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A simple walk is often enough. The real definition of well-being is making the con- nection between your mind and what you are doing physically. “So many people think that if you’re not doing yoga, you’re not do- ing mind-body,” says Rigg.
Rigg’s client, Rebecca Woodzel, 41, of Do- ver says she’s living proof of how the mind benefits from physical exercise. A physical therapist and former college athlete, Wood- zel exercised regularly until she hurt her back. She felt the recovery period as intense- ly mentally as she did physically.
“I become evil if I don’t exercise,” she jokes. Her routine some days is just stretch- ing, some days it’s strength training, some days it’s playing field hockey. Exercise helps her mellow her emotions, she says. “Emo- tionally, I’m much more stressed, and not a happy person, if I don’t get to do my thing.”
Johnny Gillespie, founder of Empowered Yoga in Greenville, Newark and Glen Mills, Pa., has been working on the mind-body connection in his studios for more than 20 years. “If you look at any basic diagram of the body, you see the brain and the brain has branches—nerves. The nerve endings continually tell the brain what condition the body is in,” says Gillespie.
The first thing he always asks a new client to do when they arrive is to remove their shoes. By removing their shoes they are re- moving any artificial support. Gillespie then shows them how their feet are related to their cores and how their cores are related to all the other parts of the body.
Learning to pay attention to the body through physical activity helps keep the brain and body healthy. Gillespie recom- mends people pay attention to their move- ments, bodies and minds while exercising rather than watching TV or being distracted in other ways. Part of his exercise program focuses on concentration.
Focusing builds and strengthens the mind-body connection. Focusing while ex- ercising is pretty simple once one gets used to it, says Gillespie.
He recommends:
1. Steady your eyes. (Your mind will start wandering if you look around.)
2. Learn to control your breathing (Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.)
3. Pay attention to sensations arising in your body (How are your hands related to your upper body and your feet to your core?)
“When you go to the gym, just focus,” he says. “It’s a great day to practice.”
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