When the Body Softens, the Mind Follows
An Experiment in the Mind–Body Connection
The connection between the mind and the body is something we often talk about, but it can be surprisingly powerful to experience it directly for ourselves. One simple experiment, inspired by the American philosopher and psychologist William James, beautifully illustrates how closely our thoughts, emotions, and physical state are intertwined.
To try this experiment, begin by lying on your back in Savasana — a comfortable, supported resting position. Allow your body to settle into the floor, letting your arms and legs soften and your jaw relax. Give yourself a moment to arrive.
Next, bring your attention to your breath and practise a few rounds of 7–11 breathing, a technique known for calming the nervous system. Breathe in gently through the nose for a count of 7, then breathe out slowly for a count of 11. The exhale is longer than the inhale, signalling safety to the nervous system and encouraging the body to move out of “fight or flight” and into rest and repair. Continue for several rounds, allowing your breathing to become smooth and unforced.
As your body relaxes, notice any softening — the weight of your body, the ease in your breath, the quieting of the mind.
Now comes the experiment.
Once you feel calm and settled, try to make yourself feel angry — but with one important condition: you are not allowed to tense your muscles, clench your jaw or teeth, change your breathing, tighten your fists, or alter your body in any way. No physical expression at all.
Most people find this impossible.
Without the physical tension, facial expression, breath changes, or muscular contraction that usually accompany anger, the emotion simply cannot fully arise. This simple exercise reveals something profound: every thought and emotion leaves an imprint on the body. Emotions are not just “in the mind” — they are lived, felt, and expressed physically.
William James suggested that we don’t just feel emotions and then react with the body; rather, the body’s responses are a key part of how emotions are created and sustained. When the body softens, the emotional state often follows.
This has powerful implications for how we manage stress, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm. By working with the body — through breath, stillness, relaxation, and gentle practices like Yin Yoga — we can influence how we feel mentally and emotionally. Calming the body helps calm the mind.
In a world that constantly pulls us into tension and urgency, taking time to rest, breathe, and soften is not indulgent — it is deeply regulating and restorative. Sometimes the most effective way to change how we feel is not to think harder, but to relax the body and let the nervous system reset.
The body listens — and when we give it the right conditions, it responds.