SOUL

“The health of the soul is the greatest wealth.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

The “soul work” is my favorite remaining third of the puzzle because I find it to be the most fulfilling, the most awe-inspiring. Tending to our minds and bodies are important, yes, but without the connection to the soul we will struggle to find the feeling of fulfillment.

Every religion and spiritual practice have different beliefs when it comes to the soul. From the Christian belief that the soul is created by God and goes on to heaven or hell after physical body death to the Hindu belief that the soul is eternal and cycles through birth, life, death, rebirth, life, death, to the Cartesian belief that the soul is separate from the body and it’s own entity.

I, personally, think it’s egotistical of humans to try to understand the meaning, purpose, or definition of the soul. I believe the only understanding we need of the soul is how to connect to our own, how to care for our own. That connection and care will look so different for everyone that it’s no wonder the ideology of the soul is so varied!

One thing that I am sure of is that in tending to our mind and tending to our body – we also tend to our soul. In taking care of ourselves – we tend to our soul.

A large part of soul connection, for me, was in self-reflection, mindfulness, and intention. I was living on auto-pilot, doing what I thought I had to do instead of what I actually wanted to do. I was living in a way that my life didn’t align with my values. I was disconnected from nature and living a material-based life and I wasn’t fulfilled.

I shifted my lifestyle to naturally tend to my soul. I stopped living a fast, money driven life and adopted a slow living lifestyle. I started spending more time outside and recognized that although I am a human – I am still an animal that is part of an ecosystem and without that connection to the earth, I feel disconnected from myself. I stopped looking at self-care as manicures and massages and started looking at self-care as exercise, ritualized habits, rest and hobbies/habits that bring me joy.

I stopped looking at joy and rest as something I needed to earn to partake in. I stopped believing that I needed to struggle to be worthy of a peaceful, joyous life.

Everything under this SOUL category is made up of the things that light my soul up. Some of the things that connect me to my soul are time in nature, learning life lessons and growing, not rushing through life, finding gratitude, my yoga practice and even this website – my YouTube videos and sharing parts of my journey. And for that, I’d like to thank you. 💖