Yoga connects the mind with the body. Stress causes many physical problems and diseases. These have been the adages over the recent years. While I fully believe this, I never really knew just how it worked – until today.
Today in yoga class the teacher said something that caused another ah…ha moment and gave me the answer. She said, “What the mind says, the body hears.” Soooo….the body is like a little kid that has to be shielded from the harmful things the mind says. Or we need to stop our minds from saying negative, stressful things in the first place.
What we do in our minds either causes us to be healthy, happy and strong or sick, sad, depressed, and weak. This would mean that by paying attention to healthy spiritual development we can increase the health of our bodies. I truly believe this.
All my life I’ve been a happy, optimistic person by nature and it’s only with these recent findings that I look back on my life, and my nature, and realize that the way I’ve approached all aspects of living for 59 years has a tremendous effect on my physical health today. During my difficulties this past year I was fully aware of this. I remember thinking that I must get a handle on the anxiety and depression before it begins to affect my physical health and ruin my great track record. 59 is no time to start letting my mind wreak havoc on my body, because you know my motto – “I only have one body and if I don’t take care of it, where will I live?”
Morning prayer and meditative readings, morning pages, this blog, and Bikram yoga all contribute to the development of my spirit, which in turn keeps my body strong and healthy. I believe the the mind needs as much good food and exercise as does the physical body. To keep from getting sick or afflicted with disease, I mean to keep a handle on this monkey mind of mine.
And so, as another day goes by, change your mind, change your body, change your life – not just hype, and…I have written.
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