Evidence shows that there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the mind impacts the body. Check out these four body sensations:
- butterflies
- sweaty palms
- dry mouth
- blushing
These physiological body sensations seemingly occur without our say-so. Now think of someone you love or feel affection toward. As you do this, you’ll produce love chemistry in your brain – dopamine and serotonin – the brain’s natural version of heroin, and all with only a thought; your focus on love.
Placebos
Consider the placebo effect that occurs when people taking a so-called “dummy pill” actually begin to experience the effects of the real pill. The people in medical trials who improved on placebos, didn’t heal from the dummy pill but from the belief or focus on their healing.
Now let’s take your body chemistry a little farther and use your mind to change your brain. If I asked you to focus on your big toe for instance and all you do is put your attention on your big toe, we could measure electrical and chemical changes in the brain area that correspond to your big toe.
It’s all made possible because the brain doesn’t really distinguish between whether you’re doing something or whether you’re just imagining it. So how else could your mental focus influence your body?
Focus
Motivational change guru Tony Robins says that “whatever you focus on you’re going to find it.” So try this now: Focus on the colour green and take the next 30 seconds to notice everything green in the room that you are in … go on, really do this.
How much red did you see? Probably not very much, because you were focussed on blue. Now focus on the following five examples. Only focus your mind and do not actually move your body. Take 20-30 seconds each:
- Imagine that your body is long and tall
- Imagine your chest is broad, open and full
- Imagine yourself smiling and the things you are smiling about
- Imagine your body is loose and flexible
- Imagine your body is strong and the things you are able to do
If you really do this, you should notice that you feel rather positive about yourself and your body image. Now go ahead and focus again on each step, but this time move your body. Try them individually first and then do all five at once. Take a couple of minutes to do this.
Power Posing
If you spend just two minutes a day (recall Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk on power posing) focusing on your body in this way, you would begin to see changes in your posture. This would certainly affect the way you feel about yourself and very likely change how others see you. Having posture presence will get you noticed and that feels good!
Improving your posture isn’t just a physical experience. With just two minutes of focussed practice daily, you can develop your posture presence and you know what? Others will notice.
