Mind and Body are One

Guest Blogger... 

I just got back from vacation and this entry is from Brad Bolding who is the Director of our Plexus Center within the Nemours building. Enjoy Brad’s observations!

It is interesting to think about how much life is what we perceive of it.  Individuals who voice that they are very busy may indeed feel the weight of the world on their shoulders due to the effects of living in poor health.  An unhealthy individual may awake each morning feeling sluggish and unrejuvenated, giving the mind the perception of a day that seems like walking up a large steep hill.  For example, when walking up a flight of stairs seems like a nuisance, I could only imagine what the anticipation of 3 meetings and 15 emails thereafter must feel like.  Again, the mind and body are perceiving things as larger than they may be.  Coincidentally, an individual who takes the time to be fit will begin to feel less busy, as energy levels and perceptions change for that day’s tasks.  In the end, it is ironic that people who are too busy for exercise may have more time than they think to exercise, due to the unhealthy body feeding the mind a perception of limited time due to lack of energy and physiological well-being.

Also:

I was speaking with a member the other day and had a bit of an epiphany related to individuals who have social anxiety due to poor body image.  They then conversely have poor results in the gym due to avoiding over-exhaustion, as their minds relate the heavy breathing to a panic attack, creating an uncomfortable and nervous condition.  (This can all be backed by understanding that the same areas of the nervous system are triggered during both incidences)  Thus, they are in a cycle of failure that is tied to a negative relationship with the physical effects during exercise, which are directly related to their lack of exercise.  The irony is that exercise is one of the only things in this world that has zero negative side effects.

Tightness is secondary to weakness

Over the past eight years I have studied Hatha Yoga. Most people think yoga is just stretching, but there is so much more to yoga. When one first starts practicing Hatha Yoga, especially Empowered Yoga, one can't help but notice the deeper understanding that comes with practice. What we are teaching relates more to physical and mental strength and conditioning. In this blog I will begin to explain the physical perspective.

 

One of the recent trends in the exercise science world is "Tightness is secondary to weakness." This means a tight muscle is a weak muscle.  However, if the muscle is strengthened the proper way it will release its tightness and its functionality will return.  When a muscle is tight it is resting in a shortened state, the same way it would in a sedentary body (not in motion). When you are moving, the tight muscle or muscles do not move through a normal range of motion.  These tight muscles do not function properly, resulting in weakness. I could go into greater detail why tight muscles do not function properly and why the ultimate result is weakness, but it involves understanding muscle physiology. Just take my word on this one.  

 

It is important to stress that there is a proper way to strengthen a tight muscle and return it to its optimum length and function. Aimlessly applying resistance in the form of weight training will not necessary give you what you are looking for. There needs to be a greater understanding of how the human body moves to successful return function and length back to a muscle.  The human body moves on a pulley system, so when one muscle shortens another one lengthens. Every muscle in the human body has an opposing muscle or muscles that create this pulley relationship. 

 

Does a tight muscle affect the opposing muscle or the integrity of the pulley? Newton's Third Law of Physics states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This law applies here. If one side of the pulley is tight it gets locked in a shorten state causing the opposing muscle to get locked in a lengthened state. The pulley system falls into a state of dysfunction. 

 

Let's look at the pulley system from an energetic perspective--view it as a wheel. I say energetic because the pulley system of the human body is more like a loop.  If one muscle represents half the wheel, and the other muscle represents the other half of the wheel, how would an imbalanced wheel spin? It would be slow, use too much energy in creating motion and certainly not spin very gracefully. How would a balanced wheel spin? Quickly and gracefully while using less energy.

 

In the next blog I will focus on how the health of one pulley system affects all pulley systems within the body.

 

Biology of Belief

I recently finished reading The Biology of Belief: Unleashing The Power Of Consciousness, Matter And Miracles by Dr. Bruce H. Lipton. Dr. Lipton, a cell biologist, had an awakening while doing research in the Caribbean in 1985. Until 1985, cell research scientific dogma believed the health of the cell was largely determined by genetics. Through his research, Dr. Lipton discovered that genetics determines as little as 5% of the cell. It was the internal and external energetic nature of the cell (cell membrane) that was largely responsible for the overall health of the cell.

Dr. Lipton, realizing that an average human being has 50 trillion cells, concluded that from a physics perspective, the human being is not matter but energy. During this time, Dr. Lipton was leading a depressed and sub-par life. It was through his scientific understanding that he recognized the power of thoughts and their influence on the overall health of the 50 trillion cells within the human being.

Dr. Lipton went on to change his own thoughts, which changed his life. I really enjoyed this scientific perspective on the power of the mind and the influence thinking has on our lives. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in a more scientific understanding of the power you can harness through thinking the right way.