Body-Spirit Correlations

It has been a personal privilege and a rich prosperity of growth opportunities that are brought to me by the people I work with. In the wellness coaching and bodywork/massage therapy work, that I have been doing with the Community At Work Wellness Initiative and Kwanzaa Community Fellowship, some interesting imagery has been developing around the integration of body, mind and spirit. Recently, these have grown around practical ways of expressing spirituality through the body. If, we embrace the concept that we are spiritual beings living a physical existence then the holistic model is easy to realize. We then will see that "talking the talk" and "walking the walk" can be the same experience. We may also live in stronger integrity as we see our spiritual values manifest as daily actions.

This relationship between body and the spirit can be strengthened by bringing into awareness the things we learn in the spiritual realm and practice them in the physical realm and visa-versa.

In prayer, meditation and affirmations the way we prepare ourselves to both be aware of and open to receiving the blessings which Spirit has to offer is similar to the way in which on a massage table or during stretching, we allow our body to begin to relax and become open to the possibilities of healing change and growth.

When we experience without forethought or ulterior motives a simple physical act such as a good laugh, the refreshing taste of cool water or the luxurious sensation of a hot bath, we realize the way in which we can innocently experience others when we relinquish our need to judge, rationalize or justify.

The relief we can experience when we let go of a resentment or old wound that we've carried for too long is like the release our tight rigid shoulders feel when we understand that the weight we've been carrying is an imagined reality that will not take place.

The cleansing freedom that we perceive when we exhale with a full sigh and begin breathing deeply and completely is akin to sense of peace that occurs when we can yield our obsessive need to worry about things out of our control. In the same way we release the carbon-dioxide which we no longer need and open our lungs to the oxygen which renews us. Similarly, in spiritual surrender we give up those behaviors and habits which we longer serve ourselves or our community. We, then become open to the greater purpose at hand.

The spiritual act of faith is in essence the willingness to be patient and accept that all will unfold as it should and that all that is needed will be provided. Physically, our natural ability to heal is also one of faith and empowerment. It involves the recognition that within us exist the tools and process which allow us to change, grow and heal. In both spiritual and physical acts of faith, conscious choice, follow through, and discipline are required.