By Andreina “Dre” Marrero, a personal trainer at The DOGPOUND
“Mind-body connection” is something we hear about in the gym, but many clients interpret it differently. What makes the mind create changes in the body? What causes the body to withstand the pain of the movements the create growth? There are numerous scientific explanations to answer these, but what about the unknown factor: your soul?
Welcome to personal soul training. Yes. You read that right. Soul training.
Embedded deep within all of us is that magic, or what I like to call our “Wizard of Oz.” Someone behind that mind and body which instructs us to lift that arm, get that last rep, and “listen” to what our body tells us. While mind-body gets all the attention, what about our soul training? This encompasses past pain, anger, frustration, and numerous lower vibrating energy that keeps us from making permanent changes with our bodies. Running is energy; Training is energy; Lifting is energy. All in all- life itself is all about ENERGY!
This takes us to our energy centers, which play a vital role in our training and our personal health/wellness plan. Our 7 energy centers (chakras) give us significant clues towards what changes our soul needs to project progress outwardly. In simple terms: heal the soul, heal the mind, heal the body–IN THAT ORDER.
Our first energy center, for example, the root chakra, is responsible for stability, rigidity, security, and a sense of “I Am.” As life happens for us, this energy center can be thrown off and cause restlessness, insecurity, excessive anger, and impatience. Performing grounding movements such as deadlifts/squats can help release this energy as well as associated feelings that are occurring in our personal lives. Staying consistent will eventually get you dual results: an enhanced body but, most importantly, a healed part of the soul, which can be life-altering. Our decisions are based on our thoughts, which are based on our feelings and beliefs. Who houses those feelings? Our soul.
Changing the body from within is vital for growth. We ensure we have the brain to grow, the courage to persevere, but most importantly, the heart to make these changes permanent and truly live a healthy lifestyle….from the inside out.
Remember- there’s no place like home. That home is your body & training the inner self is just as crucial as the outer shell. (Clicks heels twice…)
