I wanted to challenge the metaphor of the computer and point out that, no, actually the brain evolved in particular settings, mostly outside. It evolved to do things like sense and move the body to find its way through three dimensional landscapes, to engage in encounters in small groups of people. These are the things that the brain does effortlessly, naturally. The brain is not a computer. It never was, and its failures are particular to its own nature, and it has to be understood on its own terms.

Cognitive science shows that learning involves more than the engagement of the human brain or head. Embodied learning (EL) changes the instructional focus from strictly abstract, mental processes to using the body as an affordance for learning.

Not only have I learned tremendously from teaching embodied learning, but I have also changed my own praxis over time, to the point where I am now convinced that integrating body, mind, and spirit not only is disruptive to established educational conventions in North American but is a method of decolonizing —undoing—ways in which we have come to be in the world.

My position is that embodiment incorporates a conscious self-awareness of the information, sensations, proprioception, images, feelings and emotions that arise from the body and the mind. In this chapter I briefly explore differences of understanding and conceptualisations of embodiment, reflect on how I understand and use the concept of embodiment and embodied and how this in turn impacts on the generation of knowledge and research that gives us an insight into embodied experience. I show how this is particularly relevant for those interested in researching the experiences of those with embodied differences, such as those with disability, chronic illness or neurodivergence.

The issue for advocates of embodiment for HE pedagogy is how to make it easily accessible. Stinson (2019) describes her resistance towards using ‘the E-word’ (Stinson, 2019, p. xii) and speaks of her frustrations with the off-putting, highfalutin language that can be encountered in embodiment studies which can alienate and dissuade people from taking embodiment and all it has to offer a life and education seriously. I feel similarly, that, if embodiment is to be embedded within HE pedagogy, then a pragmatic approach will be needed that can be nuanced as appropriate.