The Power of Positive and Negative

Have you ever walked into a room that was full of tension? Automatically you feel uncomfortable, your body language changes, and you may feel like you must protect yourself or get out of the situation. Shoulders start to hunch, back becomes rigid, knees give out, and the sides of the neck and jaw clench up as a bodily response and the mind gets anxious or withdrawn. Now flip that situation. Have you ever walked into a room with a warm comfy feeling? People are either laughing or smiling, everyone is at ease and relaxed. Your body stays comfortable as you walk around confidently and perhaps join in on a few of the smiles or laughs. What created these two very different environments? Negative and Positive Thoughts

It’s amazing when you think about it. Even if there was no sound in either room, we can still pick up on body language and the aura that people give off. I experienced the power of positive and negative thoughts recently when I attended a Chakra reading workshop. I stood in the center of the room as people felt my 7th layer Chakra. People were commenting on how powerful and energized it felt. As they did that, I decided to think of the most inspirational, happy, and powerful images I could muster up. I thought of everything from a dynamic yoga practice with a beautiful orange sun in the back drop, children laughing, and of course, my best friend and I being complete goof balls. I was able to make the room electric, inviting and actually physically warm. Afterwards, I decided to try out the power of negative. I began to think of the most terrifying and hurtful place I had ever been to…Hiroshima, Japan. I pictured the images I saw in the Peace Memorial Museum of children crying, flames, and all of the other carnage I witness. I noticed while doing this, not only did my body expressions change, but everyone else’s did as well. People started hunching, lowering their eyes and chins, and internally rotating their shoulders. Finally, the room started to feel icy. I was amazed at the power I had. I thought, wow, I knew it, I’m a superhero. Later the teacher burst my bubble and said that everyone has that power….I just knew how to latch onto it.

My point in telling that story is this: Positive and negative thoughts are powerful and impactful and they can affect not only your mental state, but you physical state as well. Have you ever noticed that when you stay positive and happy things just sort of work out in the end? There’s a reason. Everyone has the power to affect the world around them in a positive or negative way. The aura that you emit reflects the person you are inside. Even if you’re having an awful day the worst thing you can do is let negativity take over your brain because it’s a recipe for disaster. Try your hardest to think of a funny situation you’ve been in or a comedy sketch. Think of something to pull you out of the negative hole….otherwise, it becomes a black hole and sucks down everyone around you.



So stay positive. Think happy thoughts. Apply this mentality to your fitness mentality as well. If you get down on yourself and say internally, “I’m so fat, what’s the point” or “I’ll never get to where I want” or “I can’t believe I ate that, I’ll never reach my goals,” then you’ve lost the battle before the fight. Replace “I can’t” with “I can and I will” and replace “don’t with do.” Never let anyone keep you from reaching your goals and if you do come across a “negative nelly,” space yourself out from them. You owe it to yourself to surround yourself with a nurturing, enlightening atmosphere. It will impact not only your fitness goals, but it will also spill over into your entire outlook on life. So keep your chin up and Stay Positive!







Erin Geraghty-Balent is a multi-faceted personal trainer. She is nationally ceritified in Personal Training and Yoga. She is a black belt in martial arts from a mix of Shotokan, Jujitsu, and Judo and has taught women’s self defense and cardio combat in Japan and the United States. As the yin to her yang, she is also a nationally certified yoga instructor and blends elements of Iyengar, Vinyasa, and Chakra yogic styles, martial arts, and isotonic isolation into her practice. In her spare time, she studies nutrition, orthomolecular science, meditation, Japanese and she also skates and trains on Bradenton’s premier roller derby league, the Bradentucky Bombers, as YAKUZA GIRL.
Erin is an athlete in every sense and embodies what she calls, “Kyou Shou teki”,” which translates to “Competitive Spirit.” She trains athletes on a daily basis, but also has experience building foundational fitness through functional and rehabilitative training.

Some of Erin’s favorite quotes include: “When in doubt, Breathe,” “The only thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure” and “It takes strength to survive. It takes courage to live.”