I remember first hearing the term "embodied" applied to people about 20 years ago. It sounded like a good thing to be, but I had no idea of what it actually meant. As my daily breath practice has continued over time, I am beginning to feel more embodied, that is, I have a felt sense of what the word "embodied" means...in the body.
I recently came across a definition of embodiment that my mind can wrap its arms around. It's from a book, "In an Unspoken Voice", by Peter Levine:
"To be embodied means that we are guided by our instincts, while simultaneously having the opportunity to be self aware of that guidance. This self-awareness requires us to recognize and track our sensations and feelings. We unveil our instincts as they live within us, rather than being alienated from them or forcibly driven by them."
For a deeper dive into why being embodied is important...>>read more of the excerpt