My Views on the Spirit, Mind, and Body Connection (Unit 5)

"In the East, the lotus flower is the symbol of human flourishing.  Its nascent bud represents this ever-present but undeveloped potential that lies unseen and unknown within each of us.  Slowly, the growing bud makes its way through the mud, much as our human possibilities emerge progressively from the obscuring layers of an untrained mind and a closed heart.  And once we have firmly turned toward our deepest self, gradually, petal by petal and realization by realization, our inner life with unfold.  We will then be on the most direct path to a profound and enduring health, happiness, and wholeness." -Dacher         

     We are discovering that the body, the mind and the spirit are all interconnected.  Together they create this whole that is our being.  When all three of these aspects are in harmony we are said to be well...but when one aspect is disrupted each can then fall out of place and create a state of un-wellness. 

     I was recently asked how I would rank these aspects in order of importance.  After giving this much thought I chose the following: mind, spirit, then body.  My reasoning for this is that, according to Dacher (2006), we first must develop the mind before we are able to go any further.  Once we have achieved mental wellness then we can continue on our path of development to spiritual wellness.  Then it is my personal belief that physical wellness will naturally transpire once both mental and spiritual wellness are obtained.

     I see this often in my life mostly related to how I am feeling and the downward spiral that can be caused by stress from work, school, relationships, etc. When I am mentally bogged down I begin to physically experience things like headaches, body aches, loss of appetite, fatigue, and the list goes on.  The more I make an effort to practice spiritually-enriching activities like meditation and yoga, the more I notice an improvement in my mental health, which also leads to improvements in my physical health.

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, 
     CA: Basic Health Publications Inc.