Dilemmas in embodied methods: Towards holistic description in qualitative research

Our bodily experience is a recognised conduit to understanding our social world and those who dwell within it. Concurrently, embodied research emerged as a legitimate and thought-provoking methodological approach that goes further to access depth in understanding than more distanced approaches. Yet such methods imply a closeness with the participants and context that raises some philosophical and ethical dilemmas. This paper aims to engage with these debates using examples from the author's experiences conducting embodied research in various global locales in the broad field of sport and physical culture. A conceptual model is built and employed in these discussions, and in doing so, the concept of ‘holistic description’ is developed to highlight the potential of embodied methodologies to engender further trust between the researcher, the reader and participants. It is hoped these developments will embolden researchers thinking about embodied research with further confidence and knowledge to pursue such involved and empathetic routes to knowing while staying true to the fundamental principles of qualitative enquiry.