The Mind and Body Connection

One of the things that surprised me most when I started my mindfulness practice was just how much time was spent on becoming aware of what was going on in my body during the practice. For many of us, we really only become aware of our bodies during our day, when we need them to do something, or when the signals are so loud that we have no choice but to listen. As we explore mindfulness we begin to become familiar with how this connection is unique to us and how our thoughts can impact our bodies and our physical experience can impact how we think and feel.

For instance, as I sit here writing this, my first blog, I am really aware of a heightened heart rate, a sense of nervousness and shallow breathing, meanwhile my brain is loudly announcing - no one will be interested in this, is this teaching really a good idea, and finally why are you doing this to yourself ?. It is unlikely that I will be able to resolve these questions or thoughts, but perhaps I can bring my awareness and compassion to those sensations which feel very like fear response, and using techniques such as anchoring and the breath, I can reduce the intensity of them and be brave enough to post and not leave this in the draft folder for ever.

Mindfulness practice invites us to become familiar with our own experience, provides the space to be able to listen to and hear what our bodies are telling us, and gives us an opportunity to work with these experiences with compassion and without judgement.

Understanding the mind body connection can help reduce stress, allow us to respond rather than react and to become familiar with our internal signs and signals which sometimes can be hard to hear in our busy lives.

If you would like to learn more feel free to join one of my classes, or alternatively check out some mindfulness body scan practices on line I can recommend the Oxford Mindfulness Centre , and I will put up some recorded guided practices on the web site shortly as well.

May you well, may you be happy, may you live with ease.

Thanks for reading

Jen