Fitness of the Body, Mind, Spirit
“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.”
Having been working in the fitness industry as a personal trainer for over a decade and half of that as a massage therapist, I’ve grown to see and appreciate the need for a holistic way of taking care of the human body, an approach integrating Body, Mind, and Spirit. Since the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, it makes sense to give equal attention to all the components, instead of just one. We have placed such a big emphasis on the optimal functioning of the physical body as if that’s all there was to it.
My own journey started with the physical component. For well over a decade I have been on a path of training the physical body: strength training, nourishing it with proper foods, resting whenever body needed it; working with clients on a professional level, training, coaching, teaching and sharing with them whatever “latest information/research” came out. I always loved it! It was my passion in life, my "calling" if you will. However, as my path continued to unfold, a sense of – “this is not enough” & “there is more to it” emerged. The yearning to be spiritually healthy, not just physically, came to the foreground. The interest and pull towards spiritual component became too strong to be ignored. For a while, there was this back and forth: “Do I continue with the physical, or do I embrace the spiritual?” On and on I went. It was quite frustrating, yet much needed, phase of the growth process. Neither the physical nor the spiritual by itself seemed to be the answer. It somehow felt incomplete, as if something was missing. I truly didn't want to forgo the physical component in favor of a spiritual one. So the only way to go about it was to integrate the physical and spiritual together. Eventually, a profound epiphany emerged:
“It’s all about BALANCE of the physical, emotional, and spiritual.”
It was a deep-seated realization, which hit me like a ton of bricks. Not too long after that, a message in the dream appeared to drive it home even further. I awoke one morning with this sentence looping in my head:
“The health of the physical body depends of the health of the Spirit and your connection to it.”
After that dream, it all sank in. I finally understood that it is all about integration, at least in my own journey: a perfect harmony of body, mind, emotions, and Spirit. What a powerhouse for a Soul signature to reside in, no? So the exercise regimen continues deadlifts, squats, lunges, and all other theatrics in the gym (wink, wink), but in a more balanced fashion. What became as important was daily meditation, maintaining neutrality, and diligent work of reconnecting with spiritual nature, all while tuning into my Heart, Soul, and Spirit for how best to go about it.
With a loving heart, Anna
