Peaceful Mind: How your mind affects the body (and the rest of your world)

We talk a lot about the importance of receiving regular bodywork for overall health and wellness, but what we’ve seldom touched upon and what we’d like to introduce into the mix now, is the role your mind plays in all of this.

You may have heard of the miraculous recovery of neuroanatomist, Jill Bolte Taylor, who suffered a devastating stroke that rendered the left hemisphere of her brain useless. This brain research scientist, has been sharing both the amazing experience of studying her own brain as it malfunctioned and the eight year journey of her remarkable recovery.

But what is most stunning, is the insight Dr. Jill (as she calls herself)  gained regarding the unique functions of the right and left sides of the brain.  With her left hemisphere out of commission, gone were the categorizing, organizing, describing, judging and critically analysis skills, along with the language centers and ego. Because of this, Dr. Jill’s consciousness shifted from normal reality to only the “present moment.” This she describes as being “at peace,” and as experiencing herself “at one with the universe.”

Dr. Jill’s experiences and research have put her in a unique position, championing the cause of being in your “right mind.” As she began to recover she decided it would be worthwhile to let others know that peace is simply just a thought away. In her fascinating book, “My Stroke of Insight,” Dr. Jill shares her experience and teaches us how to think more with our right hemisphere.

Though I am a believer in the power of our mind and the idea that we can create anything we put our minds to, there is a bit of a paradox at work here for me, personally. In the decade or so that I have worked on training myself to manifest the life of my dreams and to be mindful of what I am focusing on (because what you think or focus on has the power to be, both positively and negatively), I found myself still coming from the left brain. Getting caught up in details and end results — not so peaceful.

It’s like when you TRY to relax — it’s just not going to happen. You sort of have to anti-try, you know, to get out of your left brain. Your right brain is creative and present and flows easily with the world around it. That’s where your peace is, that’s where you remember how perfectly at one with everything you are — because you are sans ego. Nothing to fix, only to relax and enjoy the abundace of the universe that is already yours to open up to. It can be truly amazing how your life flows with everything that brings you peace and happiness, when you’re coming from your “right mind”.

Next blog: Tips and Tricks to Get in Your “Right Mind”.