The Mind Body Connection
Stop, Breathe & Think | 8:38
Science has confirmed that mental states can positively or negatively affect biological functioning - and that signals from the body can, in turn, influence the brain and determine our mental states. This occurs because the nervous, endocrine and immune systems all share a common chemical language, communicated through hormones and neurotransmitters.
There are direct neurological pathways that connect the regions of the brain that govern emotion - with the spinal cord, cardiovascular system and digestive tract. This is why major life events, stressors, or simple emotions can trigger physical symptoms - butterflies in the stomach when we feel nervous, or pounding hearts when we’re under intense stress.
Bottomline, an important outcome of mindfulness is not just to reduce physical symptoms through mental activity - but to put us in touch with the feelings and sensations in the body that may be non-consciously impacting our mindsets, moods and behaviors.