive person, you can sometimes feel like an outcast in your family. I'm going on a little rant here, but you can sometimes [00:13:00] feel like, wait, does anyone see the world the way that I do?
So like in my family, I've been talking about embodiment and I have been like. Just sharing some of the work that I do and sharing about coaching and sharing about how levels of consciousness work and, you know, I'll sometimes go off on getting excited about the work that I do and how I support clients and community members and my family will sometimes be like, What do you mean?
Like, cool, Casey, you know, when you sometimes are like, Oh God, I really am an outcast. Nobody sees the world the way I do. So it's felt especially beautiful to be receiving these messages from my brother Blake lately, where he's like, uh, Whoa. I think I finally get it. Wow. I've been listening to your audio book and I'm having so many revelationary moments.
Holy smokes, Casey, this is changing my life. And I'm just like getting curious about it and being [00:14:00] like, brother, tell me more what's happening. And without sharing too much of his experience, I'm feeling inspired because you know, when your family members can start to see. The power of the work you do, it's like the greatest recognition.
And if you know, human design, I'm a mental projector and projectors like live off of recognition. Cause that feels like an invitation to share more. And so something that I've been experiencing through this connection and communication with my brother is like, how good it feels when this wisdom around embodiment really lands for someone and they start to see the positive benefits of it.
In their lives. And one of the things that my brother said to me when he was sharing about what he's realizing as he practices some of the exercises in our book, and as he listens to me read the mind body way is he said, it's like I have a superpower. It's like there's [00:15:00] like a sledgehammer to use to pound in a post versus just a hammer that you'd use to pound a nail into a wall.
It's like embodiment helps to create results faster and in a more efficient and easeful way. I get it now, Casey. And I'm like, yes! And it's such a gift to know that, you know, if you're at point A and you want to get to point B and you have a number of tools in your toolbox, you can choose to use any one.
But like, I don't know, why not use the right tool for the job? If someone was performing open heart surgery on you and there were tiny little blood vessels that they were cutting open, wouldn't you want them to use a very precise and efficient tool? It's a lot easier to pound a post in with a sledgehammer than it is with a hammer that is meant to [00:16:00] post a nail into a wall.
Do you get my point? So Blake was saying that Embodiment, learning how to trust the body's wisdom or bring the body on board is like using the sledgehammer to pound in the post or using the right tool for the job that makes everything quicker, easier, more efficient. And I thanked him for that language and also kindly requested that he write a review on Amazon or on Audible.
aNd he agreed to. I thanked him for that because it's true. It's like when you drop into your body and you attune to the sensations that you feel, and you drop below the level of your mental chatter, you get to the truth quicker and more efficiently, and that will guide your life in the right direction quicker and more efficiently.
It's a win win win all around. It's good for your health. It's good for your wealth. It's good for your relationships. It's good for your connection to yourself and your deeper purpose. It's good for creating more fulfillment [00:17:00] and more success in your life. Embodiment is good for your level of consciousness and awareness.
And so this is like something that I'm celebrating right now is this Awareness and I just feel like finally, after years of talking about the benefits of embodiment, that people are picking up what I'm putting down. And I'm noticing that our clients in Worthy and Well are like being fast tracked to the life of their dreams.
My brother, through reading or listening to the MindBodyWay audiobook, is being fast tracked to the life of his dreams. He FaceTimed me today and told me about an incredibly exciting opportunity that will help his family get where they need to be physically, and Open up opportunities for their music to, expand.
I can't share too many details right now, but it's like, yes, this is what I mean. Embodiment [00:18:00] helps to make your dreams come true. Embodiment for me has helped me to stay in alignment, to be open to the right man coming in. And now he's a man that's like beyond my wildest dreams. And I get to be in Barcelona, Spain to spend time with him and to travel.
And it completely aligns with my lifestyle, my desires for me. That's an example of how embodiment has guided me to a life of my dreams. Embodiment has guided me to doing work that feels fulfilling and making money in an easeful way. Embodiment has guided me to understanding my energy so that I can really be a mental projector and work three hours a day and still make money and not have to burn out.
Embodiment is the key to you finding your unique way of being and getting to the life of your dreams faster and with more efficiency. And what's kind of ironic about that is embodiment will also help you to appreciate [00:19:00] exactly what you're experiencing. In your current now, it'll help you to get to the life of your dreams faster, and also not need to get to the life of your dreams because you're appreciating what's happening now and where you are now, it's a win win win all around.
So let's connect this back to this Rick Rubin reading. This reading about how you can zoom in and obsess, and you can zoom out and see the bigger picture, and both all are great. I'm curious what you're experiencing in this now moment. In fact, I'm going to invite you in this now moment. If it's safe for you to drop into your body, and I say, if it's safe, it might not be safe.
If you're driving and you need to really pay attention on the road, [00:20:00] it might not be safe. If you're in a really uncomfortable environment, though, you can still practice embodiment in a small way. If you're able to actually take a pause, like pause, whatever you're doing and. Just take a breath with me.
Inhale and exhale. Do it again. If you feel the expansion on your inhale in your body and the contraction on your exhale in your body, you are practicing embodiment. Congratulations. Take another breath, and if you want to go a little bit deeper, you might choose to close your eyes and feel over and over again the expansion and contraction in your body, and as you attune to your breath, you may also start to notice sensations in your body.
Sensations might be [00:21:00] tingling, tightness. Tension. Sensations can also show up as thoughts, visions, sounds. What do you notice when you first become mindful of your breath and you allow your breath to bring your awareness inside of you?
What do you notice in your body? What physical experience are you having right now? And if you're able to just pause with what you feel, don't fix it, just feel it. If you're able to delay and take a little bit more time, maybe hone in on the sensation you feel, the one that is most asking for your awareness, I invite you to explore it.
What you feel in your [00:22:00] body. Does it feel like yours? Or not yours, meaning does it feel like it's something that originated with you or did you pick it up at the coffee shop or the grocery store from your mother? Is it not yours? That's a great awareness, especially for empaths or sensitives. What you feel in your body, is it yours or not yours?
Trust your intuition.
Is it big or small? Dense or diffuse? Heavy or light? What are you noticing about the sensation you feel?
What is it illuminating about what you need?[00:23:00]
Do you need to eat?
Do you need a few breaths before a hard conversation? Do you need to put a sweater on or grab a blanket? Do you need to get out of that relationship or create an environment that's more conducive to your needs?
What is the sensation illuminating about what you need? It could be anything.
And then how could you, in even a small way, but maybe even a big way, offer your body what it needs? Offer yourself what you need based on your body's wisdom.
What [00:24:00] could you do today that will serve you and your body well?
What could you do this week that will serve you and your body well?
What could you do to let go of the shoulds that aren't yours, the mental chatter, the Conditioning from the outside world, and rather act from a space of inner alignment with yourself and your body's wisdom. Here's a little hint. Sometimes what your body sensations need is just space to be.[00:25:00]
I think with most of our inner experiences, what those inner experiences need most is Acceptance, compassion, love, just accepting what you feel without needing to change it in any way. We'll change your life and guide you to the life of your dreams. How might you tune into your body more?
We have a freebie on our site called embodiment for your next level of success. And it's a free practice. To help you get clear on what your next level of success even is [00:26:00] like, is it in the area of health, wealth, relationships, connection to deeper purpose? And then there's a longer guided embodiment practice.
To help you know how to take the next step in alignment with that life of your dreams. So we'll link that up in the show notes below if you'd like to take part. I'm just going to pause for a moment and see if there are any final words that want to come through me today in this episode.
Thank your body today. I know that we've just wrapped up, uh, Thanksgiving for our American friends and, as much as there, you know, are different impressions around Thanksgiving, it always reminds me to [00:27:00] have gratitude. And maybe you've been offering gratitude to your family and friends or, I don't know, other things in your life, but have you offered gratitude to your body?
Your body literally is your soul's opportunity to be here, to be in this human existence. Yeah, maybe just for a blip in the eternal lifespan of your soul, it's maybe just a blip and what a gift to be here for this beautiful blip. In this body. Have you thanked your body lately? I invite you to do that. Do something kind for your body based on what your body's been asking for.
Okay. So much love, many blessings to you. We have some,, guest podcast episodes upcoming that are going to be very exciting. Likely I'll also be popping in for some solo episodes in the [00:28:00] coming weeks and months. Can't wait to ring in the new year with you. 2024 I'm feeling some good energy around the year upcoming and I hope that you really enjoy today.
I'll talk to you soon. Bye for now.
