This is a re-publish of a post I made a couple of years ago. However it’s as relevant today as it was back then.
One of my favourite bloggers recently posted an article titled Are You Ready for the Unexpected. A great post for us bloggers but it did get me thinking.
Chris mentions that his family is suffering from some sort of illness and he even states that there is a good chance he will get that same illness. Wrong kind of thinking Chris! The mind controls the body just as the body controls the mind. How can we use this knowledge to bolster our defences?
The Mind Controls the Body
The mind and body are so intrinsically linked that one cannot exist without the other. Nowhere is this more evident than in body movement itself, but how many know that they have a separate nervous system which regulates things like body temperature, heart rate etc. This autonomous nervous system is mostly outside of your control, which is a good thing, just imagine having to think about breathing!
Just how far out of our control is it though? Whilst we don’t need to think about breathing we can hold our breath and we can control certain things like heart rate through our breathing. Indeed breath control is a means of combating anxiety or asthma attacks and is itself a core principle of Aikido.
It stands to reason then that the mind also controls the immune system and we can also affect that with concious thought.
Think Your Way to a Healthier Life
make the decision that you won’t be infected
Instead of thinking that he’s going to catch the same illness as his family, Chris should be telling himself that he will not catch it.
Instead of worrying about that cold going around your office and how it might affect you, make the decision that you won’t be infected.
Yeah but…
Stop. Don’t finish that sentence, banish it from your thoughts. Just as Neo had to accept that there is no spoon or Luke had to accept that there is no why, you have to accept that this does work. You are in more control of your life than you realise.
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Seems to have worked so far
In my experience it is true that what you focus on you get more of, actually acting on that knowledge though is can be a challenge 
“acting on that knowledge though is can be a challenge”
Tell me about it; time management is not my strong point
Have you ever considered giving up using the phrase ‘time management’, Marc? You’ve mentioned quite often that you struggle with it. It always makes me think of King Canute, trying to push back the tides. We can’t manage time, control it or hold it back, but as you’ve learned through your Aikido, you can work with energy and harness it and it’s the same with time and natural rhythms. I’d love if you could apply your Aikido mastery to organising your day’s activities according to your natural rhythms and energy patterns and call it ‘ me management’ for a week and let us all know how you get on. I feel you have a lot of self discipline and focus skills from Aikido that you could apply.
I know you like quotes, so here are some fragments from my karate/Tao studying days; this blog seems like the perfect place to share them! These two help me get my perspective and balance back – although I came close to ditching the positive thinking yesterday, as you know.
He who stands on the tips of his toes
cannot be steady.
He who takes long strides
will not maintain the pace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#
Agitation within
robs one of reflection
and clarity of vision.
In this state of mind,
it is of course impossible
to act with presence of mind.
The right thing, then,
is to keep still
until balance is regained.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#
Thanks Janice. I never really thought about it that way before. Me management…I like it!
And great quotes! I really like those. Thank you again for sharing your wisdom Janice