Recently a discussion about spirituality was brought up by a friend who seemed a little puzzled by the whole concept.  How can I explain something so intangible, yet so profound to the human psyche?  I went on about how it's something so deep within your soul, and so beyond your conscious thinking, that many people who are consider themselves "spiritual" became so after an unpleasant physical, or emotionally tragic event. Something had shaken them up to the point where they knew they had to change for the sake of survival.  They then became sensitive to the world around them during the process of taking care of their bodies.  The state of being conscious of their bodies gave them the sense of feeling spiritual, or the state of being enlightened, aware, and awake.

As it's so often the case, we rarely take the time to stop, listen, and connect to the energy around us.  The "energy" I'm referring to is your physical body in response to the emotional state of your family, your job, and your home.  The “stresses” in your life are first felt by your subconscious mind (driver) then your physical body (vehicle).   In a practical way, it starts off as tension, then manifests itself into an ailment, or simply takes a form that makes you unhappy (weight gain).  It's your body's way of telling you "something is wrong in your environment"... "slow down and take care of me while you think about a resolution".  Is your body reacting negatively to one, or all of the "energies" that make up the person you are today, right here, right now?  Your body is always responding to what you say, do, and think.   Stop, listen, and connect.

How your body responds to the current state of your environment is really fascinating.  It starts innocently enough with the all too common, neck/back ache, digestive problems, lethargy, chronic disease, and virus. Unfortunately, because these symptoms are so common, we rarely take the time to pause long enough to take a pill to help us deal with the inconvenience.  However, your body is telling you something. Something so important that when you refuse to listen, can turn those pesky symptoms into more serious maladies, like severe structural damage (chronic back pain leading to surgery), depression, excessive weight gain (eating disorders,obesity), auto-immune diseases (chronic fatigue, lupus, thyroid disorders, etc.), and in extreme cases, cancer.

Of course, not everyone comes out of any ailment thinking "oh I've found spirituality".  We all have different thresholds for pain and stressful situations, therefore, get the "message" at different stages of dis-ease.  Some folks never get "it".  I'm here to spread the message to those that are ready to listen, absorb and apply practical and simple tactics to healing the body.  Because it's through understanding our bodies' reaction to our world around us that we can begin to feel spiritual – enlightened, aware, and awake. 

Is there something your body is trying to tell you, or has been trying to tell you for the past few years (many years)?  It's easy to ignore it, especially when we have so much around us to help numb the pain.  But look at it this way...  it's the only body you have in this lifetime. Treat it like a very good friend.  Nurture it like you would your own child or pet, and it will improve the quality of your life today, right here, right now.  Stop, listen, and connect.