I am starting to question the idea of positive thinking and what it really means. And I am drawn to a quote by Mabel Todd, who wrote in 1937 a book called The Thinking Body, in which she said;
“For every thought supported by feeling there is a muscle change, man’s whole body records his emotional thinking”
Which brings me back to the question, when is positive thinking negative? How many times have you repeated affirmations in the mirror, ending up weeks or months later thinking what a waste of time it was and somewhere inside you, some small nagging thought or voice is passing judgement that you have in some way failed?
The left hemisphere of our brain is the rational, thinking, side and the right is the feeling, creative side. Unless the two sides of the brain are in agreement about what you desire, then there will be conflict. The feeling needs to be changed or activated so that it is the same as the thinking.
Thoughts are energised by what meaning they have for us, bought alive by our emotional response to them and what significance they hold.
And herein lays the marked difference between what we think and what we feel. Thoughts invested with emotion will be accompanied by bodily sensation. Emotion is from the Latin to move; with movement change can take place, so to create change with our positive thinking it needs to be infused with positive feeling
Positive thinking accompanied by positive feeling, recorded in your your body tissue allows dynamic and real change to take place. This involves cultivating awareness to how you are feeling, and harnessing positive feelings which can help you to change state.
A simple and immediate way to change state and the chemicals being released in your body is to turn the corners of your mouth up to the corners of your ears, smiling, and keep doing it and as you are smiling repeat your affirmations, infusing positive feeling and thinking.
Please contact Susanne for more information about Pilates classes in Harpenden and St.Albans www.bodywisepilatesharpenden@gmail.com
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