Steve Jobs once said: “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition”. Although there are many decisions in life which require a logical train of thought, optimising the synergy between mind and body requires a more intuitive approach.
Why Intuitive?
Intuition is defined as the ability to understand something instinctively. When faced with an important decision or a new adventure, we have all been advised to “Trust our instinct”. However, if most decisions we take are based on rational thought, we may not be able to fully understand our intuition when we need it most. Simply asking yourself how you feel during a specific movement can help you tailor any session to your physical and psychological profile that day. At any given moment, we are encouraged to trust our bodies so that if something is too difficult or not challenging enough, it can be adapted to find the optimal solution.
Why Conscious?
The conscious side relates to the ease with which life can pass by without us noticing. Have you ever performed a task and five minutes later found yourself struggling to remember it? As the world wakes up to the benefits of Mindfulness meditation, we are slowly becoming more aware of what, where and how we feel. The primary benefit of increased consciousness is that we can focus on the activity at hand instead of being on autopilot. By noticing subtle changes in our body we can then prioritise whichever areas are most in need and therefore maximise the benefits!
When we combine both aspects, we become fully aware of our actions and how our mind and body react to different stressors. This approach works well in an exercise setting but the benefits may also be reaped when applying it in everyday scenarios.
In the words of Ferris Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”. But why limit ourselves to just once in a while?