Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Mind and Body Interconnected

Mind and Body Interconnected
By Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD

When you slow down to examine and experience your consciousness, you will discover that there are no hard, rigid or definable edges. Your consciousness is a vast, open space in which your thoughts come and go without making waves, albeit, as long as you let them go by neither attaching to them nor repressing them.

As you notice your thoughts form and let them go, you can breathe deeper and more easily, thus noticing that your body is more open to the breath as it relaxes with your mind. Thus, the space you recognize through meditation creates space in your body, allowing you to feel lightness and a connection to the universe.

Your mind and body are interconnected, and the condition of one affects the condition of the other. This is precisely why meditation is a powerful tool for healing the body, as powerful as physical therapies. When your mind is cluttered with thoughts, information, plans and a plethora of worries, your body responds by taking some kind of action. When your body has clear direction from your mind, it knows what to do, but a cluttered, unfocused mind creates a confused, tense body. Your muscles tighten, your breath quickens and you find yourself feeling constricted without knowing why.

When meditating, you let your body know that it is okay to be still and rest. This is a clear directive from your mind, and the body recognizes exactly how to respond. Thus at the beginning, you have created clarity for your body and mind. As you move deeper into meditation, the state of your mind reveals itself. You then have the opportunity to consciously settle it. Your thoughts settle down peacefully if you provide yourself with enough space, and your body will follow.

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