Who we are
Embodiment at Work specializes in a hybrid mixture of virtual and on-site activities committed to combining an understanding of embodied cognition with real-time physical experience in a variety of settings. From training during working hours to large-scale thinking projects, we believe an embodied point of view is essential to addressing the problems we currently face.
Our goal is to cultivate an embodied and sustainable approach to work, foster new and creative thinking and support long-term professional development.
Emily Poel
I’ve been teaching embodiment in Berlin for over fifteen years. Originally from Michigan and with a degree in contemporary dance performance and history, I’ve worked internationally as a performer, choreographer and creative advisor. In 2004 I shifted my focus to embodiment training and haven’t stopped since. Over the last ten years I’ve developed a large collection of activities using physical awareness tools and movement training to better understand how creativity, learning and thinking actually work. An avid reader, I’m strongly in favor of putting theory into physical practice.
Erik Winter
Originally from northern Germany, I’m a naturopath in the field of psychology bringing over ten years of direct experience working with clients. Through learning and teaching embodiment skills and practicing martial arts such as boxing, Aikido and Wing Tai for more than twenty years, I’ve gained knowledge about the interplay between body and mind from many different angles and sources, both in Germany and internationally. This background has allowed me to develop a unique and powerful approach to bringing embodiment practice to companies, managers and teams.
Our Mission
We need embodiment practice in our daily lives now more than ever.
We started Embodiment at Work in 2016 with the goal of sharing knowledge and combining embodiment practice with different disciplines, including medicine, psychology, education, organizational development and the arts. Our interest was and still is in cultivating an embodied and transdisciplinary approach to real-world learning, daily tasks and personal and professional development.
Little did we know how much the pandemic would accelerate the need for this type of awareness, learning and exchange. It became clear that the more time we spend in digital spaces and in front of screens, the more important it becomes to continuously anchor ourselves in our own bodies – our bodies in our actual environments – if we are to remain sane and capable of solving the problems we currently face.
Bodies need to move, breathe and make connections. Our cognition is deeply embedded in and happens in relation to our environment. We need fresh air, water, light, sleep, food, warmth and connection with others. When our basic needs aren’t attended to, there are huge consequences – for us and for those around us.
Embodiment at Work is dedicated to raising awareness and increasing regular practice of simple embodiment tools to support wellbeing as well as coherent decision making in our work settings and beyond. We are also committed to reaching out and collaborating with like-minded individuals and institutions to spread basic knowledge and awareness of embodiment and embodied cognition across disciplines.
We would like for it to become increasingly normal to consciously take a deep breath, notice how we feel (and what is happening around us) and decide accordingly what to do next. This ability is as essential for our individual decision-making as it is for the future of our society.
Our Partners
Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben
difgl – Deutsches Institut für Gutes Leben is a spin-off of the TU Berlin focused on identifying cultural skills needed for living a good life in the digital age.
BeOrg
BeOrg is a consulting company devoted to organizational development through combining analytics with emotional intelligence.