Spiritual Fitness
Just as our bodies need physical exercise to stay healthy, our spirit (atma in Sanskrit) needs daily attention for us to be happy and peaceful. This is where the ancient art of spiritual fitness comes in…
In our everyday lives, we are constantly bombarded by cultural media messages about the importance of taking care of our bodies while also satiating our desires. We are told to work out, look good, and eat right, but we are also told to do so while having an attractive partner, money in the bank, the nicest clothing, the best social life, a job that fulfills us, a healthy family, and the most sophisticated sense of style or taste. For most of us, the list of things we are trying to do is therefore too long and the time we have to accomplish them too short, which finally results in burnout and confusion.
When we’re in the fire of this intense way of living, we often notice that we’re not feeling right, but our misguided solution is to only add more logs to the fire. We think, “I just need to go the gym more regularly,” or “I need a new diet and a vacation,” or “I need to be with someone else.” Worse, we sometimes indulge in our worst habits and behaviors because we feel hopeless and will reach for anything that seems like a quick fix.
The simple answer to all these problems is to make the goal of spiritual fitness our number one priority. Because when we spend time getting to know our spiritual selves – atma, then our problems start to take care of themselves. Just as when we place water on the root of a tree, the whole tree naturally flourishes. When we know who we are, life gets simpler and sweeter at once, even though it may still appear complicated on the surface. When we know who we are, we don’t exhaust ourselves searching for the approval of others, and the world. When we know who we are, we feel peace and happiness within. And when we know who we are, we can love others and flow along with the changes of life more easily.
But to get to know oneself as spirit, and to create a tangible relationship with our original spiritual source, we require some adjustments that take a little commitment on our part! Along this path, there are three basic areas of spiritual wellness that Vaisesika recommends incorporating into a personal spiritual-fitness plan:
Just as our bodies need physical exercise to stay healthy, our spirit (atma in Sanskrit) needs daily attention for us to be happy and peaceful. This is where the ancient art of spiritual fitness comes in…
In our everyday lives, we are constantly bombarded by cultural media messages about the importance of taking care of our bodies while also satiating our desires. We are told to work out, look good, and eat right, but we are also told to do so while having an attractive partner, money in the bank, the nicest clothing, the best social life, a job that fulfills us, a healthy family, and the most sophisticated sense of style or taste. For most of us, the list of things we are trying to do is therefore too long and the time we have to accomplish them too short, which finally results in burnout and confusion.
When we’re in the fire of this intense way of living, we often notice that we’re not feeling right, but our misguided solution is to only add more logs to the fire. We think, “I just need to go the gym more regularly,” or “I need a new diet and a vacation,” or “I need to be with someone else.” Worse, we sometimes indulge in our worst habits and behaviors because we feel hopeless and will reach for anything that seems like a quick fix.
The simple answer to all these problems is to make the goal of spiritual fitness our number one priority. Because when we spend time getting to know our spiritual selves – atma, then our problems start to take care of themselves. Just as when we place water on the root of a tree, the whole tree naturally flourishes. When we know who we are, life gets simpler and sweeter at once, even though it may still appear complicated on the surface. When we know who we are, we don’t exhaust ourselves searching for the approval of others, and the world. When we know who we are, we feel peace and happiness within. And when we know who we are, we can love others and flow along with the changes of life more easily.
But to get to know oneself as spirit, and to create a tangible relationship with our original spiritual source, we require some adjustments that take a little commitment on our part!
Along this path, there are three basic areas of spiritual wellness that Vaisesika recommends incorporating into a personal spiritual-fitness plan:
BODY
It’s hard to connect with the indwelling atma if we aren’t taking care of our bodies, and so this is the first level of spiritual fitness. Our bodies are the home of the spirit, and not taking care of ourselves is the equivalent of trying to live in the same house with an awful roommate.
When we start to take care of our bodies, seeing them as temples, we not only remember our higher purpose in life, but we also become aware of the happiness that comes from our own selves as a spiritual beings.
MIND
As we are taking care of the body, we also need to take care of the mind. One of the simplest needs that we have on the level of the mind is to hear from sources of wisdom about the nature of ourselves and the nature of life.
Mental health is also about learning how to make the mind a friend, rather than letting our mind with its thought-life become an enemy. Friendship with the mind comes from regularly feeding it high-minded association and topics for contemplation.
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SPIRIT
Finally, as we arrange for a mental and physical environment conducive to spiritual awareness, we can increasingly benefit from the practice of mantra-meditation.
Through sacred sound inherent in mantra-meditation, we begin to catch glimpses of our indwelling spirit, while also gradually opening ourselves up to a relationship with our original, divine source.
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