To inhabit something means “to exist or be situated within; dwell in”. The word inhabit is derived from the Latin word or phrase “in habitare”, which in turn is connected to the Latin word, “Habitus”, or in plain English, ‘habit’ which is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary”.  The question, “How do you inhabit your body?” not only means how do you reside in your physical self, but also what are the repetitious patterns that have become habit within this body that you dwell in. Stay with me, I promise this is going somewhere…

Today in my meditation the question “How do you inhabit your body?” bubbled to the surface of my mind. As I sat with this question, allowing an answer to arise, I began thinking about the nature of the word “inhabit”. What does it actually mean to ‘inhabit’ something, something like my body? My initial thoughts are, well, of course, it means how do I live in this body I call mine. Digging deeper and teasing through the definitions, I realize it means much more than just dwelling in this body. To inhabit also seems to mean living in this body in the ways and patterns that I have created, the patterns that have become involuntary and therefore out of the realm of my cognitive participation. Given that definition, I’m not surprised at all to find, after doing a simple body scan, that there are a few places in my body that I do not regularly occupy with any level of conscious participation. My pattern of inhabitation is inconsistent within the whole entity that is me. Wow, what the heck does that mean?

It means that I have what I sometimes refer to as ‘dead zones’. Places that I do not pay attention to. Places that gather energy become stagnant and eventually manifest as injury or inflexibility. I would guess we are all familiar with dead zones, either consciously or unconsciously. Those aching shoulders that seem to always end up around your ears, that lower back that never quite feels stretched and strengthened, even that neglected derriere that spends so much time supporting you as you sit at your desk or computer. The overwhelmingly cool thing is that the patterns we create in our body are really no different than the patterns we create in our mental/emotional and even external lives. This is one of those times that makes self reflection and body awareness so extraordinarily useful. If something is showing up on the body level, I can guarantee it is showing up somewhere else.

The trick to working with your body in conjunction with your mind, is learning how to understand what is habit and what is relevant grist for the mill of your continued growth and development. In short your body never lies, if you think you’ve got things all figured out in your life, yet you still have ‘dead zones’ showing up physically, chances are you’ve got dead zones in your thought processes and unconscious beliefs about the world as well.

Building a good and healthy relationship with my body has been a long and sometimes arduous journey, one that has gotten easier and easier as I have learned to love all the bits and pieces of me, even the pieces that society might deem ‘imperfect’. And while there is always room to know more, to love more, to accept more, there is also an amazing gratitude for being able to feel such an extreme sense of self love in a culture where so many individuals are drowning in self loathing. The beauty of cultivating this amazing mind/body awareness and open relationship is that every time I have a mental/emotional or spiritual epiphany, so does my body. Freeing my mind seems to directly correlate into a more flexible physical self. Conversely, freeing the body correlates into a more flexible mental/emotional self. As the Buddha purportedly said, “All that we are is a result of what we have thought. We are made of our thoughts. We are molded by our thoughts.” To live a richer, deeper life on every level I can ask the questions; “how is my posture, the way I walk, the way I hold my shoulders still affected and determined by my unconscious beliefs about the world?” “How am I molded, physically, by my thoughts? What is my current reality and what is simply the residual dwelling in habits from old ways of being?”

Working with metaphors when working with the body can be invaluable. Comments such as; keep a stiff upper lip, keep your head on your shoulders, stay out of the clouds, all manifest physically in exactly the way they are described. Over time, the repeated patterns of limitation cause physical challenges and discomfort. Bodywork and massage will help soothe physical discomfort but only for a little while. Talk therapy will help soothe emotional and mental discomfort but again only for a little while. A combined practice or effort of addressing the body and the mind together will bring amazing results. Increasing your self-awareness will also affect your external environment and your relationships. Consulting a somatic oriented therapist or a somatic psychologist can be great ways to jump start your personal growth. Until then you can begin by asking yourself, “how do you inhabit your body?” and waiting to see what bubbles to the surface.

For more information about Somatic Psychology or scheduling an appointment email Stephanie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it