Mind-Body Connection to Relax During the Day
How much do you ignore your mind-body connection? Have you ever tried meditation to heal the body? We ask you this because most of the time during a fast-paced or intense day–sometimes from the moment we wake up until we lay our head on our pillow at night–we are in “doing mode”.
As we make plans, on the one hand, we get going with things we already planned on the other. We start a new task before even finishing the first; we go through the day without taking any breaks; in motion and locked on our target. In times like this, our energy is focused on our heads; in our minds. The more our days are spent in this “doing mode” and the busy mind that comes with it, the more worried we get. Our body releases a stress hormone called cortisol, which carries feelings of fatigue and burnout with it. Sometimes, our body may even ache and we may get ill. Do you see now the mind-body connection?
Doing mode can be expressed in our bodies in several ways: our breath gets short and catchy; we may even hold our breath. We wear a frown; we tighten our jaw. Our shoulders are placed close to our ears, lifted and curved forward. Similarly, our posture leans forward as if ready to take action at any moment. In general, we tighten or contract our entire body. How does your body experience “doing-mode”?
Go From “Doing” to “Being” More Often
When doing mode is no longer to your benefit, can you notice the signs in your body and switch to an alternate mode?
That alternative is “being mode”. If you feel increasingly worried due to spending too long in “doing mode”, you can calm yourself by occasionally switching to “being mode” during the day. Without making an effort to do anything, just stay in the moment and be present. Use the connection between mind and body to your favor. That’s when our face and body muscles relax. Our shoulders drop and roll back. We even lean back. We release our body. How do you experience this mode in your body?
If you were to imagine yourself as a tree, you can think of your mind and thoughts as the leaves of the tree. If you constantly stay in “doing mode” it is as if you are focusing on the leaves; you lose touch with the branches that hold them, with the stem and the roots– in other words your body. The rest of the tree finds it hard to carry its leaves; it grows weak, and after some time, all that remains are the leaves, flying away all by themselves. You can explore these feelings deeply with meditation to heal the body.
When you feel like you need to switch from “doing mode” to “being mode” to help you relax, you can shift your attention from top to bottom; from your mind to your body; from your thoughts to your emotions and feelings. For instance, you can imagine yourself as a tree with a strong trunk; rooting you to the ground. Picture all the loads and worries you carry and accumulate in your mind; imagine moving them from the leaves to the branches, from the branches to the trunk, from the trunk to the roots and finally dropping them to the ground. Imagine sending all of them to the center of the world with the help of gravity. As you are doing this, imagine your whole body relaxing and becoming lighter.
One other method for switching to “being mode” and connecting with your body is to focus on your present moment, place and breath by using your five senses. You can practice this with meditation to heal the body. For instance, take a break from work and touch your seat. What texture does it have? How does it feel as you move your fingers along it? Focus only on this feeling. Move all your energy from your mind to your hands. Take a deep breath and exhale. Doing this even for a few seconds when you are in “doing mode” and feel stressed will help you to relax.