Mind over Matter

I'm not sure when the saying Mind over Matter came into our collective consciousness, but somewhere along the line I took it to heart. For those unfamiliar with the phrase, it means to use personal willpower (aka mind) to persist or overcome the body (aka matter). For me it means ignoring the messages from my body in order to keep working on the the more "important" task at hand.

The cost of this attitude

There are the small examples of Mind over Matter like not allowing myself to go to the restroom in the middle of a busy day. To larger examples of not listening to pain in my hip while teaching yoga. Our current culture tends to glorify the mind, but it comes at a cost. And these costs can range from daily headaches to physical exhaustion to reconstructive surgery.

Listening to the body

And so I am learning to listen more to my body. Pay attention to its cues. Respect its limits. In a culture that is so mind-oriented this can be difficult. It starts with small actions like going to the restroom when I have the urge, and drinking more water throughout the day. It includes adjusting my posture when my shoulders start to ache and taking a nap when my body is tired.

These are small actions, but I believe, with practice tuning into my body's cues, the results will be exponential. Hopefully I will begin trusting my body more and more, giving my mind permission to rest and take breaks. The goal is to ultimately find balance, so that both my mind and body can alternate between activity and rest, just like mother nature intended.