Why Embodiment is Revolutionary for Women of colour

I grew up in a very traditional Punjabi-Sikh household in the UK. Think not being allowed to cut my hair or wear shorts, living a double life between school and home, and having to fight to be allowed to attend every single birthday party (and we can forget sleepovers). My life felt stifling, which left me hollow by the constant reminders that I didn't belong at school, in the country, or to my own body. My body did not feel like a sense of home. I did not have permission to do with her as I pleased. Where was home?

At 13 years old, I went to my first yoga class in my rusty old school gym hall. I vividly remember the sense of peace and calm that washed over me. I remember this feeling of deep, inner stillness. So blissful. I think I experienced being the authority over my body for the first time in my life. Was this home, was it in me?

As women of colour, we know how deeply painful it is to not have authority over our body. To feel othered and erased, reduced to just a body that is to be controlled and critiqued and deemed inferior, no matter how hard we push to fit in or excel. To have our worth and success placed in our body size, the shade of our skin, how much we martyr ourselves for our families, whether we produce children, please our men.... sometimes generational expressions are spewed out even by our mother's. Keeping us exactly where we are, from one generation to the next. Subordinate. I wonder, how far back does this mother wound even go? Does my mum feel a sense of home in her body?

There is only one way to overcome generational curses and reclaim a sense of home in our body, and that is to face all that you were or are denied and claim all that you are. Nobody can do that for you. Only you can. I have walked this journey.

Somewhere in the dark night of the soul, or on a quiet morning walk, or a tearful yoga class at age 13.... might we begin the journey of unburdening ourselves from all that we carry.

It is not all yours to carry. This was revolutionary for me to acknowledge.

For me, Embodiment is this life-long process of tending to this sacred relationship with my body. It is a constant unravelling and unburdening and rewriting of my story. Reclaiming my narrative and rewriting this ancient archetype of how a Punjabi-Sikh woman should be in her body and move through the world. It is an entering into the vastness of all that I am.... which is not a destination. Embodiment is a moment to moment practice. A skill to be developed and honed over time. This is not the linear way or rapid growth we are obsessed with today.

It's really not about rising. It is about descending more and more into the depths of who you already are. From this place comes often exquisite clarity, heartbreakingly honest self-discoveries, healthy boundaries can be created, empowered decisions are made, and holding the energy of your powerful embodied presence is a gift to the world.

You are safe to be you. You always carry home within you. You are the only authority over you.

May we tend to the sacred relationship with our body.

May we reclaim authority over our own body.

May we finally reclaim the permission to be our whole serves.

If you’re curious about feminine embodiment coaching and how this revolutionary way of being can guide you in your life, let’s chat.

Sending you peace & softness in your heart,

All my love

Sharandeep x