Practices for Embodied Living: Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-12-12 03:21:47
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Hillary L. McBride
- ISBN：1587436248
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Summary
In The Wisdom of Your Body ， clinical psychologist and award-winning researcher Hillary McBride explored the ways many of us inherit a broken understanding of the body and offered a more compassionate， healthy， and holistic perspective on embodied life。 In this follow-up book， McBride takes the principles of The Wisdom of Your Body and puts them into action in practical， tangible ways。
Practices for Embodied Living offers an experiential guide--centered on prompts， activities， and opportunities for reflection--to support readers who want to practice embodiment。 This approachable， visually stimulating book helps individuals and groups resist cultural myths about ideal bodies， get in touch with the goodness of their bodies， and more fully inhabit themselves。
Topics include disembodiment， stress and trauma， sexuality， body image， pain and illness， oppression， and more。 Each topic includes various exercises to help readers restore the mind-body connection。
Practices for Embodied Living offers an experiential guide--centered on prompts， activities， and opportunities for reflection--to support readers who want to practice embodiment。 This approachable， visually stimulating book helps individuals and groups resist cultural myths about ideal bodies， get in touch with the goodness of their bodies， and more fully inhabit themselves。
Topics include disembodiment， stress and trauma， sexuality， body image， pain and illness， oppression， and more。 Each topic includes various exercises to help readers restore the mind-body connection。
Reviews
Richard Propes
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If you're familiar with Hillary L。 McBride's "The Wisdom of Your Body，" "Practices for Embodied Living: Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body" allows you to take McBride's insights， knowledge， and experience and to apply it toward more embodied living。 As a disclaimer of sorts， I will acknowledge that I began my journey with "Practices for Embodied Living" only a few weeks after cancer resulted in the loss of my bladder and prostate along with resulting in placement of a urostomy。 While the exten If you're familiar with Hillary L。 McBride's "The Wisdom of Your Body，" "Practices for Embodied Living: Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body" allows you to take McBride's insights， knowledge， and experience and to apply it toward more embodied living。 As a disclaimer of sorts， I will acknowledge that I began my journey with "Practices for Embodied Living" only a few weeks after cancer resulted in the loss of my bladder and prostate along with resulting in placement of a urostomy。 While the extensive procedures appear to have successfully removed the cancer， the accompanying results have significantly altered my physical being， significantly impacted my sexuality， and immersed me back into a healing journey for a body that was born with spina bifida and in which I've already been living as a wheelchair user， paraplegic， and double amputee。 Man， that's a lot。 Along with being a survivor of childhood and adulthood sexual violence， I've long had complex relationship with my body and， if I'm being honest， a great resistance to the idea of embodied living。 Yet， I was sitting down recently with one of my church's ministers during a home visit as I continue my recover when she rather insightfully asked "How's your relationship with your body？" Impulsively， I blurted out "I hate it。" Over the next hour of the visit， I would return to my usual state of being （I don't hate my body， but I sure do have unresolved issues） and realize that my recent experiences had left me feeling like an "other，" powerless and uncertain in my new physical being while also realizing， or at least believing， that I was destined to live a physical life more defined by violence than intimacy。 As someone who started an event called "The Tenderness Tour，" this is profoundly unsettling。Yet， after this minister left I began to realize that whatever my future holds I had work to do for myself。 This brings me back to "Practices for Embodied Living。" （I bet you thought I'd never get back to it）。 In "The Wisdom of Your Body，" Dr。 McBride explored the ways that many of us inherit a broken understanding of the body and created a more compassionate approach to embodied life。 "Practices for Embodied Living" allows us to take those principles learned and apply them in easy to understand but not always easy to do practical and tangible ways。 I hesitate to call this a workbook - it's certainly an experiential guide and it can be experienced alone， with a therapist， or with a group of safe individuals。 Dr。 McBride centers the work on prompts， activities， and opportunities for reflection that allow the practice of embodiment in a way that resists cultural myths and definitions about the "ideal" body。 Instead， Dr。 McBride gently nudges us toward getting in touch with the goodness of our bodies wherever our bodies are at and however they are expressed to the universe。 As someone who has long believed in Imago Dei - simplified essentially meaning that we are all made in the image of God， I found time and again throughout "Practices for Embodied Living" that Dr。 McBride was guiding us toward realizing the sacredness of this body we live in however it changes over the course of our lives。 While there were， admittedly， times I longed for more disability friendly language and found that some of these experiences would require adapting based upon disability， I equally found them profound in challenging my own internalized ableism and current state of being。 Dr。 McBride includes topics like disembodiment， stress/trauma， sexuality， body image， pain/illness， oppression， and others。 With each topic， Dr。 McBride includes various experiences to help us restore or establish a healthy mind-body connection and to build a better relationship， a loving and tender relationship， with our bodies。 Having taken my journey with "Practices for Embodied Living" via an electronic ARC （Advanced Review Copy）， I'll also acknowledge that my hope is the final electronic version will include some design changes， however， this is undeniably a book I intend to obtain in print form as I believe that will enhance my journey with these practices。 While "Practices for Embodied Living" can very likely be a stand-alone experience， for a full appreciation I recommend beginning with "The Wisdom of Your Body" if at all possible。 。。。more
Lisa
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As someone who has been doing a lot of work in therapy the last few years to connect to my body， and as someone who is in the beginning stages of schooling to become a therapist， this book hit home。 I'm definitely going to go back to some of the practices and try them over and over， and I'm already thinking about incorporating them into the care I offer to others in the future。 I found the book insightful， but easy to read， and that the questions McBride posed throughout were challenging to cons As someone who has been doing a lot of work in therapy the last few years to connect to my body， and as someone who is in the beginning stages of schooling to become a therapist， this book hit home。 I'm definitely going to go back to some of the practices and try them over and over， and I'm already thinking about incorporating them into the care I offer to others in the future。 I found the book insightful， but easy to read， and that the questions McBride posed throughout were challenging to consider。 Because I'm still working towards being comfortable with embodiment， I felt stretched in a good way by the practices McBride offers and can't wait to sit with them more fully in the future。 。。。more
Michelle Castaneda
，
Practices for Embodied Living: Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary L。 McBride PhD is an important book。 I’m so glad this author wrote it！ I love this author’s previous work and was excited to see what this new book would add。 This new book adds so much。 Here， you’ll find practical strategies for experiencing embodiment。 This is a book to revisit again and again。 I highly recommend it。 I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations。 These opinions are en Practices for Embodied Living: Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary L。 McBride PhD is an important book。 I’m so glad this author wrote it！ I love this author’s previous work and was excited to see what this new book would add。 This new book adds so much。 Here， you’ll find practical strategies for experiencing embodiment。 This is a book to revisit again and again。 I highly recommend it。 I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations。 These opinions are entirely my own。 。。。more
Romina
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Hillary McBride has been one of my favorite psychologists and inspirations for a while， which is why I was even more excited to see her release another book。 "Practices for Embodied Living" is meant to accompany her previous work "The Wisdom of Your Body" but can also be read seperately if one only seeks more practical approaches to embodiment。 Nevertheless， I would really recommend to dive into both。The pre-release copy I got to access via NetGalley featured a shorter version of the full book， Hillary McBride has been one of my favorite psychologists and inspirations for a while， which is why I was even more excited to see her release another book。 "Practices for Embodied Living" is meant to accompany her previous work "The Wisdom of Your Body" but can also be read seperately if one only seeks more practical approaches to embodiment。 Nevertheless， I would really recommend to dive into both。The pre-release copy I got to access via NetGalley featured a shorter version of the full book， so I can only speak to that and have not seen this work in its entirety。 However， it is evident how much careful thought， exploration， practice， research and experience Dr。 McBride has put into this delicate piece。 Her approach is extremely refreshing and aims to counter the traditional mind-body devide that has been taught for a long time in both conventional and psychological thought。 I believe that to be very relevant for our society and can only recommend books like this to accompany one's journey to wholeness。 Hillary shows a lot of comfort， care and knowledge in her words which I always appreciate - she never fails to make you feel held and seen。 For this work specifically， I really enjoyed the practical approach its taking。 Doing one exercise per day/week/month or whatever pace works for each reader can be extremely helpful and easily digestable。 Beautiful！ I will definitely purchase the full version in January。 。。。more
Panda Incognito
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This workbook connects with The Wisdom of Your Body by the same author。 As Hillary McBride explains in the introduction， although she designed this as a practical supplement to her previous book， it also works as a standalone， especially for people who found her other book too academic and dense to process。 She shares much of the same core information in simpler， more basic terms here， and this workbook covers all of the same themes。 McBride wants to help people love and experience their bod This workbook connects with The Wisdom of Your Body by the same author。 As Hillary McBride explains in the introduction， although she designed this as a practical supplement to her previous book， it also works as a standalone， especially for people who found her other book too academic and dense to process。 She shares much of the same core information in simpler， more basic terms here， and this workbook covers all of the same themes。 McBride wants to help people love and experience their bodies， instead of experiencing body shame or feeling disconnected from their physical selves， and she shares insights and teaching content throughout the book， explaining some of the issues that prevent people from engaging more fully with their bodies。Each chapter involves multiple reflection questions and physical practices that people can explore。 The practices are many and varied， with some things that sound more woo-woo， and others that are very straightforward and less weird。 People who would anticipate balking at some of the activity ideas can still give this a chance， since there's a wide range of things to chose from that will be more suited to their personality and self-expression。 Overall， there's a lot of helpful ideas here for how people can reconnect with their physical selves if they feel disengaged。Although the information throughout this book is good， I don't like the illustration style。 I find the giant， disproportionate bodies and tiny heads unnerving， and I feel like the illustrations miss the point。 Sure， we need to connect with our bodies and not think that we're just minds walking around， but dramatically minimizing the head doesn't seem wise or healing to me。 Also， I didn't care for the wild changes in font size in parts of the book。 I found that distracting， but since I read a digital advance review copy， this might change before the book goes to print。I also have some philosophical disagreements with the author， such as her insistence that there is never anything wrong with your body， just with a society that shames it or doesn't accommodate it。 That's valid at some levels， but my body does have problems， and they're not all society's fault！ I can love myself， love my body， and care for my body in the midst of my chronic pain and other health struggles while also accepting that my body has problems that other bodies don't。For sure， it's a complicated issue， and I hold the good old FDA responsible for having approved all kinds of neurotoxins in food that made my life a torment for years until my family figured out what was wrong。 Society has a role in my health problems， even when other people are unaffected。 Still， I wish that the author made space for acknowledging individual frailties and physical problems， instead of putting the blame on society for any pain or issue you experience。 This is also important for people who are experiencing pain due to reckless and dysfunctional choices they've made in the past。 Inviting them to blame society does not bring emotional healing。Also， even though one of the chapters addresses the spirit and body divide， the author wrote this in a very mainstream， secular way。 It's like any random book I might pick up at the library， and that's not what I expected while reviewing a book from a Christian publisher。 The author invites people to engage with whatever sense of divinity they experience outside of or within them， and although I'm sure she wants to help as many people as possible by making her work accessible to a pluralistic society， I found the lack of distinct Christian content disappointing。Practices for Embodied Living shares teaching and insight from the author， and gives a range of different reflection prompt and activity ideas for people to explore at their comfort level。 This book will appeal to people who are trying to reconnect with their physical selves after trauma or just the everyday disconnect of Western society， and the author covers a variety of different topics and issues that many people will find helpful。 I enjoyed aspects of this， but some of the author's value judgments and preachy statements about society clashed with my different beliefs and perspectives。 Also， Christian audiences need to know that this book does not provide a Christian viewpoint on embodiment， and is written in vague spiritual language for people of any belief or any practice。I received a temporary digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cynthia
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⭐️⭐️⭐️I received a copy of this book from Net Galley to review。"Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body" by Hillary McBride is a thought-provoking exploration of self-discovery and self-acceptance。 The book provides a range of prompts and activities that encourage introspection and mindfulness， making it a valuable resource for those interested in deepening their self-awareness。While I appreciated the prompts and activities， I found the book less engaging for someone seeking traditional "self-help。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️I received a copy of this book from Net Galley to review。"Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body" by Hillary McBride is a thought-provoking exploration of self-discovery and self-acceptance。 The book provides a range of prompts and activities that encourage introspection and mindfulness， making it a valuable resource for those interested in deepening their self-awareness。While I appreciated the prompts and activities， I found the book less engaging for someone seeking traditional "self-help。" The content may not be as immediately actionable as some other self-help books， which could deter some readers looking for quick fixes。One notable aspect that took away from the overall reading experience was the peculiar font choices that changed throughout the book。 This inconsistency in typography can be distracting and disrupt the flow of reading， which is unfortunate for a book aiming to guide readers through introspective exercises。On the other hand， "Experiencing the Wisdom of Your Body" would be particularly beneficial for therapists and counselors。 The exercises and prompts are well-suited for use with clients， offering valuable tools to help individuals explore their emotions， traumas， and experiences。 Therapists can integrate these exercises into their practice to facilitate meaningful self-discovery and healing in their clients。In summary， while this book may not be the ideal choice for someone seeking conventional self-help， it shines as a resource for therapists and professionals in the field who wish to incorporate the exercises and prompts into their therapeutic work， helping clients tap into the wisdom of their bodies and emotions。 。。。more
Mindy Christianson
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I was able to read a short preview of this book and was very intrigued！ The concept of embodiment is somewhat new to me and I’m looking forward to understanding it more deeply。
Anna
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Thank you Brazos Press + Baker Publishing Group for the advanced copy！！！！！！！ This book is a BEAUTIFUL companion to The Wisdom of Your Body， providing practical exercises that coincide with the personal experience， research， and knowledge Hillary previously shared。 I look forward to continually coming back to this and incorporating these activities both into my personal life and therapeutic work with my clients。
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practices for embodied living experiencing the wisdom of your body