Mind-Body Connection — What the Chuff Is It, and Why Is Finding It Like Rocket Fuel to Your System?

Relax your jaw. Let it be really heavy, like someone's pulling your chin gently to the ground. Now shrug your shoulders up to your ears, while still drawing your chin down. Now clench your teeth, and shrug again. What did you notice? Weird, right? Or is it?

For any of you who've done my classes, in person or online, you'll know I talk almost nonstop about feeling parts of your body. Sometimes really tiny parts — your little toe, your tongue, the bit where your hamstring meets your butt (that's a science word). I don't say this to confuse you, although I know it can be overwhelming in a new movement. I say it because I want you to feel what's going on in your body. I want you to notice how it moves through space, and I want you to make friends with it — to talk to it, and listen to what it's telling you. That exercise at the start of this post was exactly that. You told your body to relax. Jaw dropped. Shoulders couldn't quite reach your ears. Teeth clenched — oh baby, how that piles pressure into your neck and shoulders.

New game. Take off your shoes or slippers (socks are fine). Place both feet on the floor and notice all the parts of each foot touching the ground. Don't do anything yet — just notice where your knees are. Now drive the little toe of your right foot into the ground as hard as you can, keeping your heel down. Keep everything the same, and try to relax your belly. Now do the jaw thing again. Now imagine a string coming out of the top of your head, gently pulling you toward the ceiling. Go slow. Notice where your body ends up. Now do the left side — little toe down, the lot. Then try both feet at once, don't forget the jaw. Now close your eyes and do it all again.

How do you feel? What did you notice?

Every part of your body is connected — toe to nose (well, top of your head, but that doesn't rhyme). Every part is sending signals to your brain, and your brain sends signals back. Tapping into that, and using it to your advantage, is a superpower.

When we start adding breath and eye movement, you'll be unstoppable.

Breath

Your breath is, unsurprisingly, the most important part of your movement. Did you notice, when you were driving your toes into the ground, that you held your breath? Did you notice how stable you felt through your core, and how reaching your head toward the ceiling straightened out your whole posture? Our inhale does two jobs: brings oxygen in, and creates strength. I like to imagine the middle part of my body — the bit that's neither arms, legs, nor head — as a jam jar. When I want strength, I inhale and imagine screwing the lid on tight. Yes, holding my breath. That builds tension through your core. Give it a go — combine that with a dropped jaw, and you'll find a confident, strong body position almost instantly.

Your exhale has three jobs: carbon dioxide out, rocket fuel, and softness.

Your exhale might be the most versatile part of your breath — and also, used at the wrong moment, your undoing.

Stand up. Inhale and close that jam jar lid. Hold the breath, and squat as low as you can (little toes, heel, big toe pressing down).

Hold for a second at the bottom, then let the breath out as fast as you can as you stand. That's your rocket fuel — the way you fire yourself out of the hardest part of a movement.

Where your breath becomes your undoing is if you exhale at the wrong point, lets say, before you attempt a pull-up. As you exhale you lose core tension and end up trying to pull a noodle to the bar instead of firing like an arrow from a bow. That is how to use your breath as power.

Softly does it

That leads nicely to the other side of breathing, softness. When I am teaching yoga, I will often cue, inhale for strength, exhale for length. That means we find our tallest position in an upward facing dog for example, and we exhale to let the belly button lead deepening the stretch in the abdominal wall and lower back. Your exhale is your body's way of telling your brain you're safe.

This is a lot, I know — I'm have some videos on YouTube that walk you through all of it if you want to go deeper. For now, next time you're in a yoga or strength session, maybe these cues will come back to you and your lift will feel a little different. Just like building strength rep by rep, every time you notice a cue in your body and make a small adjustment, it will become more engrained in ‘the way you do this’. Don’t worry if you forget the information. Try and remember to notice the feeling you want to create. Your body knows what to do when you set it an intention. Trust it. You'll build your own mind-body connection. Welcome to the next step on the way home, my lovely — your body has been waiting for you.