It sounds silly but having a good mind body connection can keep you from falling. You walk around aware of your body. If you trip, you can feel it and stop yourself from falling. A good mind body connection can also help you sense if something is wrong with your body. It could save your life by catching an early treatment for something serious.

Most people go through life separating their mind from their body.  They do not think about their movement.   Teaching fitness you see this often with beginners to exercise.  You tell them how to do something and they don’t understand what their bodies are doing.  As an instructor you can only correct them so many times.  They really have to just keep coming and practicing. It takes time for you to tell your body how to move.  It seems intuitive, but it is not often that way.

I myself, for example, did not really know how bad my mind body connection was until I saw a personal trainer and had someone correct my alignment.  You think you are doing a right squat, but until someone tells you how to set it up, and where you should be feeling it, it is hard to know.

How do you build a Mind Body Connection?
Exercise, I think one of the best ways to build a mind body connection.  Yoga, Essentrics, Barre, Pilates, Tai Chi are all great ways to build a mind and body connection.

When I instruct, I try to use imagery.  My cues are often outside the body.  I like to cue where you should be feeling, where you should be looking, how you should align your body.  When you reach, feel where you are reaching from and to, think about what muscle you are working.   These are great ways to bring your mind to where your body should be feeling.

In my Youtube video this week I demonstrate this technique of where you should be feeling as you move through various yoga poses.   The next time you exercise don’t just move, but think about what you should be feeling in your body when you move.  Put your mind to your body, this is  what a mind body connection is.