3/3 Alignment
NEW! Listen to the beginning of this blog post narrated by the author:
We all have this gut/intuition/energy/God radio that we’re born with on our hip. We didn't ask for it. It comes attached to us when we arrive from the womb. It guides us and directs us along the journey of life. When we’re in tune with God radio, the inner voice is second nature. The volume is clear. We don't even question the direction. We walk..fearlessly and effortlessly. But when we’re out of tune, and the antenna is leaning, and the sound is frazzled, and the volume is low, we don't know where to go.
Mind, body and soul are interconnected and interdependent upon each other–one unified being. When one is out of sync, all are. So our goal is to be 3/3. This is the year of alignment. We want to flourish. We want to be our best. We want to be at our optimal level. To align is to place in a row. To reach the zenith, to be in tune, one must be harmonized. Well, what does that look like?
Clear mind
As we’ve discussed in past blog posts, our minds take in copious amounts of information on a daily basis. And because we live in the age of technological advances where anything we want is at our fingertips, our TVs, laptops and tablets take up a lot of our brain’s real estate.
Though most of us need our tech devices in order to make a living, it speeds up our nervous system–causing additional stress and higher cortisol levels. We can counteract this internal stress by practicing the art of slowing down. In a fast paced world, slowing down is unconventional. However, again, we are aiming for alignment of mind, body and soul so that we can thrive.This looks like offsetting our screen time with mindful walking, qi gong, tai chi, yoga, and other movements at low speeds that give our nervous system a break from the constant processing. Even a five-minute mindfulness meditation can help decrease cortisol levels.
Clear Body
We only get one. Our ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders must last us for a lifetime. If you tweak your back while moving furniture, take care of it now. If those chest pains are persistent, call your doctor and take care of it now. If you’re only sleeping 3 hours a night, make those changes now. Take action to alleviate any aches, pains or soreness. Rest in a mineral soak, sweat out toxins in a sauna, pick up the pace with some basketball or join a softball team, drink your water, eat whole/gut-healthy foods (scientists say that our gut acts as our second mind!), book that massage!
Clear Spirit
Clearing our spiritual environment looks like devotion to a universal truth.
That could mean spending more time in holy books like the Bible, Quran, or Yoga Sutras, or increasing our time spent in nature or meditation. Great sages and prophets have documented the wisdom that they’ve received from God radio and have spoken of it for millenia. We should lean into that truth and find refuge in it. Let’s hand our doubts, fears, insecurities, worries, and concerns over to the Divine plan and see the adversity we are faced with as an opportunity to ascend to new heights in our spiritual growth.
Understand: Nobody is perfect. The fact that we are each pursuing our best is admirable in itself. Allowing ourselves grace along this journey–even when we go ⅓, ⅔ or even zero out of 3–is extremely important. When we beat ourselves up for not reaching our internal standards, our bodies hear it, and our minds hear it. This makes it even more difficult to continue. Imagine walking along the path, and from the top of the mountain you see your hologram throwing stones at you.
Grace is our best friend.
The one we take with us on this journey.
Grace is the beating drum in the back of our mind every step of the way.
Reflection: How did I honor my mind, body and soul today?
