This question is not a simple one and one that philosophers have questioned for centuries. Depending on personal and spiritual beliefs you may have a different understanding of the soul than others and that is okay. Diversity in beliefs of the mind-body-soul connection is what makes it such a beautiful topic to explore. Some believe that soul is the expression of God, the universe or other spiritual figures but no matter what your beliefs are, the soul represents a deeper connection to yourself and things beyond yourself. Essentially, the soul encapsulates the connection between the mind including beliefs and feelings and spiritual aspects of life. Those are the major components that make up who you are. Spirituality can be a link between your mind and body, it can also be a very important tool in improving your mental health. Doing the things that feed the soul lead to fulfillment that align the mind and body.
Parts of the Soul
The soul is not believed to be confined to a physical body but is rather an expression of life. The parts of you both physical and invisible are created through your mind, body and other spiritual sources then expressed through your soul. The soul connects you to the things that are beyond what you can see or touch in front of you. This part of your soul can be created through Divinity, God, the universe, nature and other connections. The mind, emotions, body and spirit are components that make up the soul.
The Mind: The conscious and subconscious mind governs our thoughts, feelings and emotions. The mind is where we hold our thoughts and constructs about the world around us and how it works.
The Body: The body is the physical organism that houses our organs, cells, and body parts. The body is what physically allows us to move around our environment and interact with the world.
Emotions: Emotions are what make us human. Each day we will experience a range of emotion and it’s how we determine what we like and what we don’t like.
Spirit: Your spirit can be described as your nature. It’s something that feels natural to you or puts you at ease. Your spirit is innately good and healthy. When the mind, emotions, and body fall out of aligned, spirit can often suffer but can go unnoticed.
Connecting to Your Soul
Throughout life we pick up thoughts, beliefs and create constructs from others that then impact the way we see ourselves and our life. This can be both negative and positive, it can feed our soul or damage it. Has there ever been something you really liked until someone gave you negative feedback on it? For example, you loved painting, dancing or making music until someone said you weren’t good at it or you should give up. This is particularly harmful coming from an important figure in your life such as a parent, friend or romantic partner. So, you stopped doing it and focused on more ‘worthy’ tasks like getting a reasonable degree that would get you a stable job and steady income. There is nothing wrong with working, earning money and paying the bills but the soul needs a deep connection to thrive. When the soul is denied access to the things that bring joy, creativity and connection into life, it can make you feel out of alignment overall. The mind, body and soul are connected so when one aspect is out of alignment, it can impact you emotionally and physically as well.
Find connection to the things you love the most. This may require you to dig deep and think about ways you have denied yourself connection to joy, faith or health but you can do it. Try picking up that childhood hobby again and see how it feels. If it doesn’t feel right, you don’t have to continue, you can try something new! That’s the beauty of ‘soul searching,’ you give yourself permission to try things out and see what feels right. If you don’t know where to start, start journaling.
Journal Prompts
Here are some great journal prompts to get you started with connecting to your soul:
- If I could talk to my childhood or teenage self, one thing I would tell them is…
- The words I live by are…
- I will show myself unconditional love by…
- When I am hurting I will…
- I feel happiest when…
- I feel inspired by…
- What is one thing that I can do or learn to feel more fulfilled in life?
If you write with an open mind and honesty, you can trust what you come up with because it’s coming from deep inside yourself.
Improve the Mind-Body-Soul-Connection
Becoming conscious of all three aspects of the mind-body-soul will strength connection as you integrate them into daily life. This means checking on your mind or emotions, when you feel physically sick and checking in on your soul when your mind feelings overwhelmed. Here are some techniques to regularly integrate mind-body-soul practices into daily life:
- Yoga: The meaning of the word yoga is translated to “yoke” or “to unite.” The purpose of yoga is to unite the mind, body and spirit through movement, breathing, meditation and a higher self. Yoga is meant to promote a fulfilling lifestyle. It is physically challenging in poses while also improving health through movement and relieving stress through breath. Yoga has become popular over the years and is now easily accessible to everybody. You can find a lot of free yoga classes on YouTube.
- Meditation: Meditation comes in many different forms, which makes it a perfect technique to use. Meditation involves awareness of breath, regulation of the mind, calming of the body and connection to self or a higher power. You can utilize different types of meditation to suit your needs. If religious or faith is part of your practice, you can integrate that into meditation through prayer or mantras. There are also a lot of free meditations on YouTube and apps like InsightTimer or Calm.
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