Embodiment is a rather modern field of research in psychology. It describes the interaction between body and mind in our social systems. It describes the communication between body and mind. A constant, continuous exchange. It also describes the inseparability of mental and physical processes and vice versa. Embodiment approaches have been gaining in importance for around ten years and are providing a new perspective on the dualistic system and the separation of body and psyche (Fuchs, 2017). The non-dualism that we also know from yoga: Body and psyche are one, they are inseparable. A practice that is over 3,000 years old and is reflected in modern research.
Studies show that the way we move, for example walking upright, has an effect on the psyche and that a change in gait can have positive effects on depression (Michalak et al., 2015). The way we walk through the world changes our perception, our experience and ultimately our behavior. And conversely, the way we feel, experience and behave changes the way we go through life: Those who are stressed pull their shoulders up, those who are anxious walk hunched over and tend to make themselves small. Studies have shown that people affected by depression are typically slumped in their sitting posture: shoulders sinking forward and down, neck bent (Canales, Cordás, Fiquer, Cavalcante, & Moreno, 2010).
We can often observe this in ourselves: When we drop our shoulders, it indicates our mood - possibly a feeling of sadness. But the reverse is also true: a hanging, unaligned posture can have a negative effect on our mood. The positive effects we perceive in our mood through yoga are also related to how we guide the body through different postures.
It also confirms that yoga is not a fitness program or a pure sports program. It is not about shaping a slim, toned, normatively beautiful body. It is about feeling the connection between body and mind, in whatever form. Yoga can also mean sitting in silence and breathing, meditating. We are often and quickly tempted by the images we are presented about yoga to focus entirely on this interpretation and leave it at that. Yoga = bending the body. But: Yoga is always the communication between our physical body and our emotional body. Between body and mind. You don't need any crazy postures or sequences for this. And yet, I know from my own practice that it can be enormous fun. Especially if we don't treat it like fitness but involve the mind in and as a practice. What does this posture do for and with my body? What happens inside? These questions should always be relevant when we practise. What this practice looks like - whether it's a simple sit, a handstand, a forward bend or a shavasana - it doesn't matter.
Literatur
Fuchs, T. (2017). Embodiment – Verkörperung, Gefühl und Leibgedächtnis. Psychoanalyse im Widerspruch, 29, 9-28. doi:10.30820/0941-5378-2017-1-9
Michalak, J., Mischnat, J., & Teismann, T. (2014). Sitting posture makes a difference—embodiment effects on depressive memory bias. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 21(6), 519-524.
Michalak, J., Rohde, K., & Troje, N. F. (2015). How we walk affects what we remember: gait modifications through biofeedback change negative affective memory bias. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry, 46, 121-125. doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.09.004
Canales, J. Z., Cordás, T. A., Fiquer, J. T., Cavalcante, A. F., & Moreno, R. A. (2010). Posture and body image in individuals with major depressive disorder: a controlled study. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 32, 375-380.
Embodiment is a rather modern field of research in psychology. It describes the interaction between body and mind in our social systems. It describes the communication between body and mind. A constant, continuous exchange. It also describes the inseparability of mental and physical processes and vice versa. Embodiment approaches have been gaining in importance for around ten years and are providing a new perspective on the dualistic system and the separation of body and psyche (Fuchs, 2017). The non-dualism that we also know from yoga: Body and psyche are one, they are inseparable. A practice that is over 3,000 years old and is reflected in modern research. Studies show that the way we move, for example walking upright, has an effect on the psyche and that a change in gait can have positive effects on depression (Michalak et al., 2015). The way we walk through the world changes our perception, our experience and ultimately our behavior. And conversely, the way we feel, experience and behave changes the way we go through life: Those who are stressed pull their shoulders up, those who are anxious walk hunched over and tend to make themselves small. Studies have shown that people affected by depression are typically slumped in their sitting posture: shoulders sinking forward and down, neck bent (Canales, Cordás, Fiquer, Cavalcante, & Moreno, 2010).
We can often observe this in ourselves: When we drop our shoulders, it indicates our mood - possibly a feeling of sadness. But the reverse is also true: a hanging, unaligned posture can have a negative effect on our mood. The positive effects we perceive in our mood through yoga are also related to how we guide the body through different postures.
It also confirms that yoga is not a fitness program or a pure sports program. It is not about shaping a slim, toned, normatively beautiful body. It is about feeling the connection between body and mind, in whatever form. Yoga can also mean sitting in silence and breathing, meditating. We are often and quickly tempted by the images we are presented about yoga to focus entirely on this interpretation and leave it at that. Yoga = bending the body. But: Yoga is always the communication between our physical body and our emotional body. Between body and mind. You don't need any crazy postures or sequences for this. And yet, I know from my own practice that it can be enormous fun. Especially if we don't treat it like fitness but involve the mind in and as a practice. What does this posture do for and with my body? What happens inside? These questions should always be relevant when we practise. What this practice looks like - whether it's a simple sit, a handstand, a forward bend or a shavasana - it doesn't matter.
Literatur
Fuchs, T. (2017). Embodiment – Verkörperung, Gefühl und Leibgedächtnis. Psychoanalyse im Widerspruch, 29, 9-28. doi:10.30820/0941-5378-2017-1-9
Michalak, J., Mischnat, J., & Teismann, T. (2014). Sitting posture makes a difference—embodiment effects on depressive memory bias. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 21(6), 519-524.
Michalak, J., Rohde, K., & Troje, N. F. (2015). How we walk affects what we remember: gait modifications through biofeedback change negative affective memory bias. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry, 46, 121-125. doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.09.004
Canales, J. Z., Cordás, T. A., Fiquer, J. T., Cavalcante, A. F., & Moreno, R. A. (2010). Posture and body image in individuals with major depressive disorder: a controlled study. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 32, 375-380.