The Reality of the Mind, Body, Soul Connection
Seeing all the many ways we can take responsibility and nurture our mind-body-soul connection, we should feel empowered to take action. However, in BIPOC communities feeling empowered to align mind, body, and soul can feel fairly new when we look at mainstream discussion topics. The relationship between the trilogy is a divine connection that we must cherish and nurture to live an optimal life. The mind-body-soul link is an integrated system that makes up our identity, determines our health, and makes us who we are day-to-day.
Today’s headlines and influencers present the journey of this connection as an easy-to-do process when the reality of this experience varies among people. The mind is often associated with just our thoughts and emotions. However, the mind is also responsible for humans having intellect, consciousness, imagination, memory, perception, and the overall experience of the cognitive process. The mind-body-soul connection is the vehicle in which humans can continuously reinvent themselves. If left untrained or unfocused, the mind will repeat the status quo and “habitual patterns of personality.”
Men ought to know that from the brain, and from the brain alone, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter, and jests, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs, and tears. Through it, in particular, we think, see, hear and distinguish the ugly from the beautiful, the bad from the good, the pleasant from the unpleasant… I hold that the brain is the most powerful organ of the human body… wherefore I assert that the brain is the interpreter of consciousness…’ (Hippocrates*: On the sacred disease*. Quoted by Prioreschi [1996])
It is said that change begins with the mind, but we must not forget that the body and the soul will follow. In some cases, our mind can send our body and soul to spaces that don’t support our growth. To maintain a high vibrational flow within the mind-body-soul, we must maintain a high vibrational routine. This is when our body can follow the mind, executing actions that support the necessary patterns to live out our daily living experience. There is no question that the relationship between the body and self-will requires consistency and optimism. You can “Reshape yourself through the power of your will, never let yourself be degraded by self-will. The will is the only friend of the self, and the will is the only enemy of the self (6:5, The Bhagavad Gita).”
It is not uncommon to feel an imbalance within this connection. The desire to do better can be challenging because our patterns or cycles can be challenging to overcome. However, our soul supports the mind-body connection bringing everything full circle. Our soul is an essential part of our human experience. It provides the power to desire what we wish to enjoy in this life. Our soul reflects whether or not we believe in ourselves and have faith that what we desire is in alignment. When our soul is reminded of the desire at hand, we experience a strong mind-body-soul connection providing a fully integrated and immersive life experience.
The best thing about the process of connecting the mind, body, and soul is the freedom to individualize how that connection is made and maintained. Approaching this journey cannot be seen from a one-size-fits-all perspective. This connection requires a holistic approach that supports your individual needs and provides a practical plan for taking responsibility of yourself. “Taking responsibility means that in the face of barriers, we still can invent our lives, to shape our destinies in ways that maximize our wellbeing. Every day we practice this shape-shifting to cope with realities we cannot easily change (Hooks, 2014).”
Our focus and intention are what keep the mind-body-soul flow in motion. How we nurture this flow creates the aura and energy we emit into the world. When there is disharmony within this connection, we see the lack of balance in our health, mindset, perception, and overall outlook on life. While the conversation of energy balance and healing is still growing, we must remain aware that our reality within this process is unique from one another. As we take responsibility for our mind-body-soul connection, we must remain empowered to take action for the sake of our wellbeing. When we are in balance, not only do we accept and affirm ourselves, we can extend that acceptance and affirmation to others.