Welcome to the Success Blog Series! There are three parts to this series, and this is Part Two. You can find Part One here, and Part Three here when it drops on April 21, so make sure to come back for those!
In the first part of this series on success, I invited you to think about what success means to you. I left you with some things to think about, mostly whether your mind and body were connected when it comes to thoughts and feelings. Remember to read it before you continue on here!
This is the second part of the series, where I show you how to build success. Building success requires your mind and body to be connected to support your goals and aspirations.
The Mind-Body Connection
Your body and mind are interconnected, and never more so than when you experience heightened emotions. For example, when something very intense happens, your mind comprehends what’s happening, and your body reacts to it by releasing emotion.
Think when something exciting happens - you get that feeling in your body, and you logically know what’s going on. The same if something sad or upsetting happens - if it’s strong enough then your body and mind will comprehend the moment at the same time.
It’s when the moment is not as intensely emotional that the mind-body connection can be weaker. Humans tend to think with our rational brains - if there’s a problem, you will logically try to resolve it without emotions overruling you. And, even if you do have an emotional reaction to the problem, you still need logic to find the answer.
So when did you learn to disconnect?
As a young child, your mind-body connection tends to be very strong, simply because you know no other response and have not yet been conditioned to repress it. (Not to mention that logical reasoning doesn’t normally come in until the age of 5 or 6, and continues up until your teenage years!)
In this interim period, you learn to combat an emotional response with a logical one. And in the process, you stop noticing the emotion that comes with it.
Sometimes you even actively repress emotions in favour of the logical response! (🫣🙋♀️)
So, by the time you get to adulthood, you have learned to suppress and repress emotional responses, because it's not socially accepted that you cry, rage or scream in public. And many adults take this literally into the rest of their lives, and avoid showing emotions altogether when another person is around.
The problem with this emotional suppression in adults is that it can go way too far. I have met so many adults with such strong societal and logical conditioning that they are actually afraid of showing emotion, even when they are singing an emotional song or telling an engaging story.
The performance or story comes across cold, unfeeling and disconnected, because they are using logic to drive it, rather than emotion. And in trying to reconnect the logical mind to the emotional body, it can trigger all sorts of emotional reactions that might not even be related to the song in the first place!
My teaching and coaching sessions include how to strengthen your mind-body connection. So I'm going to teach you it, too!
Connecting your logical mind with your intuitive body
Putting it simply, you need to spend time with yourself. Not in a distracted way, so no phones, computers, or other things that will take your attention away from yourself.
I invite you to sit down, and simply breathe normally. Read the following questions, then close your eyes and just breathe in and out as you find the answers. After a few minutes, open your eyes again and read on.
Notice the environment you are in.
Can you hear sounds around you?
Is it warm or cold?
What does your body feel like, right at this moment?
What is your mind telling you?
If you’re like me, your mind will keep running even as you start to notice your body. An exercise I like to practise is mentally stepping away from the thoughts, disengaging from them and trying to observe them as they race across the movie screen of my mind. Every time a thought catches me, I try to notice if it’s pulled me along and if it has, I return to the quiet place where I can just observe.
I invite you to try this now. What thoughts are in your head? How does it feel to just watch them pass by? Are you being pulled along with them?
Now I want you to notice your body as you watch those thoughts race past. How does your body feel? Are there any areas of tension, or emotions bubbling away? Are you able to express those emotions or are they stuck?
Allow yourself to express anything that comes up for you, in a way that feels good. You might want to stretch, or shake your hands, or have a little cry. You might want to smile, and let your voice soar as you make noise that feels good - whether it’s singing, shouting, talking, or even humming.
The important part is that you let those things happen. Even if your mind is telling you it’s ridiculous or that you look silly - that’s the disconnection in action! Take a deep breath, let it out and express that emotion anyway - you will feel miles better for it.
Using embodiment to strengthen the mind-body connection
(If you’ve never heard of embodiment - it means using your body as a tool to reconnect with your mind. Usually it means movement like dance or yoga, or other practices like breathwork and walking meditations.)
There are very many practitioners out there who teach embodiment in many different ways, and if you are so inclined, I recommend you try it out! However, you can try intuitive movement for yourself without any other input.
- Put some music on that you like, something you can connect to. It can be fast or slow, have lyrics or not. Either playing through speakers, or through your headphones, stand up and tune into the music.
- Start by swaying slowly from side to side, and as you move, let the rest of your body go with you. You might want to swing your arms from side to side, you might want to nod your head, or bend your knees, or let your body swing forward and backwards. Whatever feels good, just go for it. This is not the place for logical thoughts, we’re all about the intuitive body right now! Let yourself move the way you want to and stay connected to the movement.
- Keep going for as long as you like, and when you feel like you’ve had enough, simply stop the music. How did that feel? What emotions came up for you? What thoughts were in your head as you did that? Did you enjoy it?
- Just keep a note of how you feel and try it again another time. See what’s different and what’s the same, if anything! Remember and let your thoughts pass by - your body is in charge!
Other modalities you can use that might feel supportive are things like yoga, breathwork and walking meditations. I like to sing and dance when I’m working on my own mind-body connection, because the intuitive creativity helps me get more in tune with my body. It also helps me to express my emotions more clearly and remove any blocks that might have built up during periods of intense logic!
Your mind-body connection is integral to success!
Even after all this embodiment, it’s important to remind you that logical actions are necessary when you’re building habits for success. Thoughts and logic (mind) can actually be the driving force behind success. But you also must be able to connect to your emotions and intuition (body) when you are working towards success, otherwise the repression of emotion can literally block your success from happening!
So next time you find yourself stuck in logic, put some music on and just move to it. Let the creativity flow through your intuitive body and you will be surprised at the positive effect it will have on your logical mind! Not to mention if you are a singer, then it will positively affect your emotional performances, too!
Have a go at the two exercises here for a few days, and remember to come back for Part 3, where I’ll be teaching you how to use these tools and more to build success.
As always, let me know if you have any questions or need support on this journey. You can find me by emailing me here or DM me over on Instagram.
