There are so many facets that represent who we are as human beings: our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and everything in between. Like a well-oiled machine, our minds and bodies work in tandem to create a certain energy and flow, and these processes influence the ways we present ourselves to the world. Are you in tune with it all?
Think about a live orchestra playing beautiful music. At first, it may sound uniform, like a harmonious blend of something singular. Just a single piece of music. But if we look further at this example, it becomes apparent that there are numerous components that comprise the whole of what we experience as being the music. The violins, flutes, cellos, harp, etc. The written piece of music, the notes on the page. The musicians themselves executing the delivery of the piece through their physical bodies, using their very own breath and fingertips to deliver the music to the audience. These individual systems fuse together to become one: they are parts of a whole system.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to see a live orchestra playing music, you can witness the physical evidence of mind-body synchronicity taking place. Serious musicians no doubt connect to their music, and literally feel its presence in their bodies. As an audience member, you can see their movements as proof of their relationship to the music. They may close their eyes in response to emotions the music evokes within them, or they may sway ever so slightly, or even dramatically, in their chairs. The conductor’s physical presence empowers the orchestra to play with utmost passion and precision. Their mental conceptualization, delivered via physical ability, results in non-verbal, emotional expression. Without these parts fusing together, the music you hear can’t be performed at its most transcendent.
Elaborating further, let’s pretend that there are dancers who are going to perform to the live orchestra’s musical accompaniment. Without the support of the orchestra, the dancers will have a very difficult time performing the choreography of the piece. They need the orchestra to deliver their part by playing the music, so that they can then execute both a physical and emotional response in telling a story to the audience with their bodies. This interrelatedness is crucial to the performance, and highlights exactly how being in tune with the many systems within yourself, and perhaps even outside of yourself, can lead to a – dare I say it – a standing ovation. The end product is something to be proud of, and something to celebrate.
I like to use this example of separate forms of expression coming together (music and dancing) to highlight how the blending of our mental, physical, and emotional selves is vital to the development of our well-being. Now, I’m not saying that you need to be a musician or dancer to understand the gist of this concept. What I’m highlighting here is that functioning at your very best, in any capacity, requires paying attention to the parts of yourself that comprise who you are, including mental, physical, and emotional aspects. For instance, if you ignore your ”physical” aspect and hardly ever exercise, you might be increasing your risk for heart disease or obesity. If you neglect your “mental” aspect, you might be left feeling bored, unchallenged, and stuck in a rut at work. If you brush aside your “emotional” aspect, you may notice that interpersonal issues are surfacing, and you might succumb more readily to negative moods and depression.
Connecting with, utilizing, and paying attention to the facets that make us who we are, can assist in creating a healthy system. If you find that you are neglecting any of your core components (emotional, mental, physical), I suggest upping your awareness in that area, and motivating yourself to allot more time and attention to nurturing what you’ve neglected. Analogous to the dedication and care given to the various components that comprise a performance, we are all works in progress. And we can all be a part of something wonderful, if we make an effort to be in sync with ourselves. It can help us reach out to others in a harmonious blending of our own making.
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