Embodiment: Coming Home to Yourself Through Movement

There was a time in my life when I couldn’t sit still long enough to meditate. My mind would race. My to-do list would tap me on the shoulder. And sitting in silence just didn’t feel grounding—it felt like a punishment.

But everything changed when I picked up a hula hoop.

What Is Embodiment, Really?

Embodiment isn’t just about being in your body—it’s about being with your body.
It’s the practice of tuning in instead of checking out.
Feeling, instead of numbing.
It’s the gentle shift from thinking about your life to experiencing it in real time.

For so many of us, especially women over 50, we’ve spent decades living in our heads—planning, fixing, giving, worrying, organizing. We’ve taken care of everyone else’s needs, often ignoring or disconnecting from our bodies in the process.

Embodiment invites us to come back.
To notice how we feel.
To move with intention.
To trust the signals our body is sending.

Why It Matters (Especially Now)

When you reconnect with your body, you begin to live from the inside out.
You make decisions that feel right instead of just looking right.
You begin to notice where tension lives, where energy flows, where emotion hides.

Embodiment becomes the bridge between your inner knowing and your outer life.

In midlife and beyond, this connection becomes essential. Not just for physical wellness but for emotional clarity, confidence, and joy. It’s not about pushing harder—it’s about softening into yourself.

Why the Hula Hoop Was My Gateway

The first time I picked up a hula hoop after decades, I didn’t expect much. Maybe a laugh. Maybe some sore abs.

But what I found was presence.

When I was hooping, my mind couldn’t wander too far. I had to pay attention to the rhythm, the balance, and the movement. Something magical happened—I dropped out of my head and into my body.

I wasn’t worried about my to-do list.
I wasn’t thinking about my age or what I looked like.
I was in it. Fully.

And for the first time, that was meditation.

Not the kind where you sit still and breathe quietly (though that’s beautiful, too), but the kind where you lose yourself to find yourself.
Where movement becomes medicine.
Where play becomes presence.

Meditation Through Motion

Hula hooping helped me meditate in a way that finally made sense to my body. It became my moving prayer.

Each circle of the hoop became a breath.
Each sway of my hips became a reminder that I’m here.
Not performing. Not proving. Just being.

Let me pause and say this: the size of the hoop matters.

If you’ve ever tried hooping before and felt frustrated, it might not have been you—it was likely the hoop. Most store-bought hoops are too small and too light. They require fast, jerky movements, which defeats the purpose of slowing down and connecting with your body.

What worked for me—and what I recommend for beginners or anyone using hooping as a meditative embodiment practice—is a larger, lightweight hoop. A 48”-52”-inch diameter hoop weighing less than 2.5 pounds. The larger the diameter, the slower the rotation, which gives you more time to feel the rhythmic movement, breathe, and tune in.

This isn’t about tricks or speed. It’s about presence. And the right hoop makes all the difference.

If traditional meditation hasn’t worked for you, you’re not broken. You just haven’t found your way in.

For me, it was a circle of plastic that opened the doorway.

How to Start Your Embodiment Practice

You don’t need to hula hoop—though I highly recommend it if it sparks your curiosity.
What matters is finding what brings you into your body instead of escaping it.

It might be:

• Dancing in your kitchen

• Walking barefoot in the grass

• Stretching in silence

• Floating in water

• Taking five deep belly breaths when no one’s watching

  Embodiment is personal.
  It’s intimate.
  It’s not about doing it right—it’s about feeling what’s real.

  A Final Note to the Woman Reading This

  You don’t have to disconnect from your body to be productive, loved, or “good.”
  You can be deeply in your body and wildly wise simultaneously.

  Your body is not a problem to solve.
  It’s the place where your power lives.

  Come home to it.
  Let it speak.
  Let it lead.

  It’s not too late. It’s just the beginning.

Here’s a short tutorial to learn how to waist hoop. Enjoy!