Mind-Body-Gut Connection

You’ve heard of the mind-body connection, and maybe also the brain-gut connection, but have you heard of the mind-body-gut connection? I just made it up for this blog post, but I think it’s something interesting to noodle on.

I think the term “mind-body connection” has existed in the minds of health and wellness folks for quite some time, but the gut-brain connection is a somewhat newer concept. Only in the past few decades have we began to scratch the surface of how the gut and brain communicate with each other.

The mind-body connection is the idea that our thoughts and emotions can affect the biological and physiological processes in our body. The gut-brain connection is the idea that the gut and brain communicate with each other through the vagus nerve, hormones, and other pathways.

In the case of the mind-body connection, we know that we can use physical activity to improve brain function. For example, exercise increases plasticity in the brain, which allows our brain to create new neural pathways and connections. This is why exercise is often recommended for people with depression or anxiety. The connection goes both ways: we can induce changes in our physical body through our thoughts and emotions, one example of which is how placebos can have a real effect on our health if we believe they will.

The gut contains its own nervous system, called the enteric nervous system, and plays host to trillions of bacteria that help us digest food, produce vitamins, and regulate our immune system. The gut-brain connection is a two-way street: the brain can affect the gut, and the gut can affect the brain. For example, stress can cause changes in the gut microbiome, which can then affect our mood and behavior. This is why some people experience digestive issues when they’re stressed or anxious.

Gut health (i.e., having the right balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut) is critical for overall health, especially mental health. Some evidence suggests a connection between gut health and conditions like depression, anxiety, and even autism, though you should take this with a grain of salt because the evidence is questionable at best.

In my personal experience, I find I feel best when I do a combination of eating well, getting daily exercise, practicing mindfulness, and making sure I get a good night’s sleep. I also started taking a probiotic supplement a few years ago that I found has helped with my digestion and overall well-being, but I don’t want to make any recommendations as the commercial probiotic industry is largely unregulated and there’s a lot of snake oil out there.

I love practicing yoga for a number of reasons, but one of the main reasons is that it combines the physical and mental aspects of health. I find that when I practice yoga regularly, I feel more connected to my body and generally less anxious. Yoga is a somatic practice, which means it’s about connecting the mind and body through movement.

One description of yoga is that it’s a way to control the mind through the body (among other things). The idea is that if one can learn to focus on breathing, movement, and holding poses, one can learn to be present and (as the ultimate goal of yoga) be free of the suffering that comes from the mind’s constant chatter.

Yoga of course also has physical benefits, like increased flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination. I imagine most people in the West who practice yoga probably do it mainly for the physical benefits, and accidentally discover the mind-body benefits along the way.

Some people believe we’re fairly “advanced” when it comes to science, medicine, and our understanding of the human brain and our physiology, but it seems like we’re still quite far off from understanding how it all works together. Somatics takes the approach that you should lean in to your feelings and sensations, and you can do this through physical movement or other practices like meditation or breathwork.

Although I started practicing yoga around 15 years ago, I wish I’d gotten into it much earlier in life. Habits with positive benefits compound over time, so the sooner you begin and stick to it, the more powerful the benefits as you go. Small improvements in your health and well-being can lead to big changes in your life over time.