Body - Mind - Heart - Spirit: What do they mean?
 

Hi,

I'm still trying to figure out how to use the Body/Mind/Heart/Spirit-Model.

The hardest part for me is Body: What must to do.

My answer will always be something like "I need to earn money to pay the bills". To me the Body-question is not pointing into how to achieve this, and I don't understand how to bring this into alignment with the other tree areas and questions. The how seems to be pointing to the other parts.

I'd be glad for a bit of clarification, or maybe an example. I've reread The Path to Purpose but it is not quite clear how Erin came up with concrete things to do in the Body part.

Hi Tobias

Firstly, I have not read Erin's post. However, the concept you mention is also familiar to me through Stephen Covey's writing.

To have 'Found Your Voice', as Covey puts it, you would be able to answer the following questions with a resounding ... yes.

With regard to your job/work/life ....

1. Is it satisfying your bodily needs - food, water, shelter etc? (Body)
2. Is it stimulating your creativity/feeding your mind? (Mind)
3. Do you LOVE it? (Heart)
4. Is it the right thing for you to be doing? (Spirit)

It is a simple little model, but nonetheless it is profound for all that.

Will :)

Now I got it better, I believe. Thanks for the little help.

Your body is the house of your mind, spirit and soul while you are in this place. Do you treat it as if it is a worthy temple? Or abuse it? Does the outside properly reflect the inside? Is what you use your body for worthy of the inside of you?

Jennifer

No, I must admit that I don't.

I think I get more and more what the Body part is about, and how all the parts work together, how they relate to each other. Especially how Body relates to the other parts.

Hmm... I'm still crafting my own thoughts on this but here's what I've come up with so far.

The body is the physical body you have.
The mind is your intelligence. It is what you think with.
The spirit is what is eternal and survives death. I'd peg Character as being a part of your spirit.
The soul is your template for who you are. It is what makes you unique from everyone else. (I.E. things like Talents, Personality, etc).

So far that's what I've come up with.

Hi, i am not going to offer a definition, because i can't claim i have it very clearly.... but here is some of the things i try to do with my body/mind/emotions. (left out spirit on purpose :P)

You can see them as tools, they help you do something, however, how can you maintain them?

Body:
Eat healthily. (learn what different foods have different benefits for your body)
Exercise. (team sports, weight lifting, yoga)
Some sort of sexual abstinence (save up on "sexual energy")

Mind:
Meditation. (sitting meditation, walking meditation, lots of kinds of meditations)
Never stop learning (reading books, listening to other people with open mind)

Emotions:
Keeping positive relationships (with parents, friends, classmates)
Repairing broken relationships (ex girlfriends, "ex" friends :P)
Forgiving (people who have done bad things to you, parents)

Now some activities give benefits to multiple areas, for example yoga works out your body, while being a meditative experience and at the end of it you feel good!

Well I hope this contributes to your understanding. :)

Thanks for being so open and sharing some of your personal experiences.

However, I try to use this model to define my life purpose or mission, so I'm seeking for something that is present in all four areas. And as I understand the model, I'm totally able to find commonality in mind/heart/spirit, but body seems to point in a totally different direction.

I begin to see body as the question of "what of the things in mind/heart/spirit has the ability to support my material needs".

However, with respect to the idea of defining your life purpose, does body mean "what needs do I have", or "what ways do I see to support my needs"? Before starting this discussion, I thought it was the first one. However now, it seems more logical to understand the question in the second way.

What feels right to you. As Esther Hicks would say, use your "emotional guidance system." If I tell you you should be a garbage man or woman (no offense to garbage men or women, as they do a huge service) does that feel right? What about a teacher? Business owner? Blogger? Start asking yourself and see what feels the best. The answer that elicits the best feeling is most likely the right one. As you think more and more about it, it should give you a greater and greater feeling regarding it.

Also, there are resources such as the book Please Understand Me II which can tell you what kind of personality type and job you are suited for based upon your personality.

Here are two questions, taken from Deepak Chopra’s book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, that may help you.
“Sit down and make a list of the answers to these two questions: Ask yourself, if money was no concern and you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do? If you would still do what you are currently doing, then you are in dharma (living according to your higher purpose), because you have a passion for what you do – you are expressing your unique talents. Then ask yourself: How am I best suited to serve humanity? Answer that question, and put it into practice. “