I am a firm believer in the mind-body connection. I believe that my body holds my emotional stress. I believe that my mind can dictate feelings in my body. I believe in all of this because I have seen, first-hand, how the mind-body connection works.

I, like many, hold emotional tension/stress in my upper body (jaw, eyes, neck, shoulders). It’s so predictable when I am going to have upper body tension or a headache. If I am stressed out and/or emotionally distressed, I will inevitably feel it in my body. I can spend my time talking through my thoughts and feelings in order to try to reframe my mental chatter. Trust me, I think that’s a great method of healing! AND changing my thoughts and feelings doesn’t happen overnight.

Changing our body sensations can happen over just minutes! So what if I told you that you can relieve body tension AND mind tension in just minutes! This is what yoga does for me. AND you don’t have to be a yogi to use these coping skills. How about we change the term “yoga” to “movement”? We all move in some form every day. Let’s use movement as a coping skill for our minds and our bodies.

One of my favorite “movement” poses is called, “Rag Doll” (AKA “Dangling Pose”). It relieves tension in the shoulders, neck and hamstrings. It looks just like it sounds. It invites you to stand with your feet hip distance apart, gently bend your knees (so they are not locked), bend at your waist and let your body dangle and hang like a rag doll.

There are endless poses and movements that you might find healing. It’s all about trying certain movements out and seeing how it feels in your mind and body. Different things work for different people. Love yourself enough to find out what works for you.

Check-out the Emotional Wellness Tab and Self-Affirmations Tab for more on the Mind-Body Connection.