Holistic living is much more than the foods you put into your body and the amount of time you spend moving and exercising. It’s also about your spiritual practice and your emotional and mental well-being.
The three-legged stool
Think of your body, mind and spirit as a three-legged stool: it keeps you upright but when you try to balance your life on just one or two legs, you’ll topple over. The same thing happens when you tend to over-use one of the legs of this stool: you’ll lose your balance and fall down.
But if all three legs are strong, the stool will be solid and it will be able to take a lot of pressure before it breaks. Knowing that your stool is strong and solid will also give you a lot more confidence and outside forces can’t knock you down that easily anymore.
Spirituality: the ignored third leg of the stool
We spend many years developing our mind at higher levels of education and we spend hours developing our body through healthy eating and exercise but our spiritual development often gets ignored.
Expanding your mind and nourishing your body are not just things that are nice-to-have: eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, managing your stress, learning new things, reading books, trying new hobbies, becoming more aware of your thoughts and feelings, having control over your emotions instead of letting your emotions control you, developing emotional intelligence and thinking positive thoughts are without a doubt an essential part of living a rich and fulfilling life but the same goes for nurturing your spirit. You have to live your life on purpose and for a purpose. Too many people just exist and then wonder why their life has no meaning or hasn’t turned out like they had planned.
Are you in need of a spiritual reawakening?
Spiritual wellbeing and striving for spiritual balance is not so much about attending formal religious services but more about feeling that you are part of something bigger than yourself. For some people this means having a relationship with God but for me it means feeling a connection with nature and the universe. It’s also about having clear values and knowing what your purpose in life is.
There are many ways to reinvigorate your mind-body-spirit connection with a spiritual reawakening:
Pursue your passions with hobbies or activities that fill your cup
Volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about
Practice mindfulness
Keep a gratitude journal
Try guided meditation
Take a yoga or tai chi class
Are your mind, body and soul in balance or is your stool wobbling?
©HolisticHappiness2023
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