Use Your Mind to Heal Your Body

Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'd like to talk about how our mind can heal our body. So a few years ago, I received a difficult phone call. A friend of mine was really upset with me and felt really, really hurt because of a misunderstanding that we'd had. And it was one of those really hated calls.

And I felt like I just couldn't find the right words to say to make things better. I can still remember the feeling of sadness and frustration and fear as I hung up the phone and my heart was pounding, my stomach was tightening and I started to cry. And after a few minutes of distress, I caught myself. And I made the decision to put my hands on my stomach, close my eyes and take some deep, slow breaths. And as I followed my deep, full inhale and my long exhale, my body started to relax.

And though I still felt sadness and fear, I was able to collect myself and be present. I was no longer reacting to the emotions or getting lost in them. There was enough mental space to hold my emotions in a calm and compassionate awareness. As I did this, I felt my whole body soften. I let go of tension.

And I had this feeling of being soothed and comforted. So mindfulness teaches us ways like this to let go of stress, reactivity and suffering and find a more peaceful state of mind. As we learn to deal with stress better, our bodies enjoy the ripple effect of benefits that come with that. Benefits like better quality sleep, improved immunity, lower blood pressure, more energy, and a whole host of anti-aging benefits. So the more our inner peace and strength grows, the healthier our body becomes.

It's a virtuous cycle. So each time you feel distressed when you're going through the storms of life, just remember that you can turn to your breath and put your anchor down in the safe harbor of mindful awareness. And every time you practice like that, you practice being present with yourself. You're creating a refuge, a safe, reliable, and compassionate space for your thoughts and emotions to move through you and for your body to be soothed and healed. You're building your capacity to meet your experience with wisdom and courage, no matter what happens.

And you're allowing your body to regulate, sooth and get stronger. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us. And now let's begin to settle in for today's meditation.