What is the mind-body connection?
The mind body connection refers to the relationship between the brain and the body – specifically, how mental and physical processes interact with each other.
A recent study at The Washington University School of Medicine discovered the physical links in the brain that enable the mind body connection, called the Somato-Congitive Action Network (SCAN). This finding speaks to the power of the mind on behavior. How we think about a thing influences how we perceive it, emotionally process it, and what behavior, if any, results from it.
How does the mind-body connection influence mindset and life outcomes?
The mind-body connection is reciprocal, as demonstrated by the graph below:
Mindset creates the internal context that influences how we think. It is comprised of beliefs, attitudes, and perspectives, and includes our views on ourselves, others, and the meaning we extract from the world around us. Mindset influences how we are interpreting or perceiving information, experiences and behavior. How we think about things influences how we feel about them (emotionally and physically), and the actions we do or don’t pursue as a result of those thoughts and feelings. Those reactions and responses lead to the outcome. The way we interpret these outcomes, paired with the external information we receive from our environment (people and places around us) continues to shape our internal mindset.
The level of power we have over our external environment varies, depending on age, access, and resources. However, once we are developed enough to recognize and influence the relationship between our internal and external worlds, we gain the agency to decide what we will keep with us or leave behind.
Why do health coaches need to know about the mind-body connection?
Coaches get to help clients become aware of the mind-body connection and the power of their own internal and external influence. Coaches support clients as they choose and change who and how they want to be in the world.
The ethos and training at Youth Coaching Institute is founded on the concept of reciprocal potential, which was created by founder Dr. Leah Mazzola. It states that humans, by virtue of being social creatures in a shared world, inherently affect one another and their environment. The affects are both conscious and unconscious. Through coaching, we can learn to build and leverage our resources more intentionally to create conditions that promote quality of life, well-being, and performance.
Our primary function as a coach is to be able to notice when our client’s mindset or perspectives seem to inhibit the progress they want to make towards their goals. We support clients in the process of noticing their mindset and use open-ended questions and reflections to help them shift that mindset to be more affirming of and helpful to their values and goals.
What is mind-body practice, and how do health coaches integrate it with clients?
According to the National Cancer Institute, mind-body practice is a health practice that combines mental focus, controlled breathing, and body movements to help relax the body and mind. Mind-body practices have been proven to assist in the reduction of pain, stress, anxiety, and depression, and also improve overall health.
Meditation is a type of mind-body practice where a person focuses their attention on something (object, word, breath) in order to reduce stressful thoughts and feelings. Mindfulness, a type of meditation, asks us to pay attention, on purpose, non-judgmentally, to the present moment. Studies have shown mindfulness-based programs to improve attention, executive functioning, negative behavior, anxiety, and stress in children and adolescents.
Other examples of mind-body practices and interventions include deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, yoga, music, dance, writing, massage, aromatherapy, and more. Coaches can share information with clients about these practices. Clients can choose to include developing and executing mind-body practices as part of their overall goals.
Coaching is a mindful activity. Coaches use mindful listening to be attentive to the client’s process, and use mindful attention to withhold judgment and serve as the objective observer of the client’s process. We use these processes to notice and identify where the client may have opportunities for growth and change. As coaches, we model mindfulness, and indirectly teach our clients to be mindful about how or what they’re thinking, how they’re feeling, and what they are or are not doing. That’s how we support clients in building the self-awareness that contributes to the progress and goals they seek coaching to achieve.
CTA: Are you interested in becoming a health coach? Do you want to learn more about mindset, mindfulness, and the mind-body connection? Check out our latest trainings here.
