When it comes to finding your best, healthiest, most peaceful self, one of the best things you can do for yourself is nurture your mind/body connection. By investing in yourself and reconnecting with your own spirit, it truly will put you back in control of your own body.
Practice Mindful Awareness of Your Body
While the mind is constantly flitting to thoughts of the future and memories of the past, the body lives in the only moment that truly exists: the present. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to tune into your body. Your first and most reliable guide to balance, harmony, and happiness is your body. When choosing a certain behavior, ask your body, “How do you feel about this?” If your body sends a signal of physical or emotional distress, watch out. If your body sends a signal of comfort and eagerness, proceed.
What can you do to start listening to your body? The most basic elements are as follows:
- Feel what you feel. Don’t talk yourself into denial.
- Accept what you feel. Don’t judge what’s actually there.
- Be open to your body. It’s always speaking. Be willing to listen.
- Trust your body. Every cell is on your side, which means you have hundreds of billions of allies.
- Value spontaneity. Emotions change, cells change, the brain changes. Don’t be the policeman who stops the river of change by blocking it with frozen, fixed beliefs.
- Enjoy what your body wants to do. Bodies like to rest, but they also like to be active. Bodies like different kinds of food that are eaten with enjoyment. Bodies like pleasure in general.
One of the most basic ways to be aware is by grounding yourself in the body. There is no mystery to it. Simply feel your body whenever you’ve been distracted. Let’s say you’re driving a car, and somebody cuts you off. Your normal reaction is to be agitated or angry; you jump out of the calm, relaxed focus that connects you to the mind-body field. Instead of being overshadowed by this disruption, just go within and feel the sensations of your body. Take a deep breath, since that is an easy way to come back to body awareness.
Keep your attention on these sensations until they disappear. What you’ve done is cut off the stimulus response with a gap. A gap is an interval of non-reaction. It stops the reaction from fueling itself. It reminds the body of its natural state of harmonious, coordinated self-regulation.
– via chopra.com
If you want some quick, simple ways to start re-establishing a strong and peaceful mind/body connection, you’ll find some great ideas below. When it comes to reconnecting with your body and your spirit, it doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to be honest. Approach yourself with grace and understanding, and you’ll be well on your way to more connection, more peace, and a healthier mind.
Advice To Balance Your Mind And Body
Read and learn often.
Your education shouldn’t stop once you’re out of school. Open your mind to new possibilities, beliefs, and interests by reading, taking online classes, watching documentaries, and attending workshops.
Meditate regularly.
Meditation improves memory, attention, mood, immune system function, sleep, and creativity. All it takes is a few minutes a day to start reaping the benefits.
Practice yoga.
Yoga is amazing for your overall health. It helps you build strength, coordination, and flexibility while calming your mind. It also encompasses the mind-body-soul connection.
Avoid sitting for extended periods of time.
Try to stand or move around while you work, if possible. Too much sitting is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and a shortened lifespan.
Spend time outside.
Now is the perfect time of year for hiking, boating, picnics, outdoor sports, foraging for wild foods, camping, and much more!
Add more plant-based foods to your diet.
Eating lots of vegetables and fruit can help prevent chronic disease. Shop your local farmer’s market for fresh, in-season produce.
Fuel your passions.
Set aside some time each day to do what makes your soul happy. Many of us work so much that we forget how great it feels to paint, dance, make music, write, garden, or swim.
Slow down.
A little rest and relaxation when you’re used to spending lots of time on the go can replenish your mind and body.
Cut major sources of stress out of your life.
This includes unnecessary spending, clutter, a job you hate, or unhealthy relationships.
Opt for natural remedies whenever you can.
With the guidance of a holistic health practitioner, herbs, the right foods, and essential oils can be very healing and have fewer dangerous side effects than most pharmaceuticals.
– via DoYouYoga.com
How do you nurture your own mind/body connection?