The way we poise ourselves can have an effect on whether or not we enhance harmony within or around us. It also reflects and affects our health.

“A good stance and posture reflects a proper state of mind” - Morihei Ueshiba

Our posture reveals the status of our physical and emotional health. If you have pain somewhere in your body, your posture shifts to accommodate the pain, to ensure that there is less pressure exerted in the painful part of the body so that there is less pain. Apparently, this is also true when it comes to emotional pain. In a TED talk titled Postural Empowerment: The Future of Holistic Wellbeing, Rob Holcroft indicated that he observed that different people he worked with who had anxiety and depression would adopt differing degrees of a foetal position. They would cave in around the heart, which is considered the emotional centre, as if to protect it. He observed that the body was responding in the same way to emotional trauma as it would to physical trauma. He found that when he got people to lift their breast bone, to open up or expose their heart area, he would see a positive emotional shift happen after the initial sense of vulnerability. Physically opening up and exposing the heart area, our emotional centre, can feel overwhelming but also it is quite empowering.

The relationship between the body and the mind is cyclic in nature. They are one system, if you may. How the body acts does affect the mind and how the mind feels also affects the body. So essentially, if you have harmony within, then you will most likely have good posture, if you have or maintain good posture, it enhances or boosts your body functions and thus it increases your well-being. 

Our posture also plays a crucial role in how others perceive us. It contributes to the social dynamics that we encounter on a daily basis. Since as human beings we are social creatures, this then becomes such an important aspect of our lives. We utilize posture to draw others to help us out when in trouble, to fend off would-be attackers whether that be physical or emotional attack, we use it to look attractive to others for social and business ends.  As Camille Kostek said “Confidence is everything, and the way you carry yourself, your posture, eye contact, all of that plays such a big role in impressions, regardless of your size.” 

So the question arises what is good posture?

In an article titled Guide to Good Posture found on medlineplus.gov by the US National Library of Medicine, they indicate that 

“Posture is how you hold your body. There are two types:

Dynamic posture is how you hold yourself when you are moving, like when you are walking, running, or bending over to pick up something.

Static posture is how you hold yourself when you are not moving, like when you are sitting, standing, or sleeping.

It is important to make sure that you have good dynamic and static posture.

The key to good posture is the position of your spine. Your spine has three natural curves - at your neck, mid back, and low back. Correct posture should maintain these curves, but not increase them. Your head should be above your shoulders, and the top of your shoulder should be over the hips.”

How mindful are you about your posture? 

So clearly, good posture improves our well-being and how we are perceived by the people around us. For us to live an inspired harmonious life, we should be conscious of our posture, ensuring that we adopt a good posture. It is the simple daily habits regarding our posture that will be either beneficial or detrimental to our well-being in the long run. 

The thoughts we harbour affect our bodies in significant ways. Depending on the nature of the thoughts, it could promote our health or affect our health in negative ways which manifests in diseases or maladies of some form. 

“Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.”   –Charles Swindoll

There is a Chinese proverb that says “That the birds of worry fly above your head, this you cannot change. But that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent.” Indeed we may not have control over things that will come our way that may cause us to worry, have anxiety and despair. However, we can prevent these kinds of thoughts from building nests, or dominating our minds. 

It is clear from medical research that thoughts affect our bodies. Thoughts may cause our bodies to react in a healthy way or in an unhealthy way. Negative thoughts sustained for a long time may cause stress within our bodies  which then manifests as various kinds of diseases. 

An article on Webmd.com How Worrying Affects the Body by Debra Fulghum Bruce says “Chronic worry and emotional stress can trigger a host of health problems. The problem occurs when fight or flight is triggered daily by excessive worrying and anxiety. The fight or flight response causes the body’s sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones can boost blood sugar levels and triglycerides (blood fats) that can be used by the body for fuel...When the excessive fuel in the blood isn’t used for physical activities, the chronic anxiety and outpouring of stress hormones can have serious physical consequences, including: suppression of the immune system, digestive disorders, heart attack...Although these effects are a response to stress, stress is simply the trigger. Whether or not you become ill depends on how you handle stress. Physical responses to stress involve your immune system, your heart and blood vessels, and how certain glands in your body secrete hormones. These hormones help to regulate various functions in your body, such as brain function and nerve impulses.

All of these systems interact and are profoundly influenced by your coping style and your psychological state. It isn’t the stress that makes you ill. Rather, it’s the effect responses such as excessive worrying and anxiety have on these various interacting systems that can bring on the physical illness. There are things you can do, though, including lifestyle changes, to alter the way you respond.”

The Scriptures caution us not to dwell on thoughts that are limiting such as worries, anxiety and fear. Jesus uses the words that such thoughts that are within us and which we talk about make us unclean as opposed to food which at that time some kinds of food was considered to make someone unclean once they eat it.  

Jesus also cautions us from worrying about everyday life. He asserts that worrying does not add a single moment to your life. In fact if we go by what scientists say, it actually reduces the length of our life. Elsewhere in the book of James 1:2, we are encouraged that when troubles of any kind come our way, we should consider it an opportunity for great joy. For we know that when our faith is tested, our endurance has a chance to grow. So we should let it grow, for when our endurance is fully developed, we will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

It is said, laughter is the best medicine. It is free of charge, also  scriptures, philosophers and medical research agree that humor or laughter has immense benefits for us  human beings. 

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. ~ Yiddish Proverb

It is interesting that we only laugh with those with whom we are in harmony. Indeed to get a joke, you have to be in harmony with the one telling it. It is a show of empathy to laugh at another person’s joke. In a deeper way, we are in harmony with ourselves, our inner person, when we can laugh at ourselves. When we can see the mishaps and mistakes we have made, and see the humour in them and the lessons we pick from them. Martin Niemoller said “ If you can laugh at yourself, you are going to be fine. If you allow others to laugh with you, you will be great.”

Proverbs 17:22 says “a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” So humour which brings laughter contributes to our good health. Even though this idea has been known for centuries, medical Research has also shown that  humor or laughter has immense benefits to our well being. In an article titled Laughter the best medicine in HelpGuide.com, they indicate the following benefits of laughter: 

“Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

Laughter burns calories. Okay, so it’s no replacement for going to the gym, but one study found that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories—which could be enough to lose three or four pounds over the course of a year.

Laughter lightens anger’s heavy load. Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side can put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from confrontations without holding onto bitterness or resentment.

Laughter may even help you to live longer. A study in Norway found that people with a strong sense of humor outlived those who don’t laugh as much. The difference was particularly notable for those battling cancer.”

These medical benefits are tied in some way to the social benefits of laughter. It strengthens relationships, attracts others to us, it enhances teamwork, helps defuse conflict and promotes group bonding. Thus looking at these medical and social benefits of laughter and humour, it shows how they contribute to harmony. Harmony within a person and harmony with others. 

So have you laughed heartily lately? When was the last time you had a good laugh?

For us to live an inspired harmonious life, we should enjoy laughter. We should look at our life on a lighter note sometimes. When we enjoy laughing at ourselves and with others, it strengthens our bond thus enhancing harmony in our lives and in the lives of the people around us.