Using the Mind-Body Connection for Health & Wellness

Techniques that work with your mind and your body can be very healing. When thinking about different therapies that are mind-body connected, usually yoga is one of the first that people think of. Yoga is very healing and it melds meditation, with physical activity. Each mind-body modality has numerous health and wellness connections, but here is just a brief list of some therapies and some of the healing properties they carry within them.

Try Yoga For Back Pain

Yoga can help make the body more flexible and it promotes balance. It can not only relieve back pain, but it is also good for other body pains. This includes headaches and migraines, as well as knee pains. Blending meditation in its movements, yoga stretches the muscles which can help to release tension and even knots that may be causing some of your pain.

Try Qi Gong To Lower Cholesterol

Qi Gong, which is also called Chi Kung, is a series of postures that help focus the flow of chi, or life force energy. Chi Kung is also often used to strengthen the immune system. The movements are based on animals.

Try Music Therapy For Depression

Music can have all different types of affects on different people. When you find a type of music that makes you happy and makes your smile use it to your advantage. Listen to your happy music when you are feeling depressed. Music can also be relaxing and can help when you are anxious. Both Qi Gong and yoga can help fight depression too.

Try Meditation To Curb Eating Disorders

Meditation calms the mind and the soul. It can help stop anxiety and depression, which can be cause by an eating disorder or even cause an eating disorder. Use meditation once or twice every day. During this quiet time think positive thoughts that curb the mind away from negative eating.

Try Visualization To Help With Fertility

The belief behind visualization is that if you can see it happening it will. Visualization allows you to fill your mind with visions of what you want to happen, and the mind transfers those thoughts and energies throughout your body. This also reflects on the ideas that faith can make things happen.

Try Deep Breathing For Heart Health

Deep breathing is a wonderful relaxation technique. Using relaxation can greatly lower high blood pressure. Meditation, Qi Gong and even yoga can also be used for better heart health. Qi Gong's ability to strengthen the immune system speaks for itself. And yoga can help shrink your middle, which lowers your chances of heart disease.

Try Acupuncture To Calm Migraines

Acupuncture using tiny hair-like filaments, that are commonly referred to as needles. It is generally used to curb pain of all kinds. The filaments are placed in specific areas, called trigger points. Acupuncture can help with back pain, chronic pain, and even menstrual pain.

Resources:

The Directory of Complementary Therapies by C. Norman Shealy

Self Magazine "Use Your Mind To Heal Your Body" by Erin Bried. February 2011.