Posture, Your Brain & Your Mood

Today’s topic is posture, your brain and the connection to your mood.

Your brain sends and receives messages all day to and from your body. Your brain wants to know: IS IT SAFE? Am I safe?

Your brain relies on your senses for that information. The #1 source of information comes from your eyes. Keeping your head upright and your eyes level with the horizon is your brain’s #1 resource. If you’re looking down, you’re less aware of your environment and perceived dangers.

When you look down – all day, or for a long, long time – weeks, years – the muscles in the front of your body, like your neck and shoulders – get short and tight. You look like this:

When you see people in this posture, do they look happy?

Nope.

This posture also SHUTS DOWN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN.

And why is that important?

The RIGHT side is where joy and hope live. It’s the “future” side of the brain. The right side controls posture, your gait, and the sensation of where you are in space. Your right brain is your emotional brain – it’s responsible for feelings of love, empathy, compassion and kindness toward yourself and toward others.

Additionally, your right brain controls your digestion, your heart rate and respiration. When you’re in a head down, shoulders slumped posture, your rib cage can’t expand and open to allow you to take nice deep breaths.

Over time, if you breathe more shallowly, you will be diagnosed with “sleep apnea.” And if you breathe shallowly all day long as well as at night, you’ll be diagnosed with ANXIETY. When you can’t take nice relaxing deep breaths, you WILL feel anxious.

So – right now – I want you to stand up and put your body in “POWER POSTURE.”

You’re here – right now – and there’s only one of you in this world.

So face the world tall, strong, head up, and powerful.

More than ever, the world needs your best!

Remember – better posture, better brain, better life!