Spiritual health is not something other than our bodies. Just like physical health is not something separate from spiritual health. To touch any is to touch all.

Someone in good physical health is more likely to have a healthier spiritual condition. Maintaining a spiritual practice informs me on what does or does not contribute to my overall health. A spiritual practice could be something as simple as making time to go walk in nature or as elaborate as being in a ritual at a religious temple or at home.

Spiritual health is maintained by taking care of all of our faculties, and our understanding of our faculties expands as we grow. These go beyond things we perceive as physical. Truly, “things” ARE, in some sense, before coming into existence as we most commonly study it. A thought is something that precedes its manifestation. By taking care of our mind we are taking care of ourselves. I am actively walking my path by doing whatever necessary to maintain a healthy mind. The changes I make in my life to honor what I know now and what I need is really living an engaged and wonderful life. It sounds too simple, and I’m saying this because we often feel like something is missing or that we just need to try harder in life. Sometimes, we just need to remember who we are, and our rememberance brings a kind of relief through this truth and acceptance. Even if our circumstances are quite uncomfortable, our new posture gives us a kind of calm and openness to approach these challenges with confidence and poise.

Spiritual health becomes more and more important as we unfold as the result of our caring for ourselves, and the effects of caring or not caring seem more pronounced. We realize more what it means to have a body, a mind, and senses than we were once capable of. In unfolding as conscious beings with bodies we realize the responsibility of maintaining healthy balance in our bodies, minds, and lives…and that these are not necessarily separate things.

Our physical health is to a degree a reflection of our spiritual health. By our study and practice of one we inform the other until we realize how much this is a dance. We become better dancers understanding how a move in any direction changes our perspective and how our responses to our environment also shapes our environment.

So how do we become better dancers with better balance? We pay attention. I feel like I talk about this quite a bit. Pay attention. Our attention requires our mind to be focused. We might find that this is the one thing we can always choose. Our focus, our intention, our will, is always ours alone no matter what is going on. At any moment the degree to which we are attentive may change, but those who realize and hone their minds have a greater capacity for health than those who are constantly giving it away…slaves of impressions and the environment. This may sound harsh or critical, yet I don’t mean it this way. It’s just that I get it…I know how it is from my own experiences. I’m saying we can move on the spectrum of wakefulness in our lives and sometimes it just takes a moment to realize we had been carried away. We all need this reminder at times. I’m writing this hoping to offer help. Sometimes we just need someone to say “Wake up!!!”. Writing this is also helpful for me.

All of this information shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Yes, this is a dance we find ourselves in, but it is also just a dance. We can trip over each other and apologize and laugh or cry. The dance doesn’t last forever and we get to choose to learn and enjoy it! Our lives are like a spectacle. The goal is to be present and here for it.

We cannot escape being human and why should we try? Yes, the world has felt like it is very much in a state of chaos. To drive on the highway can feel traumatic. To work with people at all can feel exhausting and ugly at times. We’re messy. We need help. Those of us who are here to help are here to help. We don’t have to judge nor let people use or dump on us. We stay healthy for the gifts and joys of being alive and the pleasure of serving others.