Mind-Body-Soul

Chances are you’ve heard the phrase “Mind body soul”…

Perhaps on Instagram attatched to a stunning picture of either a mountain top, a sunset, an ocean, or a model in perfect shape sitting peacefully in front of the lense.

The phrase “mind body soul” vaguely emphasises the importance of all three elements and thus it calls for some elaboration or exploration.

There are a number of interpretations when it comes to defining these 3 elements and just as many when it comes to how to prioritise or balance all three.

In this blog I will share my OWN perspective.

My approach is to focus on the mind and body, the yin and yang as I see it. Both need stimulation, so if you’re very active, perhaps it’s time to be passive and sit down and meditate (or simply read a book). On the other hand if all you do is meditate, you may be very peaceful, but that’s not all there is to existence, so get up and activate your body, if not your life will be out of balance.

The legend says that Bodhidharma taught kung-fu to the shaolin monks because they were out of shape, always focused on stillness and meditation. Nowadays shaolin monks put their bodies thru a lot of stress and relax their minds thru meditation. They even combine meditation and movement into one when practising the internal elements of kung fu.

But WHAT ABOUT THE SOUL? Well, my focus is to cultivate and stimulate my mind and body and I believe that will lead to a more soulful experience with this life I have to live.

At times I manage to experience and do things which greatly stimulate my body and mind at once. Martial arts, yoga, massage, sex, parkour and anything which requires focus and use of the body can be a means of achieving this.

But for the most part I focus on either nurturing my body or my mind…

Here’s a list of things I do pretty often, which stimulate me.

Body stimulation:

Pullups, pushups, situps. Martial arts (jumping, kicking, stance work, wrestling) this really is the most well rounded physical exercise for me, as it requires me to practise coordination, balance, endurance and explosiveness. Lifting weights.

Mind stimulation:

Reading. Not books really, mostly stuff online. Articles on politics, science, autobiographies. Watching: Documentaries. Youtube videos on subjects such as film analysis, philosophy, sociology, history, spirituality and pretty much anything really. I recommend the channels VSauce, Nerdwriter and Crash Course as well as Joe Rogan’s podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.

When I feel a lack of nourishment in my soul, it’s often because I haven’t done enough to stimulate my body and mind. If I’ve used my mind a lot I will use my body instead and vice versa.

Now my life isn’t always spiritual or greatly satisfying, but some of my best days have come from having this mind-body-soul connection in mind.

Here’s an example of a day in my life, where I kept this focus.

(If you want to know more about my lifestyle and what it’s like to run a project like Zen-Dragon, then check out the vlogs I post occasionally on the Youtube channel, when I’m not busy covering the various aspects of martial arts)