Emotions aren’t a one-way street! How your brain listens to your body and how you can change how you feel…
We think our brain tells our body what to do, perhaps because our brain is on overdrive chattering away, worrying, planning and overthinking every possible scenario.
The truth is, your body sends more messages to your brain than the other way around.
Your body picks up on your environment and what’s going on around you (and within you) passing the message on to your brain to respond to your experience. Your brain is always listening to your body, assessing heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension and all of the other bodily functions going on that we don’t have to consciously think about. Therefore, feeling safe, grounded and connected to your body comes down to how you are feeling in your body, right now.
Your brain also controls thought, memory and emotion, and emotions aren’t a one-way street! Emotions are on a feedback loop which is why you can experience distress and tension in your body based on your thoughts or memories alone...
Remember, your body picks up on your environment and that is both external and internal!
The good news is, we can send messages to our brain from our body to change our stress levels, mood and thoughts…
Through stretching, breathing, relaxation and movement yoga helps to relieve emotions and release the associated tension in our body. Movement and mindfulness become medicine!
Here are three proven (and simple) techniques to rebalance and reconnect to your body when you feel disconnected, unsettled or overwhelmed…
Swaying / Shaking
Swaying simulates the soothing rocking motion of a caregiver and is very calming. Shaking stimulates, invigorates and “cleans” every cell in the body. Both are good ways of releasing tension and letting go of the need to be “doing”.
Moving slowly with the breath
Moving slowly through space with guided awareness of movement, and the support and stability of your foundations, allows your body to slow down and create new pathways between the body and mind.
Challenge & Calm
Placing your body under good stress – eustress - such as in challenging poses focused on strength and balance followed by periods of rest builds your resilience and trains your body to recover from crisis quicker.
This is the foundation of what we do in The Big Love Yoga Community, building strength, resilience, awareness, confidence, and self-compassion!
In my new workshop, Movement is Medicine, I explore this theme further and share with you how movement and somatic practices help release tension, regulate your nervous system and enhance your capacity to move through stress with more ease!
If you’d like to learn more and book your space you can do that here, my friend.
Have a beautiful day!
Big love,
Becki
