Body and Mind

First we think something--like today is going to be good, and then we act on that feeling.  What floats around in our mind is of critical importance because it tells us how we feel and then determines how we behave.  For example, today I woke up and thought--I have a lot to do to get ready to leave town.  Then my body went down to find my suitcase and yoga gear.  Sometimes, however, our body "speaks" first.  Let's say you wake up with a very sore throat.  The first thing you mind latches onto is your sore throat.  You then conclude that you might be getting sick--and you start looking for the cough drops and cold medicine.

The mind is weightless and invisible.  We cannot take a photograph of it, but we know it is there.  It is always at work.  It has a voice--mostly our own that speaks all the time.  It also can repeat the voices from old tapes we may have heard long ago.  In contrast, the body weighs.  We can take a photograph of it.  It takes up physical space.  We see it, feel it, taste with it, touch with it, smell with it.  The breath is the link between the mind and body.

Good news!  We can train our minds to shift.  We can train our minds to focus on more positive messaging. We can train our minds to relax our body through deep meditative breath (in and out through the nose).  We can move and exercise the body to release tension in the mind.  The two are constantly communicating with each other.

To relieve stress and live in the moment and more fully, we can relieve stress by moving the body so the mind can shift.  Once the mind shifts, we can view our lives, our problems, our people in a different light.  We all benefit from being reminded to take good care of ourselves.  That means we pay attention to how we feel (physically and mentally).  We pay attention to what we are thinking.  Is the voice of reason or the voice of crazy talking right now?  We shift our focus to the voice of reason so that the voice of crazy can keep quiet. Whatever it is that we are thinking becomes our reality whether it is true or not.  To wit, perception becomes reality.  We check in with our feelings.  How we feel determines what we do.  We are human beings not robots, and we have a wide range of emotions from joy to grief and happiness to dissatisfaction and everything in between.

Take time this week to check in.  How are you feeling in your body?  Are you fatigued, rested, energized, sore, building up to a cold or recovering from the flu?  Take note.  How are you in your mind?  Are you focused and clear?  Are you spending your time and attention where you'd like to be?  There is no judging--just noticing so that we can shift into the flow we'd like to achieve.  That's the stuff dreams are made of.