Soul Conversations: Empowered Embodiment

The song I wrote for my toddler to help her get into her body & the writing prompt I wrote for grown-ups to learn to do the same

February got away from me! So this is the final post on our Empowered Embodiment theme, including your Soul Conversations Sacred Exploration Writing Prompt.

I’ll be announcing the theme and calendar for March soon, so keep an eye out.

“But Maaaammmaaaaa….” this morning, my daughter was whining about everything.

I get it. We all have those days.

When something is just… wrong.

First I tried to be patient, then tried to hurry her along… I tried to be gentle, then I tried to be strict.

None of my trying worked; she was the trying one this morning. 😂

Finally, in the car on the way to Forest School, I had enough space from trying to get her to do things that I could sit back and notice—she’s struggling today.

“How are you doing today?” I asked, at last catching the real storyline that was at the center of her life. (It certainly wasn’t my main plotline of getting us ready to go to school!)

“How does your body feel, my love?”

In her adorable 3 year-old voice, she answered, “My body feels… strange.”

BINGO! I thought. “Strange how?” I asked

“I don’t know,” she came back.

“Well, how does your body feel right now?” I tried again.

“I don’t know.”

If you think this is a kid’s evasiveness in answering parental questions, think again.

Most of us can’t answer this question.

“How does your body feel right now?”

Yes—you.

If we were sitting together and I asked you that, what would you say?

“I don’t know” is the standard answer.

And in this case, my child’s simple answer gave me all the information I needed.

If your body feels strange and you don’t know how it feels—

You’re probably not in your body!

I immediately knew what to do.

My girl is so little, she’s imminently coachable. All I have to do is make something into a game.

So… I did what any former-preschool-teacher-turned-magical-coach would do—

I made up a kids song about embodiment to help her bring her consciousness… her Soul down into her body.

I immediately started patting my belly and singing...

“Pat Pat Pat, Where’s my tummy at?
… Pat Pat Pat, There it is!

“Where’s your tummy, Isabelle?” I asked, catching her eye in the rearview mirror and flashing her a mysterious glimmer.

She’d never heard this song before, and I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist joining in. “Can you show me how you pat your belly?” I asked in that excited mom/teacher voice that always gets toddlers to comply.

“Let’s sing together!” I offered, as she started patting her belly.

“Pat Pat Pat—Where’s my tummy at?
Pat Pat Pat—There it is.

(Now singing to my belly)
Pat Pat Pat—How you doing today?
Pat Pat Pat—Where you at?”

Checking in with my own body, I told her, “My tummy’s feeling a little tired. How’s your tummy feeling?”

“My tummy’s feeling tired too,” she said, sounding serious.

“Should we do our legs now and see how our legs are feeling?” I saw her nod in the rearview mirror and could see she was quieting already… sinking down into her body… getting more present.

We continued the song—

“Pat Pat Pat—Where are my legs at?
Pat Pat Pat—Here they are!
Pat Pat Pat—How you doing today?
Pat Pat Pat—Where you at?”

I went first again sharing aloud the subtle information my legs were carrying, showing her how to play this new and powerful game.

“My legs are feeling excited about being alive today,” I said.

“My legs are feeling excited for Forest School,” she followed my lead, slowly making it her own as she explored the sensations of her body.

We continued through the major parts of the body, sinking all the way down into our feet, exploring our arms and head, and finally finishing with the heart.

We both agreed that our hearts were feeling quiet this morning. As our song finished, the car naturally fell into silence—the first moment of quiet I’d experienced since the moment she climbed out of bed.

“How are you doing, baby?” I checked in just to make sure she was okay.

“I’m just quiet, Mama,” my girl answered.

What a joy! Any parent of a toddler can verify that voluntary silence is the best thing that could ever happen. My own heart was so happy to have the space to just be—without having to respond to the many tiny demands she’d been throwing at me.

In that moment, I could feel that something inside of her was feeling out of sorts. Without needing to know what it was, I was simply proud of her for being able to be with what was really going on, instead of trying to mask it with constant movement.

I took a deep breath, feeling the space slowly opening around us.

As we arrived at Forest School, the child who ran off into the snow to play with her friends was an entirely different girl from the one who had pestered and peppered me with questions all morning.

I immediately wrote down the song for future use and made plans to record it for other conscious parents who may be looking for ways to teach their children embodiment.

But it got me thinking—what’s the adult equivalent?

Don’t get me wrong... this song will work for grown-ups, but it doesn’t have the same appeal that it has for kids.

Adults need solutions that are quieter… simpler… sexier…
Ideas that feel easy, sure, and beautiful.

So since Substack is a community of writers and folks who appreciate writing…

This month’s writing prompt is going to be designed to do for you what this little ditty does for my toddler—

Practice embodiment, connect with your Soul, and learn what your body wants really to tell you.

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Soul Conversations Writing Prompt:
Empowered Embodiment

Find a quiet spot and gift yourself time to explore.

Gather a pen and page (or a keyboard) and a hot (or cold) drink that you find delightful.

Set down the pen and the drink, and begin by simply placing your hands on your belly…

Take a deep breath—in through the nose, feeling your diaphragm drop and your belly expand. Exhale out through the mouth, slowly and fully.

Begin to breathe evenly and in flow, deeply but gently, allowing yourself to find your unique flow.

Begin to call back to this body all the pieces of your consciousness… all the pieces of your Soul, which may be floating around out there.

You can picture a little chime or gong in your chest ringing a very specific note… like a homing beacon that every piece of you recognizes.

As these pieces of your Self return, ask your Team—the beautiful collective of Gods and guardians, angels and allys that is all ways with you—to heal and bless each piece of your consciousness as it returns to your body.

Feel yourself sinking down into your belly… your legs… your feet… your arms… your heart.