This is a guest post written by Angela, who is writing a yoga book that is coming out next year. She is a part-time herbalist and dishes out advice on her colon cleanse web site. Thanks, Angela!

At some point in our life most of us will experience a funk or rut, losing interest in our job or hobbies or dealing with some of life’s inevitable challenges. In these situations, how do we turn our life around? Let’s look at life through the lens of the three major aspects of our life: the body, mind, and spirit.

When life is harmonious, these three aspects are in synergy and we feel energetic, joyful, and creative. Life is no longer a struggle. We may still have problems, but we fully accept them. When any one of these three areas is out of sync, we may feel apathy and lack of motivation or start questioning the purpose of existence. Looking at the body, mind, and spirit we can take simple, practical actions to get life back on track.

The Body

Our physical health and biological needs form the foundation of our lives. If you aren’t eating a healthy diet, sleeping well, and exercising regularly, your body simply won’t have the energy to connect with your passions and dreams.

Taking care of the body involves:

• Getting enough physical exercise, covering flexibility, aerobic fitness, and strength.
• Eating a well-balanced diet that includes supplements if needed.
• Following good sleeping habits.
• Having enough money to pay for necessities such as food and shelter.
• Satisfying sexual needs.
• Occasional fasting or detoxing.

If you feel you are doing well physically, you can work to optimize each component. For instance, you may have a lot of physical strength, but can work to increase your flexibility by taking a yoga class once a week. If you’re feeling lethargic when waking up, add some breakfast foods that will help you be more energetic in the morning. There’s always something that could use improvement!

Mind

The mind is the aspect of our life that involves using our creativity, skills, intelligence, and reasoning abilities. This is where we connect with activities that give us passion, challenge us, and stimulate our mental capacities. When this part of our life is going well, we feel fulfilled. We then spend the majority of the day in flow, rather than watching the clock.

There are many ways to improve this aspect of our lives. Here are some of them:

• Learn a new skill. This could be learning a new sport, a new foreign language, a technical skill such as HTML, or a craft like knitting.
• Read a new book on a subject you’ve always been interested in.
• Read a new book on a subject you already have expertise in.
• Use your creativity. Play games, write, paint, or play a musical instrument.
• Have coffee and a stimulating chat with a friend.
• Teach others what you know.
• Experiment with new hobbies and sports to see which ones give you that feeling of “flow.”

Spirit

The spirit aspect covers your inner peace, sense of purpose, life path, and self worth. How good do you feel about what you are doing on this earth? Are you helping others? Are you at peace with the universe?

Many people have their body and mind needs fulfilled, but not their spirit needs. They are in high-paying, fulfilling corporate jobs but they still feel a void in their life. On the other hand, many people in lower paying jobs feel great about themselves if they’re genuinely contributing some good to the world.

Here are some of the ways to enhance the spirit aspect:

• Contribute something meaningful to society through your job, volunteering, or donating to charity.
• Meditation or prayer.
• Journaling or introspection.
• Spending more time with family and friends.
• Mentoring or coaching.
• Raising children.
• Getting involved in community projects and activities.

I try to come up with a schedule that addresses all three areas, adding one thing to do daily and one thing to do weekly for each area of my life. For instance, practicing yoga improves my body and energy, stimulate my mind, and help me get in touch with my spiritual side.

What areas do you need to work on?