Six months ago migraines, heartburn, stomach pains, dizziness, and sleeplessness, were a part of my life. My teeth ached from grinding and jaw clenching and I was suffering from fatigue. I could barely make it through the day. When my heart began to pound for no reason at all accompanied by tightness and chest pains, I finally went for help.

I was, as my doctor bluntly put it, a “living disaster,” but thank God, I did not have any major illness. What I had, she said, were the very visible and real physical effects of unremitting tension. But when I asked her what I could do about it the only answer I got was, “Change your lifestyle!” She then gave me the name of a holistic yoga instructor.

Wishing the doctor had given me a miracle “feel-better” pill instead, I went to see this person. After talking with me for about an hour, the yoga teacher told me my spirit was in distress, that my physical self was being poisoned by the tension I allowed into my life.

“Your emotional reactions are eating you alive. You need to find a place where your soul can heal itself and, in turn, heal your body.” Right.

Now I am in favor of a mind-body approach to living but I had no idea where my soul could go to heal my body. However, I was willing to try.

I signed up for classes in something called, “Mind, Body and Soul-Be One.” Though initially I was reluctant, after attending my first class I decided it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

The class was not just for people wanting to put their bodies into pretzel-like positions while chanting a mantra. It was a class that was practical and spiritual.

The practical side detailed what negative emotions can do to a body. Anger, hatred, and frustration cause physical ailments. Easily understood; I was a walking example of that. But the spiritual side was something else. The instructor talked about being nurturing to someone I had been completely ignoring. That person was me.

He talked about the priceless gift of health and how we need to nurture our spirits with calm and gentleness the same way we nourish our bodies with food and water.

After six months of weekly classes, I am slowly healing. Do I still get tense over situations? Sometimes, but then I remember:

When the spirit is peaceful, the mind is clear, and the body is healthy. And health is priceless.

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