We are what we think!

You and I: we’re getting better at understanding ourselves.

We used to think:

We are what we eat.

Now, after ground-breaking research in the fields of psychoneuroimmunology, and epigenetics, we believe that:

We are what we think.

What?

Yes, our thoughts directly influence our bodies.

Simply put: a calm mind equals feeling calm. A frantic, wild and constantly stressed mind, equals a body in chaos and that eventually leads to problems.

We are what we think.

Now, this might seem like a new idea to some people. But, it has been around for thousands of years.

After a recent event, a friend of mine, John, reminded me of a quote from the great yoga teacher Iyengar. He said:

"The mind controls the body.

The breath controls the mind."

Oh, now we’re getting closer to the truth.

The mind controls the body.

But, how do we tame a wild, and flailing mind? Through our breathing.

In a crisis, our breathing is one of the first things that changes. It speeds up and becomes shallow. We can even hold our breath in a crisis.

But, if our breathing controls our mind, our feelings and our emotions, then all we have to do is change how we breathe to feel better.

If we grab control of our breathing in a crisis and slow it down, then we start to feel different.

Like with everything, this takes practise.

It’s hard to remember this in a crisis. Unless, we have practised it before.

So, now is your chance.

Do you have two minutes to breathe along with me?

LISTEN NOW

Our breath controls the mind.

The mind controls the body.

Breathe.

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Listen to The Breathe With Níall Podcast: three short, inspiring and informative, episodes each week:

- Mondays: story.
- Wednesdays: two minute breathing session.
- Fridays: Q&A.