Inseparable
The brain and the body are connected… did you know that? I’m not only talking about the physical connection, which obviously is important, but rather looking at the Brain and Body connection.
Over the years, one of the things that has helped me to better understand the connection between the brain and the body is exercise. I have found that by SLOWING down my exercise movements, and doing lighter weights, I feel the connection more. The question that I have asked myself over the years is, “am I feeling this in the muscle group/area that I SHOULD be feeling it?”. Small tweaks and adjustments then are made to ensure that I am feeling the contraction and strain where I am building or working to build/grow.
With my understanding growing deeper in the mind/muscle connection that I have developed more and more over the past few years, I have begun to understand how this correlates to the bigger picture, that brain and body connection. For me, the intentional development of muscle is no different than the intentional development of your brain and the emotional and (inner)physical connection. One of the ways I have done this recently is by combining my breathwork and recovery, specifically with an acupressure/acupuncture mat. This mat is made of small plastic “needles” that you lay down on, with the purpose of stimulating blood flow and movement of your energy (chi/qi). It’s not by any means comfortable. It’s slightly uncomfortable, especially if you have a sore area of the back. Even though it can be painful, I know it’s good for me (brain knows it’s good). I also know that breathwork and meditation help my brain to slow down and get more oxygen for better recovery and well-being. My body recovers better when I use both of these tools. So what I have done is combine the two, and it’s been wonderful in developing this connection.
As I lay down, I put on my headphones and queue up one of my 10-minute breathwork sessions. As a side note, when I first started using this mat, one minute seemed like a very long time. Okay, back to it. I lay down and begin my breathing, and as I do I’m able to feel my brain slowing down, and recognizing the pain in my body. I then can feel and sense the transition (usually about 1 minute into the session) when my body no longer is in pain because my brain has taken over in sending the right message to my body, the message that this is for the benefit of my brain and body, to aid in my recovery. The ten minutes seems to come fairly quickly now. It’s been wonderfully empowering to see the growth in this connection between the brain and body in a new way.
SO, what are you going to do to help develop that connection between the brain and your body? After all, you can’t separate the two.