Ever noticed how your body feels has an effect on the mind & vice versa? This is the mind body connection & you know what? The stronger the connection, the better. Here’s your guide to improving it.

You, my dear, are a spiritual being. And as a spiritual being, your energy is always trying to align itself with the world. You live one life after the other in a cycle as old as time, learning important life lessons as the cosmos helps you fulfill your dreams. And no, this doesn’t mean work that’ll zap your soul! I’m talking about a life where you feel so fulfilled as you follow your dharma—the truest expression of who you are.

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Your dharma is your divine purpose on this planet, your soul’s essence, the unique vibration only you can carry out in the world.

You aren’t meant to be confined to a cubicle, working from 9 to 5 and staring at a bright screen! You’re meant for so much more, you’re meant for a life where your wildest dreams come true, one where you and those around you enjoy all the blessings the world has to offer.

It’s not an easy path to tread, but you can do this! I’m always here to help every step of the way!

The easiest way to begin following your dharma (other than reading my book, Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose), would be to nurture the divine connection between your mind and body. To be able to control your mind and body is the key to getting in touch with your higher consciousness and shedding the weight of this material world!

 

What is the mind-body connection?

 

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For eons, there has been a great debate over the connection between the mind and the body. Ancient medicinal practices have always treated every illness with a two-pronged approach—treating both the mind and the body. Our thoughts and feelings are believed to have an impact on our physical wellbeing and health. Similarly, the way we treat our body and our physical attributes can affect our mental health.

Does this sound too ridiculous? You should hear my story then.

 

When I realized the importance of the mind-body connection

In college, I was teaching health and sanitation in the slums of New Delhi, India, when I hit a major roadblock with my health. From bone injuries to crippling stomach pain, I was at my worst. My hair began to fall out in clumps. I stopped getting my periods for two years! My body stopped producing hormones and I went into perimenopause—at age twenty-one. I went from one doctor to the next, seeking some respite, only to be told that I needed to take medicines to be even remotely functional. What kind of a life would that be?

I knew that there had to be another way, that this was more than just a physical illness at work. I took matters into my own hands. This journey of self-healing led me to discover Ayurveda, the world’s oldest health system and the sister-science of yoga based on the mind-body connection.

I spent the next two years studying Ayurveda in India, finding ways to merge it with modern nutritional science and plant-based recipes. And I managed to completely reverse all of my health problems! I knew I had to make this wisdom accessible to people who suffered physical and mental imbalances like me and couldn’t find a cure. Though I had never written a book or even met an author, I embarked on this journey and discovered myself in the process.

And my life was changed forever.

 

I’m no longer Sahara Rose—21, clueless and living life on autopilot.

I am Sahara Rose, the best-selling author of Eat Feel Fresh, An Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda, A Yogic Path Oracle Deck + Reflective Journal, and Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose. I also host the Highest Self Podcast, the #1 spirituality podcast on iTunes with over 25 million downloads.

That’s what a sense of purpose can do. Join me in finding yours.

Let’s start by diving into the science behind it.

 

How does the mind-body connection work?

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Through my years of study and research in Ayurveda, I realized the Doshas—the Ayurvedic archetypes—tell us of so much more than our health. They can also indicate our dharmas.

Our minds and bodies are deep reflections of our spirit. Anything that is happening to us on a physical or emotional level is a reflection of what is happening inside. Imbalances, such as anxiety, irritation, depression, or even bloating and acidity, happen because our body isn’t feeling healthy. Our bodies are constantly speaking to us and telling us what they need.

Take a look at your body right now. Freeze. You’re probably hunched over a desk or a phone screen as you read this, while your neck and shoulder muscles go numb. And you wouldn’t notice it because you are so used to it!

When we look at our bodies as guides, directing us towards our dharma, everything changes. We realize that the answers we’ve been seeking were never out there, the wild goose chase for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is pointless! Our treasure, our wisdom, our dharma can only be found within us.

The word “Dosha” means “energy” in Sanskrit. They are the three energy types based on the five elements.

Vata is a combination of air and space.
Pitta is a combination of fire and water.
Kapha is a combination of earth and water.

To keep it simple, just think:

Vata = air

Pitta = fire

Kapha = earth

We were each born with our combination of all three Doshas for a reason—because
it offers us the exact strengths, interests, and innate talents we need to fulfill our dharmas (If you head over to my website here, you can take a quick quiz to identify the same!)

The cosmos made the painter more creative, the entrepreneur more ambitious, the life coach more compassionate so that they may fulfill their dharmas. We need those Doshas because they cause us to naturally gravitate to the ways we were meant to serve. If you’d like to hear me talk about this in detail, click here!

Your Doshas can shift and fall out of balance throughout your life, depending on your lifestyle, diet, stress levels, etc., and that, my dears, is why we need a very strong mind-body balance to keep these natural systems in check!

 

Four things you can do to connect your mind and body

 

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1. Start yoga classes

Yoga at its core is about uniting our mind, body, and soul with the world. It is attaining oneness with the world; it is to shed all self-consciousness and ascend into the next level of existence. It’s being able to wield your spiritual energy and grow into your full potential while living your dharma.

To practice yoga is to practice bringing your whole being into states of flow and rest at will. The ultimate form of mind-body meditation, it helps us control our mind and body. Yoga helps us realize that the only thing that ever stopped us from moving mountains has always been ourselves.

What better practice to help you strengthen your mind-body balance?

2. Practice different breathing exercises

Air is what sustains life. Most of us take shallow breaths as we go through our day. We sip on coffees, slouch at our desks and breathe so lightly, is it really surprising that we feel drained at the end of the day? Deep breathing is vital to living a healthy existence and they strengthen the mind-body connection by slowly teaching the brain that it can work better with deeper breaths. The mind feels refreshed as you take deeper, longer breaths. Breathing exercises are a good way to begin strengthening this association, of how deeper breathing helps you think better.

Here are a few easy ones to begin with!

3. Try going for a run in the morning or evening!

Running is one of the few forms of exercise where both your mind and body stay sharp and alert. When you run at full-tilt, your body is ever prepared for the twists and turns of the footpath, while your brain constantly adapts to new stimuli and stays alert for any impending collisions (a hot coffee spilled down the shirt, no thank you!).

Both the mind and body work in tandem, and you’ll be able to better control your mental reactions while strengthening your body as well. The adrenaline rush also boosts your energy levels! There’re literally no cons, you guys, just look at the health benefits!

4. Rest and relaxation

Oh, I know what you’re thinking! Resting when there’s so much to do at work and home? How does not doing anything help your mind and body connect better?

When we exercise a muscle group, professional fitness trainers are quick to tell us not to overstress and to also spend time working other muscles, giving each group some rest. The same applies to the mind. It is just like any other muscle, it needs its food, in the forms of things it loves. Take some time to practice mind-body meditation, and to treat yourself.

Take that long hot bath, have a spa day, read a trashy romance novel, watch that movie you’ve been dying to check out. Resting helps you control your mind and body, as true relaxations mean letting go of everything.

Try gritting your teeth right now. Keep your shoulder muscles tensed.
What do you feel? Did you instantly start worrying or fretting about something?

This is what I’m talking about. Break the cycle and take a break, you divine being!
You deserve it.

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The Benefits of a Stronger Mind-Body Connection!

There are so many benefits to developing a better relationship between your mind and body. Beyond helping you connect to your dharma, a strong mind-body connection has so many perks in our everyday lives!

1. Reduces stress

By being attuned to our mind and body, we can quickly identify stressors and create solutions faster. How many times have you gone to bed feeling negative and stressed, yet unable to identify the cause? A better mind-body connection ensures that you have better ways of coping with mental stress through different kinds of physical practices, from running to mind-body meditation.

You’ll have better ways of dealing with your stress!

2. Reduces depression

By being mindful and nurturing a better relationship between your mind and your body, you may also find it easier to ward off depression. Mindful control of your body and mind has been proven to significantly help patients with depression.

3. It gives you clarity of action

As you begin to control your mind and body, you’ll find that executing tasks becomes easier. You merely need to think of what needs to be done, and your body will guide you on how to do it.

As with anything, it’s just a matter of practice and consistency. I’m sure you can do this.

I wish you the best as you embark on this incredible journey! Let the light guide your soul, you brave warrior!

 

Much love,