Mind Magic
Take a class in magic this term…
In exploring the Body-Mind link on our workshop last month, Imogen and I used some exercises to show how the thoughts we have, create different bodily responses, regardless of the truth of the thought.
We simply asked the particpants of the workshop to think a phrase and say it three times to themselves:
I’ve got to do it now and I’ve got to do it right.
Try this out for yourself now, say the words to yourself. The purpose of the exercise was to show the impact of a thought on the body. What do you notice?
I can’t do it, I give up.
Try this sentence and notice the impact inside. What’s so interesting is that our partipants reacted even to a thought that we had ‘planted’. The thought wasn’t true! The body felt very different – do try this because it shows how magic our thoughts are. Most people reported heaviness and sinking, not simply a change of thought but a change of body.
I am at ease in my body and I have all the time I need.
We all enjoyed the impact on our body of this thought. Later on we tried out the postures associated with these moods and it was very difficult to ‘meet and greet’ others while holding the first two thoughts. We all had fun juggling imaginary balls and batons while practicing the third experience of ‘open and up’. (Imogen had us juggling rather than telling us to be ‘open and upward’ to avoid us trying to do the exercise!)
Thoughts planted in the mind, cause a physical reaction even if they are not true.
The body doesn’t discriminate between a true thought or a false thought, it doesn’t think, it responds to the thought. If we are late to a meeting and think the thought, “This is a disaster”, our body responds accordingly and produces adrenaline in line with a response needed for surviving disaster. It doesn’t stop to decide whether the mind has got it right, that’s not the body’s job.
This is why it is so crucial to pay attention to our thoughts and our words. Of course we need adrenaline for a near miss, when driving for example, but let’s save our stress for appropriate situations. “I am at ease in my body and I have all the time I need” is a thought that will produce optimal physical response in most situations.
This reminds me of my days at Hogwarts 😉 when we learned to cast spells. First we focussed our intention, then we pointed our wands and said the spell! Advanced magic makers don’t need to say the words out loud, their intention is the magic.
OK, there might be some elements of fantasy about my attendance at Hogwarts, however the principles of magic are the same, and we can all learn this magic. Did you know you can practice magic? Change the thought, change the words and you can transfigure yourself!
Watch for sentences where you tell yourself, ‘I have to’,’ I must’, and whenever possible replace with, ‘I choose this’, ‘I want to’. The evidence is that you will feel differently as a result.
This month at Blue Skies it is Laughter Yoga Month and Laughter is some of the most powerful magic we can use. It:
• Unwinds the negative effects of stress. Studies show that reduction in cortisol are sudden and long lasting.
• Lifts mood by releasing endorphins and thus natural painkillers, increases feelings of caring, improves state of mind, increases optimism, confidence and self worth.
• Aids healing from illness and helps protect us. It strengthens the immune system, it is a powerful cardio-vascular work out and just 10 minutes of hearty laughter is equal to 30 minutes on the rowing machine! It increases blood circulation and relaxes the muscles.
• Has the power to change your mood and outlook and there is a benefit in relationships and social interactions.
• Can increase the productivity of the brain. The increase in oxygen means our brains are at the right level for optimal functioning, we feel energised and can work more creatively.
So please join my September Laughter Yoga Challenge and learn to practice life changing magic with me!
Start by following me on Facebook, Twitter and reading my blogs (do sign up on the blog page of the website) and checking my website. I have a 30 Day Laughter Yoga challenge on Facebook – join the fun.
Laughter Yoga Classes start September 30th.
Expecto Patronum!
Banish those dementors.
The laughter challenge on Facebook sounds like fun I have liked your page Laughter is such a great healer. Yes it the thoughts we think and the words we speak and we also need to include listening to our heart and the whispers from it. 🙂
Suzie
http://suziecheel.com
Thank you Suzie – I absolutely agree. My week will soon start with Laughter Yoga on a Monday morning and as usual I will end my week with my Inner Voice Meditation Group, which is based on what you say above, listening to the inner whispers. Thank you for your support.
Wonderful blog, Miriam. I find the third thought even more effective if it’s worded “I am at ease in my body and I have ALL the time I need.” Try it out and see what you think 😉 That thinking affects the body does indeed seem like magic, but if you accept the principle of mind-body unity then that magic also makes perfect sense!
And I love your laughter yoga challenge and have been participating each day – great fun, and definitely mood-enhancing!
I know that you and others like the sense of things , Imogen, and that’s why these approaches are so interesting, they make sense and they appear to work like magic. I see electricity and iPhones and a tap all as magic, of course they are explicable too!
Wow! You know it really is powerful what we say to ourselves and how we talk to ourselves. I do notice that when I am feeling stressed for example, and I take a moment and stop to repeat a few times, I have plenty of time to finish all that I need to, and every time it works – and when I don’t, that is when I have issues meeting deadlines because I allow the stress to take over. Great post, thank you!
Thank you for commenting. Next month I will be doing a Self Esteem Booster over on Facebook and I hope to emphasise this idea of how we talk to ourselves! Hope you continue to enjoy breathing and pausing and being kind to yourself.
Laughter Yoga sounds so interesting and like good fun. I am on my way over to your FB page to check it out now.
I have been noticing the ways in which my thoughts connect to the health of my physical body fro some time now. It is so interesting to notice how quickly a physical state can alter. The thought that was planted and not a long standing belief has so much power.
I enjoyed that. Thanks 🙂
I loved reading about your Hogwarts days. 🙂 You shouldn’t have told us you were kidding! Laughter yoga sounds divine. Looking you up on FB right now!
I know that when I approach Yoga with the thought “I’m not very good at this” my body is responding quite rapidly to prove me right! I’m going to practice giving myself better thoughts beforehand. Now Laughter Yoga sounds wonderful – just writing that makes me feel jollier! You are so right, of course – we give ourselves messages all day long that create tension, stress, negative anticipation. I’m going to use the one “I am at ease in my body” – I can feel it give me better instructions.
This is such a great post! Yes, our thoughts affect our bodies…”dis-ease” is a true statement! I have liked your Facebook page and will check out the laughter yoga…sounds interesting!
YUM!!! My favorite line: “Advanced magic makers don’t need to say the words out loud, their intention is the magic.” Oh yeah, baby!
Hi Miriam,
Am loving the blogs – keep them coming. I have now found a yoga class and a meditation class and really feeling the connection with you all in Derby! Trying to find and connect with my ‘patrona’ – probably a dolphin I think….
xxx
I love how good laughing makes me feel. That’s one of the things I love about my relationship with Chaz – we laugh. Just last night something a newscaster said wrong triggered us and we were crying with laughter. I quite like the idea of intentionally laughing though 🙂 Also language is POWERFUL. Some thing people say here is I get to do…. That’s another good switch from I have to.