As I prepare for my workshop, the “Essential Elements Of A Fruitful Mediation Practice”, I’m being shown it’s many benefits in my own practice. The latest revelation, which I find fascinating, is to consider how meditation balances your mind, body and spirit. Let me explain.
While we have all heard t how meditation provides positive impact on your quality of life by quieting your mind and reducing body stress, less is known about how it integrates all of our internal intelligences – our mind, body and spirit. When I contemplate what it does for me, I realize that it creates a unprecedented unification that allows all three of these integral facets of self to work seamlessly together.
In this workshop on Wednesday May 30th at Centered from 6:30-8:30 PM I’ll review this in more detail. To register and explore this topic first hand, call 859-721-1841 or use this on-line link: http://bit.ly/2eKV1o3
Here are the things I’m recognizing about creating balance:
We Tend To Utilize One Intelligence Over The Others
In my long career as a therapist, I’ve noticed that people tend to develop adaptive sets of skills to guide them through life. Most often it is either an over reliance on their mind or their body, with the spirit taking a back seat. Each is important, and each gives very distinct essential information. But when one is overly dominate, things get out of balance and we suffer. Here’s what can happen:
- Over reliance on mind intelligence can make us too analytical and ruminative. Without the feelings and spirit perspective to create balance, our mind becomes harsh, ridged and judgmental. Perspectives are serious and driven, thoughts can be self-punitive, like being on an endless treadmill.
The mind can become a tyrant, when disconnected from your body and spirit, that keeps you from being able to relax and enjoy life.
- Over utilizing our body intelligence can result in acute sensitivity to feelings and reactivity to body reactions. This can make us impulsive and/or avoidant, and unable to have reasoned, even-keeled responses. Traumatic experiences often create protective, defensive behavior accompanied by anxiety and depression.
The body’s reactivity to emotion create negative thoughts and perpetual turmoil when the mind and spirit are not providing direction.
- Over reliance on spirit, while not as prevalent, can be equally dysfunctional. It creates a focus on the spirit world that disconnects you from daily reality. Conversely, limited connection to your spirit keeps you separated from your wisdom and truth. In both cases, it’s difficult to navigate within social norms.
When the spirit is disengaged or overly involved, it’s like losing the “how to manual” for living on planet earth.
How Meditation Creates Balance
Meditation can provide our entire system the relaxation and space to realign so that balance between our mind, body and spirit is possible. When we quiet our mind, it relaxes our body and allows the spirit to provide clearer direction. This direction is what I think allows the other two intelligences to obtain moderation and balance with one another.
This is how the balance between mind, body and spirit operates:
- A quiet mind is open and relaxed. It considers options and can integrate information from both the body and the spirit. It’s very different from the mind that is constantly stressed and searching, and assuming it knows.
An open mind allows information to flow from the body and spirit to be fully informed.
- A relaxed body can discern and understand feelings and body distress. There is no reactivity. Aches, pains and disease can be understood and addressed. The intuitive information that the body received is understood without impulsive reactions.
If there is anxiety or pain in your body, it’s source will be revealed from both the mind and the spirit
- A clear channel to your spirit allows you to know your truth and allows your natural wisdom to surface to put things in perspective. Spirit information can discern what you mind needs to focus on and identify the source of distress your body may be experiencing.
Your spirit tells you how to organize and prioritize the information that your mind and body are receiving.
Ask Questions in Meditation To Engage A Mind, Body, Spirit Response
How do you get from where you are now to creating this balance? I’ve found that it will evolve naturally when you have a consistent meditation practice. Start by asking what you want to know.
The process of asking questions that are important in your life – whether it’s about relationships, work related or something esoteric – your natural intelligences open to provide an answer. Because spirit/spirit uses symbols or signs to answer (see last weeks blog for more information on this), your mind will be engaged in interpreting the answer. Your body will answer from an intuitive and physiological level. In this manner, all three types of intelligences are involved. You literally rewire yourself form the inside out to use your mind body and spirit equally.
In the quiet space of meditation, with a relaxed body, your spirit has free reign to send you the symbols and signs that provide life direction. When all three intelligences are engaged, you can operate in balance. Without a tyrannical, overbearing mind, or an impulsive, reactive body, your spirit can offer more of it’s wisdom to direct you to truth. Your mind and body will fall in line, integrating all three intelligences to operate in balance.
Does this interest you? Can you see the virtue of using mediation to create more congruence and balanced wisdom in your life? If you’d like to learn to do this for yourself, I welcome you to attend my workshop the “Essential Elements of A Fruitful Mediation Practice’ on Wednesday May 30th form 6:30-8L30 at Centered 309 North Ashland Ave. Call Centered at 859-721-1481 to register of use this on-line link: http://bit.ly/2eKV1o3 . I’d love to include you.
If you are not in this area, I am still available to work telephonically through Skype or Zoom. See my website www.spectrumtransformation.com for more information. I’d love to hear from you!
