With my mental health training, I was trained to look for congruency in the client’s body language and what they are verbally expressing. Reason being, observing the client’s posture helps provide me with additional information that I can use to assist in identifying the incongruent thinking they might have. Moreover, when an individual is seeking therapy or assistance through their hard times, they are not always very comfortable at first. Opening up to someone they don’t really know can be very intimidating. In the end, congruency in their body language, posture with what they are expressing verbally helps me connect and build rapport. What you need to know is, that you too can use this to help you foster a better mind and body connection.

 

When individuals are unbalanced due to living in fear, depression or overburdened with life’s responsibilities. The mind highjacks their breath and body. They begin to start thinking negatively. Those negative emotions are reflected in the way you carry yourself and the way you breathe. We should normally be breathing with a balanced inhale and exhale. However, most of us this day in age struggle with having a balanced breath. Have you ever noticed when you are tired or over stressed your exhalation intensifies? The sense of having to release all the fears, sadness or stress of the day is released through your exhalation. This results in your body collapsing forward. Collapsing forward is easier for your body to release the breath. Too much fear, sadness or sense of overwhelming responsibilities your body begins to take shape of those emotions. This means not standing straight and more of a slouched look which in the long term can lead to reduced lung capacity and other physical ailments In esoteric terms, your heart chakra is closed.

 

On the opposite spectrum. When your inhale is predominant, you tend to be more tense or struggle with seizing control over things. Individuals that struggle with those issues mentioned tend to hold their breath. The predominant inhale and breath holds lead to rigidness in the muscles. This rigidness restricts blood flow to the muscles. Resulting in neck pain and other bodily pains.

 

The trick is to start being mindful of how your thoughts are affecting your breath and how your breath is affecting your posture. Seeing the way your body is expressing itself is a way to let you know that you need to attend to what is going on in your mind. Looking deeper, what you have not truly accepted or gotten over even though you verbally say you have. So, when you see your body is not expressing itself the way to like, take a step back and center to yourself and ask “what is my body trying to tell me?”

Beginning to foster the relationship between your mind and your body is one of the greatest relationships you will have. This relationship is the beginning to living a healthy and balanced life.