Leadership Embodiment:

Cultivating Leadership Presence with Confidence, Compassion and Clarity

Overview of the Leadership Embodiment framework and a key practice

Anouk Brack, MSc., Co-Director

Experience Integral

FRAMEWORK OVERVIEW reported to increase our capacity to respond with

more presence, dignity and wisdom, especially in
stressful or demanding situations.
Leadership Embodiment has been developed over
30 years by its founder Wendy Palmer. It is a 1
Research suggests that the practice of
leadership practice of calm and assertive presence embodiment tools such as centering, restores the
that results in a confident, connected and clear capacity for the long-term, higher functioning
state. Practitioners report that this state can aspects of the brain – big picture thinking,
quickly transmit to others and can positively innovation, creativity and intuition. Stress mutes
influence the atmosphere of a meeting. these higher functioning capacities of the brain
and activates the short-term survival behavior –
In this document you will find an overview of the narrow focus, hyper vigilance and defensiveness.
framework and a description of the three centers
of the human body that are used. The practice of The practice is to notice the reactive pattern
shifting between two states of being is described. kicking in and using the breath and body posture
Some recommendations for further study are to restore a calm, assertive presence.
given. This document is not intended to provide a
comprehensive overview of the Leadership Next to having a beneficial effect on one’s physical
Embodiment work. Rather it serves as a refresher state of being and presence, the act of centering
resource for practitioners who have learned about might increase the chance to operate from later
these exercises, or an introduction to those who stages of cognitive and ego-development that we
are new to them. 2
have access to. The following quote by Ken Wilber
illustrates the value of centering.
Origin of leadership embodiment “(…) what you’re really doing when you center is
that you are in a sense placing yourself in the very
Leadership Embodiment was developed out of center of the cyclone. You’re placing yourself in
Aikido and mindfulness. Aikido is a Japanese pure emptiness to the extent you have access to
martial art that focuses on restoring dynamic that. So what steps into that emptiness is the
harmony in every situation. Mindfulness is an highest structure available.”
awareness practice that increases discernment in
the moment and decreases stress and reactivity. Two states: reactive personality and center
The practical and insightful exercises reflect the
distilled experiential wisdom of Wendy Palmer’s The leadership embodiment framework identifies
more than 40 years of developing Conscious two states of being. A person can be operating
Embodiment as a self-development path. either from one or from the other state at any
Leadership Embodiment arose over 10 years ago given moment.
out of applying Conscious Embodiment techniques The two states of being are:
in executive coaching activities with organizations
like Google, Twitter, McKinsey and NASA and the 1. Personality pattern – manages self, other and
US Forest Service. stuff. Attention mostly “horizontal.”
Concerned with the self’s control, approval
Effects of embodiment and centering
and safety.
Embodiment practice can be a valuable addition to 2. Centered self – aligned with the “vertical”
leadership development because it trains the first: horizontal actions follow out of vertical
body-mind to be more pro-active. The practice is sense of uplift and inter-connection.

Integral Sustainability Center, Resource Tool No. 16, December 2011 | 1

Aligning three centers: head, heart and hara

1. Head center - Quality: Connection to self and other,

- Location: center of the head, above the ears just compassion, sense of one-ness
above eye-level
- Type of information: perception, data, insights 3. Hara center
and facts - Location: Hara is a Japanese word from martial
- Quality: Clarity; overview, focus arts indicating our physical center of gravity. It is
located along vertical axis of the body, three
2. Heart center fingers below navel, just in front of spine
- Location: along vertical axis of the body that runs - Type of information: sensing, sensations
just in front of spine, at heart level and just above - Quality: Confidence; life-force, strength, safety,
- Type of information: feeling, longing and a felt instinct, gut-feeling
sense of inner knowing

Leadership Embodiment Reactive state - Pro-active state –

– Aligning three centers Wanting from Personality Being from Centered Self
1 Head Control Clarity
2 Heart Approval Connection
3 Hara / Hips Safety Confidence
General characteristics: Horizontal orientation: Vertical orientation:
managing people and stuff managing self first.
Doing from wanting, effort, Doing from being, ease, flow
survival, reactive state, pro-active

PRACTICE OVERVIEW 3 Field: Balance the field of attention and

presence, sensing the heath radiating off your
body, expanding that a little more and balancing it
The intent of the practitioner is to know his/her using the question: “What would it be like if my
personality pattern more deeply and recognize it field was equal and even at all sides, balancing the
sooner. Rather than try to change the pattern, the front and back, left and right, below and above?”
practice is to simply shift to a more upright, Feel the answer in the body.
centered posture many times a day. Practitioners
use the four part centering process below to shift Now settle into the recovered centered state while
their state of being from personality to center. allowing your attention to come back out, keeping
part of your attention on the inner state of
The basic method: four-part centering centeredness and alignment of hips, heart and
head.
1 Posture: sit or stand upright and a little bit
forward as if weight will be put on your shoulders 4 Quality: Invoke a quality in your being by
that you can carry with ease and grace. You’re asking:
both at ease and ready for action. Strong back, “What would it be like if there was a little more …
soft front. ease (or another quality) in my being right now?”
Listen for and feel into to the answer of your body.
2 Breath:

Breathing in: inhale up the spine, lengthening the

body from the back and neck
Breathing out: long exhale down the front,
softening the jaws, shoulders to gravity

Integral Sustainability Center, Resource Tool No. 16, December 2011 | 2

The need to practice it’s for the worse or for the better. Our body, brain
and behavior have a built-in tendency to stay the
Just like in becoming a black belt martial artist you same within rather narrow limits, and to snap back
need to practice to be able to perform these when changed…Be aware of the way homeostasis
techniques under pressure, when you most need works…Expect resistance and backlash. Realize
them. Then they become a second nature. It is that when the alarm bells start ringing, it doesn’t
important not to allow the centering to become necessarily mean you’re sick or crazy or lazy or that
like a chore, to keep it interesting through you’ve made a bad decision in embarking on the
zooming in on certain aspects in order to keep the journey of mastery. In fact, you might take these
experience fresh every time. Although the basic signals as an indication that your life is definitely
centering always has a positive effect, the changing–just what you’ve wanted….Be willing to
challenge is to remember to practice regularly and negotiate with your resistance to change.”
frequently in order to deepen the centered state
experience and the confident and connected Summary
presence and agility as a leader. That way you are
ready for anything at any time. Don’t try to stay The centering process is the foundational practice
centered. Re-center. The power is in the recovery. of Leadership Embodiment. Centering is a fast and
effective way to cultivate leadership presence with
In order to perform calmly and confidently while confidence, compassion and clarity.
under pressure (stress, great success, deadlines,
unskillful communication, or a big compliment) “The greatest gift you can give someone is to get
instead of contracting into instinctual reactive yourself together.” – Wendy Palmer
behavior, it is necessary to practice re-centering
many times. This ensures that the neural pathways References and recommended resources
involved in centering under pressure get covered
3 1
with an extra layer of myeline . Thus one’s “Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect
capacity to notice reactivity taking over and to Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance” by
1 2 1
restore a centered state increases. So it is not Dana R. Carney , Amy J.C. Cuddy , and Andy J. Yap
1 2
about staying centered. The power is in the - Columbia University and Harvard University in
recovery. Even the founder of Aikido, Morihei Psychological Science published Sept 21, 2010
2
Ueshiba, stated that he did not stay balanced all This Ken Wilber quote on the value of centering
the time: “… I just rebalance myself so fast, nobody was transcribed from a conference call on
notices.” November 3 2011 as part of the course “Conscious
Leadership for Sustainability – Advanced Practices”
Basic centering practice frequency: organized by Barrett Brown.
3
In order for the centering to become available as a The book “The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born.
valid pathway under duress this is the It's Grown. Here's How.” by Daniel Coyle in 2009
recommended practice frequency. explains this principle of myelin wrapping and the
power of practice clearly.
4
 Every morning before work – five to ten Taken from: “Mastery: The Keys to Success and
minutes of centering, can be integrated with Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard
(Plume. Feb 1, 1992), p. 107-115
existing meditation practice
 Five times a day at fixed times – three exhales  Wendy Palmer (1994). The Intuitive Body.
Before important meetings – three exhales Discovering the Wisdom of Conscious
 As often as you notice you have dropped out Embodiment and Aikido: Blue snake books;
of the centered state – one breath version Berkeley, California, USA. (3rd edition
published in 2008). She also wrote “The
Dealing with inner resistance to change: Practice of Freedom” and is in the process of
writing “Wisdom to go” about Leadership
4
This quote by George Leonard from his book on Embodiment.
Mastery offers a way to deal with possible inner  Connect to [email protected] for
resistance in a skillful way. more resources (articles, websites, and video)
on Leadership Embodiment and Integral
“Backsliding is a universal experience. Every one of Leadership. Anouk is available for Leadership
Embodiment coaching and training, both
us resists significant change, no matter whether
online and in-company.
Integral Sustainability Center, Resource Tool No. 16, December 2011 | 3