Introduction
Much of the conversation around mental health continues to live in the mind. We are encouraged to think differently, reframe, analyze, and understand our thoughts. While this has its place, it often overlooks something far more immediate and accessible, the body.
In my work, both through movement education and one-to-one sessions, I see this repeatedly. People arrive wanting to “fix” how they feel, often through thinking. Yet their posture, their breath, the way they sit, stand, move, and relate to their environment tells a much clearer story. Mental health is not just something that happens in the mind, it is something we experience through the body, moment to moment, often beneath conscious awareness. When we begin there, something shifts.
There is a growing body of research supporting what many movement traditions have long understood, that the body plays a central role in emotional regulation. Breathing patterns influence the nervous system. Posture affects mood. Movement alters perception. Yet in modern life, we have become increasingly disconnected from these simple but profound relationships.
We sit more. We move less. We spend long periods in environments that require sustained attention but minimal physical engagement. Over time, this creates a subtle but cumulative effect, a body that is less responsive, less aware, and less able to regulate itself. What often follows is a sense of unease that is difficult to explain. It may present as anxiety, low mood, or a general feeling of being “not quite right.” The tendency is to interpret this as a psychological issue, but very often, it is also a physiological one.
When the body is not moving well, breathing well, or sensing well, the system becomes less adaptable. When adaptability decreases, so does resilience.
The Body as the First Point of Contact
Before we think, we feel. Before we analyze, we sense. The body is our first point of contact with the world, and yet it is often the last place we look when something feels off.
Simple observations can be revealing:
- Is the breath shallow or held?
- Is there unnecessary tension in the jaw, shoulders, or abdomen?
- Is movement restricted or guarded?
These are not minor details, they are indicators of how the nervous system is functioning. By bringing attention back to these areas, not to control them but to become aware of them, we begin to restore a level of responsiveness. From here, change becomes possible, not through force, but through awareness.
Movement as a Regulator, Not Just an Activity
Movement is often approached as something we “do”, exercise, training, or fitness. However, its role is much deeper than that. Movement is one of the primary ways the body regulates itself. When movement is varied, responsive, and connected to the environment, it supports coordination, balance, breath, attention, and emotional regulation.
In contrast, when movement is repetitive, restricted, or absent, these systems begin to narrow. This is particularly important for children. In school environments, where time is increasingly spent sitting and focusing cognitively, movement becomes essential, not as a break from learning, but as a foundation for it. The same applies to adults. We do not outgrow the need for movement, if anything, we need it more.
Reconnecting With the Body in Everyday Life
Reconnection does not require complex routines or specialized practices. It begins with small shifts in attention:
- Noticing how you sit.
- Allowing breath to deepen without forcing it.
- Walking with awareness rather than urgency.
- Spending time in environments that invite movement.
These are simple, but not insignificant.
They reintroduce the body as an active participant in experience, rather than something we carry passively through the day. Over time, this changes how we feel, not because we have “fixed” anything, but because the system is functioning more as it is designed to.
Conclusion
Mental health is often approached as something to be solved through the mind, but the body offers a different entry point, one that is immediate, accessible, and grounded in experience. By returning to the body, through movement, breath, and awareness, we begin to create the conditions for wellbeing, rather than trying to impose it from the outside. This is not a replacement for psychological support where needed, but it is a reminder that the body is always involved, and often, it is where meaningful change begins, thereby embracing a mind-body approach.
This topic sits at the center of my work. Through both Bluearth and Touched by Yoga, I have spent years working with children, adults, teachers, and practitioners, and the same pattern continues to emerge, a disconnection from the body, and an overreliance on thinking as the primary tool for change. I chose this topic because it offers a different perspective, one that is practical, accessible, and grounded in experience. It also reflects the growing need within both education and broader society to reconsider how we approach wellbeing, not as something separate from the body, but as something deeply connected to it.
References
Koch, S. C., Kunz, T., Lykou, S., and Cruz, R. (2014). Effects of dance movement therapy and dance on health related psychological outcomes, a meta analysis. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 41(1), 46–64. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01806
Payne, P., Levine, P. A., and Crane Godreau, M. A. (2015). Somatic experiencing, using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093
Porges, S. W. (2007). The polyvagal perspective. Biological Psychology, 74(2), 116–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2006.06.009
Schmalzl, L., Powers, C., and Blom, E. H. (2015). Neurophysiological and neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the effects of yoga based practices. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 235. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00235
Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Saper, R. B., Ciraulo, D. A., and Brown, R. P. (2012). Effects of yoga on the autonomic nervous system, gamma-aminobutyric-acid, and allostasis in epilepsy, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical Hypotheses, 78(5), 571–579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2012.01.021
Author Bio
Bettina (Tina) Freake is a health and wellbeing facilitator. As the Founder of Touched by Yoga and newly appointed CEO of the Bluearth Foundation, Bettina has been deeply involved in human health and wellbeing for almost two decades. Her core belief is that holistic wellbeing is everybody’s human right. Initially practicing as a Remedial Therapist, she developed an interest in the body-mind continuum and is now a recognised specialist in bodywork, movement, injury rehabilitation and prevention, posture and alignment. Over the course of her career she has developed and delivered hundreds of customised exercise and educational programs, collaborated and featured on a range of health and wellbeing initiatives for corporates, non-profits and further educational facilities. Having worked and trained first-hand with world-leading health and wellbeing specialists, her career continued on to expose her to the discipline of yoga and she has been passionately practicing and teaching yoga to thousands of people around the world ever since. She holds a BA in Exercise Science and Human Movement, a BA in Psychology, is a recognised 500 Hour Yoga Alliance Teacher, an 800 Hour Jivamukti Yoga Certified teacher, and is also qualified in Counseling, Coaching, and Remedial Therapy.
Published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license for mental health awareness with editorial review.