What is an “embodied spirituality” and what does it mean to embody your spiritual experience? How do we bring our bodies to our prayer, worship and spiritual practices? And how do we allow our bodies to be a part of our formative journeys? There are many great resources I want to share with you that explore these questions. To start, download this FREE resource Postures of Prayer & Praise. This 7-part study explores various postures of prayer and praise found in scripture, and is a great place to start your embodiment journey. Great for individual or group study.
I recommend these books…
- O My Soul: Bringing the Psalmist’s Cry to My Movement, My Meditation & My Mat by Jody Thomae. On Amazon.
- Jesus In My Practice: Bringing the Questions of Jesus to My Movement, My Meditation & My Mat by Jody Thomae. On Amazon.
- Voices of Wisdom in the Body: a Christ-Centered & Bible-Based Exploration of Energy by Jody Thomae. On Amazon. Also available in a Group Study Edition.
- Embodied Prayer: Towards a Wholeness of Body, Mind & Soul by Celeste Snowber Schroeder. You can preview the book here.
- Let the Bones Dance: Embodiment and the Body of Christ by Rev. Marcia Mount Shoop. Read more about it here.
- The Wisdom of the Body: a Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women by Christine Valters Paintner. You can find out about both the book and an online course that accompanies it here.
- Dance—the Sacred Art: The Joy of Movement as a Spiritual Practice by Cynthia Winton-Henry. You can preview that book here.
- Prayer of Heart & Body by Fr. Thomas Ryan. Find out more here. You can hear more from Fr. Tom Ryan in this video about The Theology of Christian Embodiment.
- Praying with the Body: Bringing the Psalms to Life by Roy DeLeon. There is also a DVD to accompany this book. Read a review and find out more here.
- NEW FIND! BodyPrayer: The Posture of Intimacy with God by Doug Pagitt & Kathryn Prill. Simple, easy — a great place to begin!
- TWO NEW FINDS! Holy Listening with Breath, Body and the Spirit by Whitney R. Simpson. 40-day guide offers daily meditations that can be completed in as little as 30 minutes. Also by Simpson: With God in Every Breath: A Guide to Growing Closer to Christ Through Your Senses comes out May 2025!
I recommend the following articles and blog posts…
- NEW!! How I Came to Love Embodied Prayer by Mindy Roll
- NEW!! Embodied Prayer Series with Br. Luke Ditewig, SSJE. Includes videos to guide you as you explore such themes as Welcome, Shape, Play, Imagine, Move, and Farewell.
- The Body as Revelation from Odyssey in Christ: Spiritual Formation for Leadership website.
- How yoga helped me find God and peace in my aging body by Valerie Schultz
- An article on using prayer ropes and one on my meditative prayer beads
- A BEaUtiful BODY prayer: Blessing of the Body by Joyce Rupp
- an article with touching video about taking time for rest in the midst of chaos
- ideas for praying with play-dough
- a 7-part series on postures of prayer & praise
- thoughts on reclaiming yoga as a Christian healing tool
- EmbodiedSpirituality, Now and Then by Jorge N. Ferrer article by Joshua Rabin
- What Does it Mean to Live a Fully Embodied Spiritual Life? by Jorge N. Ferrer
- Embodied Spirituality by Dr. Joseph A. Kim
- Yoga as a Creative Christian Practice by Jody Thomae
- thoughts on Reclaiming Yoga as a Christian Healing Tool by Jody Thomae
- Poem “She Dances” by Lilly Hope Lucario (how dance helped her survive sexual abuse)
- Physical Movement in Jewish Prayer article by Joshua Rabin
- 3-part series on the body in Quakerism by Madeline Schaefer: Silent Body: My Struggle with an Eating Disorder; Bringing Our Bodies to the Light; A Truly Embodied Spirituality
I recommend the following videos and virtual opportunities…
- Join Jody for Moving As One {VIRTUAL} Dance Chapel. Email Jody to sign up for the email list for Zoom invites to this monthly event.
- Embodied Prayer & Worship YouTube Playlist for your enjoyment AND learning!
- Dancing on the Waves group worship dance
- Short video from psychologist Brad Strawn on Embodied Spiritual Practices.
- Let my friend Marlita Hill dance prophetically over your life
- CaraMayan embodied prayer: The Lord’s Prayer
- CaraMayan embodied prayer: Gaelic Blessing
- a Christ-centered grounding practice with scripture
- a short prayer to embody your faith
Join me in person at Rooted & Reaching Lakeside Studio in North Central Ohio…
- Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care REtreats
- Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care Embodiment Training & Certificate Program
Please check back on occasion as I will add to this list as I discover more resources on my own journey of living a fully-embodied, whole-hearted life! Also, keep scrolling down below to find other articles and resources and click follow to be notified of future posts!
Stay Rooted & Keep Reaching, Jody
Jody is on faculty with the spiritual direction program of