To continue to make the mind and body connection it is important to be notice what has already been discovered.

First, we have noticed that while physical and emotional pain have similarities they also have important differences. Most important to these differences is that physical pain indicators are intended to give you a direct point of reference to the problem or injury but emotional pain indicators and behaviors are often designed to distract or hide the actual injury.

Second, we have noticed that body awareness and emotional consciousness also have different components. While physical awareness can be fairly straight forward in understanding how our body is reacting in the moment, emotional consciousness must be able understanding a longer history of experience and interaction.

With these issues noted we can begin to make the final connection between emotional and physical sensations and pain. You have already made one connection between emotions and physical sensations – stress and body tension. Now take it a step further with the following exercise.

This exercise is very similar to the one you already practiced to create physical and emotional awareness but this time you are connecting the two.

Mind/Body Exercise: Sit comfortably and allow yourself to reach a place of calm. Focus on an emotional issue that is currently relevant and present for you. Without trying to understand or solve this emotional issue just begin to feel the emotion. As you begin to have the emotional experience notice what sensations in your body come up. Notice any pains, tingling sensations, hot or cold spots, or anything else that feels different than usual or suddenly calls for your attention. When you identify one or more spots of physical sensation focus your attention on those areas. Using your breath as a tool, imagine that you are sending oxygen and energy into those locations. Take several deep, long, slow breathes – at least 3-5 but as many as you need. Notice what happens to that physical sensation as you do this. Does it dissipate, intensify, shift or move around? Now notice what is happening with the emotional issue you focused on. Does it feel lighter, less important, easier to manage, transformed to a deeper level, or become something new?

When you are done gently allow yourself to relax and breath normally. Take some time to relax and come back to full presence.

You may repeat this exercise by focusing first on the physical sensations and seeing what emotions arise as you breathe into them. Doing the exercise by first focusing on the physical sensation can be very helpful in identifying and reducing stress and tension present in your body. Using the physical focus first can also be helpful in uncovering and identifying some more latent and hidden emotions and interactions. It can also be a helpful meditation tool for unlocking and increasing deeper awareness and calm.

Now that you have begun to make this mind and body connection ask yourself these few simple questions: Are there any emotions I’ve been hiding from or suppressing? What correlation can I make between my physical and emotional health? How might I be able to use this awareness to change or address some areas of my life I would like to change?

The whole point of engaging this mind and body connection and building a correlation between emotional and physical sensation and pain is to provide another tool for supporting and enhancing your life. Certainly you’ve had the experience of feeling “choked up” when you’re upset or nervous? This is just one more example of the emotional and physical connection. What other experiences have you had where you can connect the emotional and physical sensations?

More importantly, this ability to connect your body and mind will allow you to uncover deeper levels of emotions, understand the true nature of your experiences of anger, hurt, love, happiness and more. In addition, when you are experiencing deep levels of either physical or emotional pain you can begin to notice the experience sooner by having the connection and understanding of your body and mind.

By expanding your understanding of this connection you will begin to see a more integrated view of your experiences. You’ll be able to deal with pain better and you’ll be able to have an additional resource in moving through difficult experiences. Ultimately this improved clarity will assist you in better understanding yourself and those around you and allow you to lead a healthier life.

The more you expand your abilities in this regard the more able you will be to deal with the ups and down in life and the less likely you will be to have overwhelming and debilitating physical or emotional experiences. In short – you’ll be happier!

By: Angel True – Synergy Coach
True Living Synergy Coaching
Angel works with individuals & businesses to empower their passions, move into action, and transform dreams into reality.  In building Synergy in Life, Business & Spirit Angel’s simply philosophy is Do What You Love, Love What You Do!