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Put Your Best Face Forward

After a mind/body practice session there is a smile in the eyes, the tension in the face melts away, the cheeks have a rosy glow, and the smile is happy and from the heart.

Whether you wish to put your best face forward for business or pleasure, rest assured that a very simple mind/body practice could provide the radiant rejuvenation you are seeking.

I see this transformation in the faces of my stress reduction and peak performance clients every day. After a mind/body practice session there is a smile in the eyes, the tension in the face melts away, the cheeks have a rosy glow, and the smile is happy and from the heart.

The mind/body practice that leads to this transformation is very simple and so is the reason it works.

Why it works
The nervous system that takes care of our internal workings without our say so (we don�t have to tell our hearts to beat) is the Autonomic Nervous System. This system is a balance of the Sympathetic Nervous System (emergency mode called �fight or flight�) and Parasympathetic Nervous System (the �I am safe� mode).

The �fight or flight� mode is helpful in life threatening situations, because it allows your heart to beat faster to fuel the brain and large muscles with oxygen. The blood vessels that lead to less important areas pinch off so the lion�s share of oxygen gets to these essential areas that help you effectively fight or run.

It is a smart and simple system if you think about it. If you had to fight or run for your life you would want blood flowing not to the skin over your face, but to your brain�not to the tips of your fingers, but to your muscles.
This explains why people in extreme stress look as though the blood has drained from their faces � and why their hands are cold and clammy. The sympathetic system is turned on. This means the blood flow to the skin covering the face is turned off. Literally, the blood drains from your face!

The problem, then, is many of us are walking around with the sympathetic system turned on all the time. A 2002 Mayo Clinic article titled, Autonomic Imbalance: The Dangers of Chronic Fight or Flight, points out that many of us exist with the sympathetic system on overdrive. Our day-to-day worries send us into emergency mode all day long and our physiology has the blood vessels pinching off and the heart working harder to prepare us to fight or run for our lives. The article further explains that we need a balance to this �fight or flight� system, and that the parasympathetic system can be activated to produce this balance.

The mind/body practice
I teach clients a very simple mind/body practice that works to turn on the parasympathetic system. This is the �I am safe� mode so turning this system on effectively turns �fight or flight� off. We learn how to purposefully calm the heart and open normal blood flow to places like the skin over the face.

The nice side effects of this practice are: The eyes smile (we are not in emergency mode anymore), the tension in the face melts away (we are safe and can relax) and a rosy glow returns to the face (blood flow shifts back to nourish the skin). Learn to purposefully turn on your parasympathetic system and you will learn how to put your best face forward and look your best.

1. Start with imagery
Imagine or remember a tree. See your tree in all the details. Branches reach up to the sun and are flexible to bend in the breeze. Roots connect with the earth for nourishment, sustenance, and stability. Activate all your senses as you experience this imagery practice.

2. Connect with your breath
Answer this very simple question to yourself: What does it feel like to breathe in this present moment?� Notice your breath and let go of all else. Ride the waves of your breath with your attention.

3. Connect with your heart
Wish these phrases of loving-kindness for your own heart and for the hearts of others:

May this person be safe
May this person be mentally happy
May this person be physically happy
May this person live with ease

This mind/body practice can be as long or as short as you desire. The idea is to bring this practice to your life in a way that works for you. You can access your imagery, notice one breath, or wish a phrase of loving-kindness in half a second so that each and every one of your moments are opportunities for you to turn off the �fight or flight� sympathetic mode, turn on the �I am safe� parasympathetic mode and put your best face forward.

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"Put Your Best Face Forward"
authored by:

Dr. Robert Eric Dinenberg graduated with Honors in Anthropology from UCLA with thesis work in Mind/Body Medicine. He received his medical degree from Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, and then compl...

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