As I walk this path of spiritual development, I am discovering new things each day. One thing that I have become more aware of is the importance of taking care of your health and that by doing so you can help your spiritual development. I think we are all aware by now that the mind, body, and spirit are connected. I love the saying that your body is your temple because it paints a very clear picture. If you think of your body as a temple that houses your spirit, how would you treat that temple? I imagine that you would treat it with love, kindness, and reverence. I think you would do your best to take really good care of that temple every day. So that is how I am going to approach my body and my health as I travel this spiritual path. I am going to see my health as part of my daily spiritual practice and try every day to get better at caring for my temple.
In this post, I will explore 5 areas that can improve your health and how they can be integrated with a spiritual practice.
1) Eat a healthy diet:
I am not talking about any one specific diet plan. I am talking about asking yourself before you eat something whether this will be good for your body or not. Certain items such as sugars and carbohydrates when eaten in large quantities can have a negative effect on the body. Also, certain fats and chemical additives can be harmful as well. Eating foods that contain a high amount of these items can lead to diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart problems, obesity, and more. On the other hand, eating more vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and drinking more water can have positive effects on your health, such as lowering cholesterol, reducing blood pressure, and losing weight.
I struggle with this issue daily and I am not saying you can change bad habits overnight. What I plan to do is to work at it every day, little by little, being conscious of what I am eating and asking myself does this food help my body or hurt my body. How do I feel after eating this, do I feel good or do I feel bad? I find that when I eat healthier, I have more energy and I feel better overall. I feel like I am being more of my true self and therefore more connected to my spirit. You can also use the time when you eat as part of your spiritual practice by taking time to express gratitude for the abundance of food in your life and for nature for providing it. You can also take the time to bring your mind to the present moment and really enjoy the flavors of what you are eating and to how it nourishes you.
2) Get enough sleep:
Getting enough sleep is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. When you sleep your body has a chance to recover, repair, and replenish. Much of the country is functioning while being sleep-deprived. According to Web MD, some of the benefits of getting enough sleep include weight control, reducing blood sugar levels, improving your immune system, aiding in pain reduction, and improving memory. You can make the time before going to bed a spiritual time as well by doing some relaxation activity like meditation, yoga, listening to soothing music, or writing in your journal.You can then take some time to pamper yourself with whatever beauty routines that you like to do. You can use this time to show love and kindness to yourself and appreciation for your body and your blessings.
3) Do some kind of movement/exercise:
Our bodies were designed to move, not to be sedentary for long periods of time. So find some kind of movement or exercise that you enjoy and do it as much as you can. This can be dancing, walking, yoga, tai chi, kickboxing, or anything that speaks to you. The important thing is to find something that you enjoy so that you will look forward to the activity and not see it as drudgery. It is easy to see how yoga and tai chi can be connected to a spiritual practice but walking, dancing and kickboxing can also be part of your spiritual practice by using your breathing, connecting to how your body feels, where are areas of tightness or blocks, letting go of tension and stress, embracing joy and the feeling of aliveness.
4) Practice meditation daily:
There is a lot of information available that talks about the benefits of meditation. Some of the benefits are it can lower blood pressure, reduce pain, help heart disease, help sleep problems, and reduce anxiety and depression. Start doing meditation in the morning and the evenings. It can be as simple as just a few minutes when you wake up where you start by just doing a few cleansing breaths and clear your mind, or maybe set your intentions for the day and then again at night, where you do a few minutes releasing the stressful thoughts or negative energy of the day. You can also do a short meditation anytime you are feeling stressed or anxious and it will help you feel more calm. Just doing 5 – 10 minutes of meditation when you feel stressed can make a huge difference. Additionally, you can use healing meditations to help you feel better overall or to have more energy. These meditations can be guided or not, they usually have you visualize yourself being surrounded by healing white, pink, or golden light or breathing in the light and exhaling out any dark or negative energies. Meditation is easy to put into your spiritual practice because it is likely already a part of your spiritual practice. Most religions or spiritual practices recommend a time to quiet the mind, whether it is through meditation or prayer.
5) Use affirmations daily:
Our thoughts affect how we feel and they can lead to actual physical ailments. For example, if you have negative thoughts about yourself, about how you look, how successful you are, your future, etc. you can start to feel depressed, sluggish, stressed out, and lose your motivation. This in turn can lead to depression, weight gain, anxiety, high blood pressure, insomnia, and more. Conversely, if you have positive thoughts about yourself and your future, you are more likely to feel happier, more energized, and more motivated to pursue your dreams. These types of feelings can lead to positive health benefits. Affirmations are short empowering positive statements of something that you want to happen as if it has already happened, for example:
I love and appreciate myself just as I am.
Abundance is my natural state of being. I accept it now.
Infinite abundance is freely flowing into my life right now.
I am vibrantly healthy and radiantly beautiful.
The light within me is creating miracles.
You can repeat them out loud or just say them silently to yourself. You can also sing them or record them and play them back to yourself. You can try saying them in the morning and then again in the evening, before or during your meditation, and see how it makes you feel. You can make affirmations part of your spiritual practice by incorporating affirmations about your spiritual connection or development, for example:
Every day in every way I am becoming better and better.
I am one with the Universe.
Higher wisdom expresses itself daily in all aspects of my life.
Every day I am becoming a more enlightened being.
I am loving light and I radiate that light to everything in the universe.
Using affirmations daily will improve your self-esteem, strengthen your belief in your ability to accomplish your goals, and improve your connection to your spirit.
I believe good health is vital to your spiritual development because when you feel good your ability to connect to your higher self is better and that increases your ability to follow your higher purpose.