About Time: We Talked About Mind, Body & SoulBy Angelica Malin

It’s probably fair to say that in the western world, we concentrate more on the mind and the body than the soul. Often anything to do with our spiritual or soulful side is seen to be caught up with religious beliefs and as a consequence seems to get neglected as we collectively understand more about the physical nature of the universe and as we avoid discussing religion out of tact. Of course, for those people who do have strong religious beliefs, neglect of the soul isn’t usually a big issue. But for the rest of us, it is.

Nevertheless, we all have our soulful side and it needs to be nurtured to balance who we are and how we cope with modern life – alongside our minds and bodies which, generally speaking, are far less neglected in western societies.

So how do the non-religious or non-practising amongst us achieve that mind-body-soul balance? Well for one thing, even thinking about it and recognising the need is a great start. Many people don’t even acknowledge their soul’s existence until an earth-shattering event like the loss of a loved one comes along.

In such desperately sad times, people often feel that they have nowhere to turn. So it’s important to prepare for life’s inevitabilities and the effect it has on our souls in advance. Sites like The Circle offer soul-nurturing assistance for people who acknowledge their spiritual side but who maybe haven’t yet done anything about it. People with true insight into what makes us tick can have a remarkably transformative and positive effect on how fundamentally content we are to simply be ourselves – accepting who we really are, warts and all. This kind of approach is healthy as we accept that life isn’t perfect, that we aren’t perfect in mind and body – but that our soul is ours alone and a wonderful place to be.

Similarly, practising meditation, perhaps by enrolling in a meditation or mindfulness class, can really help us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves in ways that are simply beyond description. In fact, in some ways, the fact that these ways are almost impossible to articulate, makes them even more desirable. The soul simply “understands” beyond words in a way that your mind doesn’t. It needs no explanation, it is simply there and has been with you all your life whether you acknowledge it or not.

Finding the art you love in whatever form is another route to your own soul. If you have an affinity for a painting or a piece of music, you may not be able to describe, exactly, how and why it moves you; it just does. This is the same principle. There are no rights and wrongs – it’s just you.

Finally, exercise can have the same effect. Most people exercise because they want to improve their physical appearance, but if you find the exercise you love, you do it because it takes you to another place entirely. Exercising because it takes you to that inner soulful place is a better motivator than looking good – the latter is just a fringe benefit!