An Embodied Path Forward
A grounded, truly holistic path of collective healing:
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Self, body and mind
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Communities
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Ecosystems
The Embodied Path is one of connection. It is a path of healing and light-filled transformation as we come into skillful, heart-centered connection within self; and, outside of self as we connect deeply and skillfully with the people, plants, animals, and other life forms in the ecosystems we are part of.
Along the way, we find what is needed most as we remember the most basic of all truths: We, as human beings, are Nature. We are not separate. We are not superior. We are every bit as much of this living, breathing web of life on Planet Earth as all other beings.
This is our path of healing. This is our path of light-filled transformation:
For self, because you deserve to feel good in your body as you express yourself freely in this life you get to live
For all of life, because all of life deserves the same
An Embodied Approach
The world teaches us to live up in our heads: Disconnected from felt connection to all that we are, we are taught to live in a structured, industrialized world of man's creation.
This way of being is not natural. More than this, it requires that we live out of alignment from our human nature, causing widespread distress and disease because of it.
These days, we see the widespread effects that plague every facet of life on Planet Earth: From our physical health to emotional health and mental health (all having to do with the individual human being).... and over into community dysfunction and ecological collapse.
Here, we recognize that these are not separate issues, but different manifestations of the same festering root system.
This is not about "going back to the way things once were" - back in our caveman days when we lived directly in contact with Earth. NO. Here at Upward Slopes, we recognize and honor progress as we recognize the unskillful narratives and belief systems that hold us back.
Here, as we cultivate An Embodied Path Forward, we call upon all that we are and all that we have at our disposal to make the wisest, most skillful choices as we move forward.
Meet our Founder
Hi, I'm Katie Hemphill: A Bioengineer (B.S.E., M.S.) turned health & embodiment coach and earth activist.
I founded Upward Slopes in 2020 based on an observation about the reality of our modern world. Sure, we live in a time of abundance in regard to information and resources, but the way we call upon all of this to make decisions and navigate through our world is fundamentally flawed.
At the time I founded Upward Slopes, I didn't know what I was doing: only that the way I had been taught to solve problems and be in connection to this world had failed me. The bright and shiny path to success that I had followed to a T had only left me empty, riddled with anxiety and depressed about the nature of our world.
It wasn't just about me, as I saw it failing the rest of humanity too.
The worst part? Because us humans have placed ourselves at the top of the totem pole, the effects of our mistakes are felt within the cells of all other living beings on Planet Earth.
We have made a great mess of things here on Planet Earth, haven't we? We best get to work remedying it all.
I may not have had a clear picture of where I was headed in 2020, but with steady and focused intention and action, I have taken steps through many wild paths that have shown me a path forward.
It is not a high and mighty path that lives above all the rest, but instead, one that keeps us grounded, centered in reality as we call upon all that we have to turn this sinking around.
The good news is, as I, myself, was shown, the path through it all is one that led to the system-wide healing within self (body and mind), AND, one that brings us directly into heart-centered connection with the people and ecosystems that we are part of.
A grounded, embodied approach to holistic and collective healing.
Self, in connection to the communities and ecosystems we are all parts of.
How it works
Here at We Are The Forest on UpwardSlopes.com, I teach an embodied approach to living life on Planet Earth. It is an approach that takes us away from separation and hierarchy, and one that brings us into a felt knowing of how interconnected we all are.
The embodied path is one of connection, coming to know self in connection to all that we are truly part of. This is not about dissolving the idea of self. Instead, it is about standing firmly, embodied as your whole, sovereign self, as you come to know yourself in connection to all that expands beyond self.
Embodiment is a broad term, but at its foundation it is a practice-centered space that focuses on your connection with your whole self. This is not a mental space, but one that has to do with dropping out of your head and learning to sense/feel/know the truth of your reality.
It is a path of healing as much as it is a path of cultivating discernment.
As you come into skillful connection with your whole self, you move through a process of healing as you step into the ability to make skillful choices:
- those that support you, yourself
- those that support all of life on Planet Earth
It is no longer about me vs. you or humans vs. nature. It now has everything to do with lifting each other up. Here, we cultivate a lifestyle that is based on mutual benefit. Forget competition (or, move it to spaces that are for play time, like I do in my ultra running career!).
Here, we do everything with the intention of lifting up Self (not small, egoic self, but your whole, true self) in connection to the whole web of life.
When you step into an embodied connection, it makes sense why what benefits you is actually what benefits the whole web of life.
Here, in these abundant days, there are plenty of resources to be shared. There is even more wisdom to be shared. We share in this space with the intention of supporting one another.
How can I support you? Health and Embodiment Coaching
How can we support each other? Earth Embodiment Circles
