Hygiene.
Ok, maybe it’s not the sexiest topic out there but stay with me, this gets good.
Especially after the crazy few years we’ve had with Covid, we all know too well about the importance of personal hygiene to prevent germs and viruses, right?
After the bizarro few years we’ve had, now if you were to step onto a crowded bus with people hacking, sneezing, and not wearing masks, you’d probably hold your breath until the next stop or jump out of the moving bus then gargle with isopropyl alcohol … then spit it onto all the parts you scraped raw from jumping out of the moving bus.
Ok, don’t gargle with hand-sani, but do check out the Corona Cocktail I concocted while we were all in the thick of lockdown—I’m kinda proud of it.
But the same way germs and viruses can make your physical body sick, consider that you may be exposing yourself to very discrete energy and actions that can make your subtle body sick.
Being sick in your subtle body can manifest as:
Even his rotary phone has bad energy. Maybe that’s why he’s so upset, he’s trying to talk to customer support on that relic. God bless.
Depletion
Worry
Scarcity
Fear
Negativity
Reaction
Anger
Victimization
I know, just typing out the list makes me want to go and find a shaman or burn some sage or something. How about you?
Subtle Body Care
But, what is the subtle body and how do we tend to it to keep ourselves feeling vibrant, optimized, and well?
Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and meditation are methods of exploring a full-spectrum of wellness in body, mind, and spirit—not just the physical parts of our being but all parts of our being.
We all know that while we have a physical body, it’s not the entire picture—there’s more to us than bones, fluids, and organs. We are also a mind, energy, and soul. These real but less tangible parts of our being is our subtle body. Our subtle body is prana, life force energy. And you don’t need to speak “dragons and rainbows” to feel your subtle body as energy, something you feel inside and perhaps even outside of your body that makes everything run.
We’ve all had that experience coming out of a movie, conversation, or relationship feeling amazing, right? We’ve also had the experience of when our soul feels gross, spent, and depleted. This is what I’m talking about, this is being sick in the subtle body.
So, how do we tend to the subtle body and keep ourselves feeling great on all levels?
Here are some ideas I want to throw out there for your consideration today about tending for your subtle body. I’d love to hear back from you about those things that either help you tend to your subtle body or that make it feel sick.
People
I’ve heard it said that your personality is the composite of the 5 people you spend the most time with. This could include friends, family members, coworkers, etc. Are these people you spend most of your time with addicted to gossip, complaining, negativity, cynicism, fear, and worry or are they likely to be the kind of people to speak well of others, be optimistic, positive, or hopeful? How is being exposed to people rubbing off on you for better or worse?
Media
You are what you eat, right? Consider that you’re also what you consume in your reading, shows, and music, podcasts, etc. It’s common to want to veg out with some brainless or raunchy show, podcast, or book just cuz it’s mildly entertaining but consider the overall effect it has on your subtle body. Are you picking up some of the same tendencies you’re consuming in your media? Over the next little while I’ll even share with you my favorite list of stimulating AND uplifting media choices and would love to hear your list as well.
The News
Arguably the news is also media (I like to call it the oldest running “reality-based” show out there) but it’s such a potential energy drain that it deserves its own category. We all want to be informed about what’s going on in the world but come on, when is “being informed” a euphemism for willingly swirling down the toilet of doom? You know what I’m talking about. There are ways to be discerning in the sources, exposure, and frequency of the news we consume that could help us stay informed while also keeping our energy feeling great.
Speech
Words are very important. Watch the words that come out of your mouth because they tend to build your character. This includes negative speech and negative self-talk. Beyond a well-placed expletive, it also includes swearing and vulgarity. Personally, I can swear like a sailor and I’m practicing being more creative about my word choice, especially my 4-letter word choice, words other than hope, nice, and love.
Teachers, Leaders, Coaches/Therapists, and Parents
When you have one of the above roles, and are exposed to a lot of different people or in close contact with people who may come to you with problems, it can be difficult not to absorb those problems in an effort to try to help. Before I realized this, I would finish teaching every yoga class feeling completely drained. I’ve learned a few things about how to keep myself free from other people’s…“stuff” (notice the 5-letter and not 4-letter word choice? I’m learning). Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a few things that you might find helpful but in the meantime, consider how you might compassionately hold space for but not absorb other people’s issues. This leads perfectly to the next subject …
Boundaries
Establishing good boundaries is more about saying yes to what you really want than it is creating a protective wall around you. Being committed to your highest self and good is itself a protective mechanism. Boundaries can be tricky and there’s so much that goes into learning to recognize your need for appropriate boundaries and how to implement them that it deserves its own email.
This list is just a few things to consider as you tend to your own subtle body wellness.
I’m fascinated by this topic and feel it deserves more attention so plan on seeing a series of information coming your way that might help you establish superb care for your subtle body. As you do, you’ll notice the quality of your life improve in subtle and obvious ways.
I want to invite you to do a simple exercise:
Examine one part of your life that could be causing a little dissonance in your subtle body and try changing that for a week. Maybe you choose to adjust who you are spending time with, what shows you’re watching, or what kind of words come out of your mouth.
Also, leave a comment and tell me know those things you do to tend to your subtle body.
Thanks for being on my team and it’s a pleasure to be on yours. We are all in this together.
Blessings,
