The Power of Physiology

A huge part of success at a certain point in our development is using our limited resources in efficient ways. We use goals and tasks to provide focus so we use our time effectively. We can use budgets and our bank balance to use our financial resources in a way that supports us in reaching our goals. If we want to manage our mental, emotional, and physical energy, we can use focused attention, questions, and physiology. Eventually, I learned how to use all three. The first tool I learned about was physiology.

Physiology, at its most basic, describes how you use your body. In the context of managing your mental, emotional, and physical energy — your state — physiology focuses on a few key physical elements influencing your emotions. These elements include your stance (whether it is more open or closed), your breath (depth and speed), torso and head position (up and open or down and caved in), facial expression, and motion.

When I started coaching, I was already aware of physiology from reading Tony Robbins’ books and studying Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). I had some knowledge about how to stand and breathe in order to develop more confidence. That is how physiology works as a tool. If I want to create a particular emotion, I can change my physiology to produce that emotion. Physiology influences state. Because I control my physiology, I gain almost direct influence over my emotions.

The thing that surprised me was that I could pay attention to my physiology at any time to get clues about my current state. I used to dread going to work. I felt terrible with the pace of my day, the workload, the environment, and the pay. At my coach’s suggestion, I started paying more attention to my body when I caught myself feeling bad about work. Since it happened so often, I thought this would be easy homework.

Why is state important?

Your state determines how much energy you have to fuel progress toward your goals. If you are in a state such as sadness or boredom, you have less energy than when you are in a state of enthusiasm. Your brain works differently too. When you are scared, you may have a lot of energy available to you. All your mental energy will be focused on looking for signs of danger instead of helping you think creatively about the next step toward a meaningful outcome.

Maintaining a positive state of enthusiasm, curiosity, love, or self confidence, helps you engage the part of your brain needed to make the leaps required to think creatively and to develop innovative solutions. It also floods your body with chemicals that promote healthy cells. The result is that you feel better, have more available energy, and have access to your best ideas.

What did I learn?

During the week or two of paying attention to my physiology — particularly during most of my working hours — I noticed that my sternum was always oriented in such a way that the bottom part pointed toward my spine. I was always slightly hunched forward when I was in a negative state.

My coach helped me expand on this observation. He explained that almost all of the emotions associated with a positive state are found when the sternum is slightly inclined. You can experiment with this right now. Sit or stand so that your spine is straight and perpendicular to the floor. Now take a deep breath, and as you do so, pull your shoulders slightly back and allow your sternum to tilt backward with the pull of your shoulders. Notice how your body feels. Take a moment to check in with your emotions. Do you notice that you feel more open, more positive, more relaxed?

You can do this almost anywhere and any time you notice your mood beginning to dip. Shift your attention to your body. Gently straighten your spine. Pull your shoulders back, take a deep breath from your belly, and feel the power of physiology begin to uplift your state.

Physiology is one of three tools you can use to coax your state into a better place. We will talk about the other two soon.