The Amazing Effects of the Mind-Body Connection

The mind body connection has been integrated into medical systems for centuries. Eastern traditions like Chinese medicine and Ayurveda in India have based their science on treating the body and mind as a whole. In other words, what we think and feel can affect our biological functioning just as what we do with our physical bodies (what we eat, how we exercise, how we sleep) can affect how we behave and act. It wasn’t until 300 years ago when Western medicine began to separate the two that this ancient wisdom was undermined.

Western medicine took the viewpoint that the body was more of a machine with little connection to the mind. This led to many great advances in surgery, pharmaceuticals, etc. What we lost though, was the cultivation of the idea that our bodies have an innate ability to heal themselves. We stopped giving credence to the fact that our mental states can have a powerful affect on our bodies and can be used as a tool to encourage healing.

Thankfully, we are seeing a resurgence in the mind body connection and more and more research is showing how valuable mind-body therapies can be.

I remember the first time I fully realized how my mind affects my body. It was back in college and I was late for a doctor’s appointment. I was driving from class in Boston to the suburbs for the appointment and traffic was terrible. I was anxious and frantic as I fought my way through the traffic finally arriving at the office fifteen minutes late. When they took my blood pressure, it was much higher than my usual readings.

I was shocked. The doctor asked me if I was stressed about being late. Yes, of course I was.

As I write this today, it’s a little embarrassing that I was so oblivious. But at the time, I never connected that my stress level affected my blood pressure and heart rate. While I took this new information in, I clearly remember thinking, “But I have no control over feeling stressed when I’m running late.” I literally thought that I was a slave to how my mind reacted to any given situation.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Today, I am a daily meditator and a student of mindfulness training. I now realize just how naive I was in my thinking back then. I also realize how helpful it would have been to have had some exposure to mindfulness and meditation earlier in life.

Mindfulness opened a door that I didn’t know existed. I had no idea that I could slow down my thinking so much that I could actually observe my thoughts as they happen. And on a really good day, I can not only observe them, but I can choose to let them go and not control me. Now this is a revolution worth exploring.

That’s why this practice is so exciting to me. It’s not about mustering up all the willpower you can to stave off unwanted behaviors or habits. And it’s not about rolling over to every impulse and succumbing to the devil on your shoulder. In simple terms, it is about watching your mind in the present moment without judgement.

You begin to learn that thoughts are simply thoughts. You can watch them pass by without having to react to them or get caught up in them. Our thoughts are fleeting and as fast as one comes, another one will be by to replace it. We can’t stop them or control them, so we shouldn’t try to fight them or judge them. By accepting these thoughts, we are accepting ourselves and giving ourselves unconditional love.

This is where the magic begins to happen.

Mindfulness begins to slow the monkey mind to a pace where we can keep up. It brings an awareness to our thoughts, impulses, cravings, and anxieties and shines a light on them so we can see them for what they are. Mindfulness provides us the opportunity to really understand who we are and why we do the things we do. With that knowledge we can guide ourselves down the path to true fulfillment.

Mindfulness keeps us grounded in the present moment. Much of our anxiety comes from regretting the past or fretting for the future. This robs us of what we are experiencing now, in this moment. We can’t change the past nor can we predict the future. So learning to appreciate what is right in front of us can have a dramatic effect on our happiness and health.

The Practice

The beautiful part of mindfulness is that it can be practiced anywhere and anytime. There are no shortage of opportunities to practice it. Next time you are standing in line at the grocery store and you have the impulse to check your phone, pause for a moment to watch your thoughts.

Be curious where the impulse came from.

What does it feel like in your body? Does it make you anxious to stand in line without multi tasking or having some sort of digital stimulation? What happens if you don’t act on that urge? Does it go away? Does it increase? Does another thought pop up to replace it?

This tiny exercise can be applied to any activity you do throughout the day. Learn to develop a non judgmental curiosity about everything you do.

For a more formal practice, try a 5–10 minute body scan. Sit or lie down and systematically go through each body part from head to toe trying to focus on any sensations you feel in that particular part.

This practice is a great way to develop that mind body connection that can be so valuable to our health. By tuning in to how our specific parts feel, we can learn to recognize signs when things might not be quite right. We can also learn to recognize when emotions might be causing us to feel stressed. If you know your chest gets tight when you are angry, you might decide not to have that conversation with your spouse until you have calmed down. Alternatively, you might be more aware of pains or twinges in your muscles and back off before an injury occurs.

Practice Makes Perfect

Even though I know all the benefits of mindfulness, I still struggle with keeping on track. I still have days where the overwhelm of to do lists seems unbearable or the relentless traffic of Los Angeles gets the best of me. It’s on these days where I remind myself of that frazzled twenty one year old late for the doctor, oblivious of her ability to control her mind and her stress levels. I do this to remember how far I’ve come and to note the progress I’ve made.

The practice gives what I put into it. The more I practice the more I see the benefits. Cultivating the mind and body connection keeps me aware and grounded so I never have to be the naive, frazzled college student held at the mercy of her stressed and anxious mind.

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