Spring Training for the Soul
BY DEBORAH BARR

Spring training for the soul... an unusual concept in this day and age. We all know how to get ourselves into physical shape, but what about the spirit within? When our soul is fulfilled, joyful and experiencing self-love, then a healthy, strong body is a natural outflow. Achieving balanced physical health becomes easy.

Traditional Chinese medicine teaches us that all problems have a spiritual, mental, emotional and physical cause. Once any problem has reached the physical level, it has already filtered through the spiritual, mental and emotional aspects of our being. The spiritual is the highest level from which to work on ourselves to resolve any difficulties we may be experiencing.

When our soul is fulfilled, joyful and experiencing self-love then a healthy, strong body is a natural outflow. Achieving balanced physical health becomes easy.

Our soul is always seeking to express itself through our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and way of life. It is the place within us where joy, fulfillment, peace, compassion, empathy, kindness, abundance, brilliance, miracles, and love emerge. Many of us have weary spirits from too much work, worry, fear, doubt, anger, judgment, control, and feelings of lack in ourselves, and in our lives. These negatives are a cause of poor health, financial lack, and lack in general (not vice versa). This is why it is so important to learn to condition, nurture and grow our spirit.

What can we do? What promotes a healthy spirit?

Here are a few tips that, when practiced diligently, will bring about profound changes in our health and in our lives:

Keep things simple - Get rid of everything and everyone that does not support your wellness and your highest good. We spend a lot of energy on physical clutter, mental clutter, and lives that are cluttered with too many things we don't want to be doing.
 

Always tell the truth to yourself and others. Also, tell the truth about yourself to others.
Every "untruth" we tell, no matter how small, is making a statement of fear. Fear is debilitating to our spiritual growth.

Don't hurt yourself and don't hurt others. Depriving ourselves of leisure time to engage in joyful activities is hurting ourselves. Eating junk food is hurting ourselves. Withholding our love and appreciation of people in our lives hurts us and others. Mean-spiritedness hurts everyone.

Let the past remain the past. It's over! All of the events of our lives are catalysts to bring us to a healthier, happier life. Example: The boss who fired us from a job we never liked which led us to a job we love. Time to let go of resenting the boss-he forced us to do what we really wanted. The excessively critical parent forces us to see our value unconditionally. Forgive them!  Forgive everyone and everything that could possibly need to be forgiven. It is so freeing!

Give away whatever you are seeking! Want love in your life? Then, be more loving. Want more joy? Give joy to people in your existence. BE what you are trying to get. Want more money? Start giVll1g more. If you don't have money to give, you can give your friendship, kindness or time.

Cultivate a relationship of trust with your spirit. Our spirit self has all the answers we are seeking. Open up a communication with it. Meditation, prayer, quiet reflection, journaling, and creative endeavors are a few ways to do this.  Let's become aware of what we want and trust our higher selves to lead us in the right direction.

These are a few simple, although not easy, practices we can begin to incorporate into our lives. Doing so will uplift our spirits to the unlimited potential within for creating the happy, healthy, peaceful, loving lives we desire.

Copyright Deborah Barr. All rights reserved. Deborah Barr works with national clientele to help them realize radiant health of body, mind/emotions and spirit, as well as joyful, abundant living. Deborah is a speaker and writer sharing her holistic message to regional and national audiences. She can be reached by calling 412.421.7760, via email at health@wholehealthresources, or visiting www. wholehealthresources.com.