Body, Mind & Soul: The Daily Practice of Spiritual Wellness

In Short: Spiritual wellness is the practice of extending the fruits of meditation into every part of daily life, not leaving them behind on the meditation cushion. Body, mind, and Aathman (Soul) are closely interconnected, and caring for one supports the others. It shows up in small, consistent habits: how one eats, breathes, sleeps, prays, and loves.

The Body Is a Temple

A Yogi must learn to respect the body as a gift, one that is closely interconnected and interrelated with the mind and the Aathman. Affecting one of these affects the rest. Meditation, then, is not only an effort to befriend the mind. Its fruits must be consciously carried into the care of the body and into the ordinary walks of daily life.

HH Guruji Sundar reminds seekers, "Body is the temple where the Soul dwells. Mind is the bridge between the Body and the Soul."

Daily Spiritual Wellness Practices That Support the Body

A few simple, consistent habits form the foundation of spiritual wellness:

• Avoiding outside food as far as possible, treated as a kind of penance.

• Bathing twice a day, with a moment of remembrance and obeisance to the river Ganges and other perennial rivers each time.

• A few minutes of Om chanting, to help alleviate the ill effects held in the body.

• Eating in a conscious manner, without television or gossip. Eating with total awareness and thankfulness to the food itself is its own form of meditation.

• Practising deep breathing. Most people are so caught up in the mind that they don't even breathe properly. It helps to breathe in a relaxed manner, fully expanding the abdomen on the inhale and contracting it on the exhale.

  
  

Practices That Support the Mind

Silence and rest are as much a practice as sitting in meditation. The art of being silent means practising conscious silence for a few minutes every day. Alongside this, there is a technique of voluntarily stopping the mind for five minutes and then relaxing it for the next five minutes, repeated across three cycles. The fruit of this practice is felt then and there.

Spiritual Sleep

Sleep, too, is part of spiritual wellness, though few explore what actually happens during it. In deep sleep, one remains rooted to one's being only in a subconscious state. What matters is not how many hours are slept, but the quality of that sleep. Sleeping while focusing gently on the Ajna Chakra, or Third Eye, brings a sleep of an entirely different quality, and the freshness of it is felt the very next day.

Prayer and Love as Daily Practice

Praying for others carries its own wellness, in turn helping the one who prays. It brings about good qualities and beneficial changes within, helping a person grow better day by day. Prayer belongs at the end of every meditation session for its fruit to be complete. Love, too, is central to spiritual wellness. It is the unconditional, total blossoming spoken of like the opening of a flower, offered without expectation of return.

Key Takeaway

Spiritual wellness is not a single practice but a way of living: caring for the body as a temple, quieting the mind through silence and rest, sleeping with awareness, and closing each day with prayer and love. Meditation's fruits are only complete when they are carried into these small, daily habits.

Spiritual wellness grows through small, consistent daily habits guided by sincere practice. Explore the meditation guidance and courses that support this way of living.

FAQs

What is spiritual wellness? Spiritual wellness is the holistic care of body, mind, and Aathman together, recognising that they are closely interconnected. It extends the fruits of meditation into daily habits like eating, breathing, sleeping, prayer, and love.

How can I take care of my body spiritually? Simple daily habits support this: eating consciously without distraction, practising deep breathing, chanting Om for a few minutes, and bathing with a moment of remembrance and gratitude.

What is the "voluntary stopping of the mind" technique? It involves consciously stopping the mind for five minutes, then relaxing it for the next five minutes, repeated across three cycles. Its effect is felt immediately.

Why does prayer matter in spiritual wellness? Praying for others, especially at the end of a meditation session, brings beneficial changes within and helps a person grow better day by day. It is considered essential for meditation to bear its complete fruit.