Why Strive for Balance?

We consists of four components: Mind, Body, Soul (heart) & Spirit. One component builds upon the other. They are sequential as well as simultaneous meaning that you must pay attention to all four to sustain a life of oustanding performance, health and joy! There must be a balance between analytical processes, feeling & creativity, and action to be in full expression of who we are as an individual contributing to the whole.

How do we know when we have become imbalanced?

Listen to your body. It will tell you! The imbalance can show up as headaches, tension and stiffness in the muscles or more seriously, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, older biological age, etc. There are many schools of thought that all dis-ease is a result of an imbalance within the four components of who we are.

Listen to your emotions. They will tell you! Are you having frequent feelings of despair, hopelessness, lack of enthusiasm, or excessive anger, anxiety or depression? Many have come to believe that these conditions are our natural state - a normal part of life! I disagree. We are here to experience a life of passion, enthusiasm and ultimate health.

What can we do to create or maintain the balance in Mind, Body, Soul & Spirit?

Let's begin with the physical aspect: Move your body! Find the exercise that you enjoy whether it's swimming, hiking, tennis, aerobic dance, yoga, belly dancing, whatever...just move! We must move and stretch to stay strong and flexible. Effective action is very difficult if you are not feeling well physically. If we lack energy and vitality, then meeting the demands of our everyday life becomes a struggle.

Secondly, let me address the mind and emotions as I belileve they go hand in hand: Turn off the TV, radio, and push away from the computer! Spend time in quiet reflection or meditation. Meditation is the foremost balance technique in human experience! It quiets all the analytical thinking and puts you in touch with your Self, your needs! It nurtures your Soul. In the silence truth and wisdom is revealed to you. It heightens your awareness and you become more integrated as a whole in mind, body & spirit, therfore expressing and experiencing your Self more fully.

Find the meditation technique that you enjoy such as journey meditation combining imagery and visualization or sounding meditation using repetition of a sound as its focal point, movement meditation such as yoga or strolling thru nature, or perhaps listening to soothing music with closed eyes. The perfect meditation is if ultimately you leave feeling better than when you began!

Striving for balance in Mind, Body, Soul (heart) & Spirit guarantees a life full of passion, enthusiasm and ultimate health!

-Denna J. Shelton
www.twentygems.com