Breaking News: The Mind Cannot Operate Without the Body

I was driving to the store to pick up some chicken for Odessa and I noticed that my mind was thinking about a conversation I had had earlier in the day…

From that conversation my cutie patootie mind bopped on over to thinking about the song playing and how I really love this composer and how did he choose the name of his album - Lionheart? I noticed that I wondered about the sometimes said phrase: They have the heart of a Lion; and I wondered what kind of heart I had… “I think I’d like to have the heart of a Cape Buffalo” I saw my mind say to itself. Oh, Cape Buffalo! I wonder if I write about Cape Buffalos in this month’s RAD what would I write about them?

And as that last though moved through my mind, I remembered that I forgot that there was a Body breathing... For a bit there, I was a mechanical robot set to “Drive to store”, as if I pressed “Go!” and my muscles and body took me to the store while I was off playing around by myself in my thoughts.

And in that moment of remembering while forgetting, I wondered how much tension was in this body… So, I scanned these muscles, and you know what I noticed?

Holy Cannoli Guacamole - My hip and thigh muscles were so tense that I could’ve been at the starting line for the Official Marathon of the 2024 Olympic games in Paris. For real… while I was off having a disconnected conversation, my body was like: “Hey, where is she? Is something going wrong? Does she need us to be ready? I guess we should all get ready just in case we need to run.”

Erp… Oh Body, I apologize. I forgot to notice you while I was off thinking. So, I’m back, ok?

And I asked myself: How much tension is needed to sit at this stoplight in this car? And my hips and thighs were like: “Are you sure? We can stay ready just in case!” And so, I introduced my Body to the seat I was sitting in and asked myself to notice if I could allow the car to hold up my weight even more. And then my muscles slowly began to let go of the tension they were holding while I was off thinking.

Whew. I could then breathe more fully! and I felt my whole-body rest in the seat. It was such a relief to be held up and supported in such a literal way.

The Body without the Mind is stressed and tense.

The Mind without the Body is lost to the past and future.

They need each other to function healthfully.

They just do.

It’s a medically backed, science proven, evidence-based fact-a-roo.

We are not made to move through this world in Isolation within ourselves. Yet, how often does the mind wander off and I press “Go!” for the Body? Super often.

There is an Ancient Proverb that says:

“An alienated friend hunts for something to wrangle over and flies into a rage at any sane word.”

In other words: Whenever I separate or isolate myself, I am unable to see clearly and will definitely hurt myself and others - emotionally, mentally, physically or spiritually.

When my mind is lost to the past or future, my body has no idea what amount of tension is needed for any given activity. And this is where I may injure myself or others.

When my body is moving mechanically through the world, my mind has no anchor to the present moment and will not be able to sort fact from fiction. And this is where I may injure myself or others.

Now, in the holistic world there are many conversations, lectures, memes, reels, GIFs and t-shirts on the Mind-Body and Body-Mind connections.

However, there isn’t much conversation on HOW to develop a relationship to the part of me that has the ability to notice when I am lost to a thought and mechanically moving through the world…. and then invite the Mind to notice the Body and the Body to notice the Mind.

The first step is Becoming Interested in What it means to Be Human. To stop taking personally my own emotions and thoughts and sensations. And start learning that this Being Human thing is an Interactive gift that lasts as long as we have an interest…

There are many people moving through the world that are content to let these two separately experience life. And that is ok because everyone has a right to navigate life as they see fit. Not one of us fellow humans are given the right to judge each other’s method of keeping integrity.

But for me? I wish to continue to align my Actions with my Values and keep growing as the best Imperfect Human I am able to be. I care deeply about nurturing this interest in introducing the Mind and Body. Every time I introduce them, I see Myself working in Harmony with the gift of Being Human for one more Moment.

This is invaluable.

Here are some Practical things that show up in life while you’re nurturing this connection:

There are less moments of regret from speaking without thinking

There is less fear of sensations that show up in the body

Muscles are not in spasm from over or underworking for any given activity

Anxiety quiets down

There is more of an ability to have tough conversations go smoothly

There are a lot less lost keys

There is confidence in knowing the difference between Yes and No

Knowing how to help friends and family without feeling drained or taken advantage of becomes clearer and clearer

(And about a kajillion more benefits that you’ll see and experience - I mean, you could write me and share what you notice if you want, that would be such an Interchange!)

So, the next time you notice the mind wandering around in the past or future… the next time you notice a muscle is super tight…

Why not see if you can introduce those two cutie patootie neighbors? They may be unfamiliar with each other at first… They may not even think they like each other. Give yourself time and lots of support here dear one. This is a new skill that you have the possibility to learn to use on into forever.

With a great big hug from:

All of Me to All of You

(Insert John Legend comment here)

Your Coach,

Alecia

Practical Application:

This month, the next time you are driving or traveling somewhere (bus/train/bike/etc), let’s experiment with seeing how much tension is needed for the activity you are in.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Am I able to experience the body’s weight being held up by the seat or the floor?

2. Do I notice Judgement show up around sensations or shape of the body?

3. How much tension is actually needed for what I’m doing Right Now?

    

So What happens when you notice the brain beating up on the body?

Perhaps ask the mind this series of questions:

1. Is it true that I am sitting on this chair? Standing on this Floor?

2. Is it true that the physical bodies weight is being held up by the floor/chair/ground/earth?

3. Ok Mind, if those 2 things are true, could you let the chair/floor/ground/earth hold the weight of the body up even more?

Pro Tip:

Be patient.

Give the Mind a little time to experiment with experiencing support in a whole new way… You may notice that the Mind thinks this is dumb and a complete waste of time. That’s ok, be gentle and keep experimenting.

These 2 probably have been told lots of untruths about each other and they need time to get to know how awesome they are when they work as a team.

Dear One: I hope you watch/listen to the video below.

It is important.

“If we want to change some aspect of our reality, we have to think, feel and act in new ways; we have to “be” different in terms of our responses to experiences. We have to “become” someone else. We have to create a new state of mind … we need to observe a new outcome with that new mind.”

― Dr. Joe Dispenza

SERIES: I am Not a Scientist - But I’m Learning Science Things

Visiting An Island In My Brain

We are taking a trip to a Vital Island in the brain today Dear Ones! And on this trip, we need to set aside some time for a big Wowee Zowee moment, as we expand our understanding of the phenomenal gift in: The Maintenance of Being Human.

So this Island is in all of our brains and has been overlooked in the past because it is hidden from external view! It is located underneath the cerebral cortex all tucked in and cozy like behind the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes (so naturally it is in both hemispheres of our brain).

In 1809 Johann Christian Reil discovered this mighty tucked away gem, and so it is sometimes called: The Island of Reil (side note "Insula” mean Island in Latin). Flash forward to 2022 a mere 213 years later, and I imagine Johann would be amazed to see what science has discovered about the importance of this Island in the Brain.

The functions in this part of our brain “include sensory processing, emotional expression, and regulation, as well as some motor functions in the body.” -Insula Brain (Location + Function) - Practical Psychology (practicalpie.com)

And so it connects to our sense of understanding what is happening inside of our bodies! This is called: Interoception.

So many things in this world (ie: genetics & traumatic events) can disrupt our ability to truly be able to have a strong sense of Interoception. Our little Island may not be able to send the messages out and receive them back in, in a way that accurately tells me what’s going on inside of me.

What does that mean? Well, I may experience a Hyposensitive (not really aware) or a Hypersensitive (overly aware) response to the sensations occurring within this amazing body in any given moment.

Ok so…

What does that mean?

Well, an example may be:

Hyposensitive - I do not notice that I need to pee until it’s a 5-alarm fire!!!

Hypersensitive - I feel like I have to possibly pee maybe every 5 minutes…

(Now, this being a Baby Science Series, remember to talk with your medical team if you find yourself on either side of that particular physical experience.)

But for the sake of our discussion here and the Wowee Zowee moment of growth?

What if we see how amazing our brain and body is? What if we begin to learn HOW to Listen to that Interoception Information coming from the Insula Island?

Let’s keep being curious Imperfect Humans - Together.

PS: Are you wondering about Exteroception now? I thought so… That will be for next month!

In Science and Safety, Laughter and Connection,

Alecia

* LEARNING BONUS *

Click the links below to watch and learn about Interoception and the Insula:

MONTHLY FEATURE

GRATITUDE HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH:

Thank you…

Odessa

Well, this may sound like a funny gratitude to express, because many of you know who Odessa is… She is my pup. So, she may not listen to this like all the other ones I’ve thanked in the past.

However, I wanted to say thank you to her this month because she has taught me so much. She has been a direct gift from God to me. To teach me how to speak up with Firmness & Gentleness. To teach me that boundaries are not an embarrassing inconvenience, no, boundaries are a phenomenal gift to express with No Judgement in a true act of interacting in this world.

Thank you, Odessa, for showing me that I have a voice, and that, when I Dysregulate, I truly know how to Self-Regulate and speak to what is needed in This Moment.

PS: And Thank you to so so many of my friends and family that support me to have Odessa in my life.

Alecia