From the very beginning of our education, our teachers tend to focus more and more up and to the left, where rational thoughts is said to be generated. The rest of our body is seen as a mode of transportation, to get our left hemisphere from one place to the next. That is why we believe that we can control our mind, yet our body just tends to do whatever it wants to. But what if our body and mind are more intimately linked than we think? What if the body can affect the mind the same way the mind affects the body?

Our mind, our very thoughts affect the chemistry of our brain. When we think happy thoughts, serotonin and dopamine are released and flood our body, until they have reached every cell and locked on to it. The same way, when we think about any emotional state, our body will react to it. Just notice how people who are happy have different postures to people who are sad.

Now, if the thoughts we have influence our feeling and our posture, what if you reverse engineer this process. Try this: Slump your shoulders, let your head drop forward, and slightly lower the corner of your mouth while breathing heavy. How does this make you feel? Now straighten up, raise your head high, smile, and see how that affects you! Chances are, first you felt heavy and maybe even sad, and then, after straightening up, you felt good.

Over time we have forgotten the intimate connection of our mind and our body. The truth is, they are not separate entities, but they are one unit, often referred to as the “mind body”. Every cell in your body is listening in on your very thoughts, and reacting to them. This way, not only your neurology records your thoughts, but your entire body! And the more you train yourself to think and feel one way, the more you train your body to respond to it.

This of course is only a brief introduction to the idea of the mind body. In truth, there is so much more to, but for now just ponder this thought: Where is your mind?

And for a practical application, the next time you feel slightly down while walking through town or at home, lift your head up high, breath in deeply and open your body posture and notice what a difference it make…