We receive text messages all the time. And as quickly as they come in, we send a response back out. We’re so focused on all of these external messages, that we forget to listen to the messages that are coming from within. Aches, pains, and symptoms are just trapped energy. Your body is trying to communicate with you!

So what connects the physical body and the invisible spirit? Your mind.

Your mind is not just in your head. The mind is a broader concept. Everything in the Universe has a mind. The mind connects your heart, emotions, feelings, consciousness, creativity—even your dreams. Your mind becomes the reflection between your physical body and your spirit. So, through the mind, can you see the spirit?

We often say, “You are the child of the Universe.” But do we understand how big the Universe is? The Universe is unlimited, so therefore, inside of you is unlimited, too. Can we use this point of view to understand our bodies? You have to look at the body’s interrelationships—look at the body as unique.

Can you see how the body is connected? For example, pain in your index finger is related to the Lung and the Colon. Your tennis elbow may not be a sports injury at all. It could be related to constipation. Your headache might be associated with stress, your ex-husband, or your job loss. Your pain, whether in your head, your elbow, or your finger, is not just a physical pain. It’s related to other things. It may be an emotion that shows on your body.

When you are happy, you might laugh or smile. When you are sad, you might cry. Now look to Nature. Can you see Nature’s rain as a smile, a laugh, or a cry? Can you see it as the communication between Earth and sky? If you can look at Nature from this perspective, you might see things differently. You might be more receptive to your own body’s messages.

Every symptom carries its own message. What happens when you experience hayfever or seasonal allergies? You are connected to Nature’s mind, just as the seasons are. However, as Nature’s energy changes through the seasons, your body isn’t making a smooth transition. This results in symptoms, like allergies.

The body is incredible in all that it does for us. But we often lose sight of the larger picture. We forget that we are not just physical beings, but complex beings with bodies, minds, and spirits. We fail to see our connection to Nature, and recognize that all that happens around us also affects what happens within us.

“Do we really understand the body? Do we? In my opinion, we don’t understand the body. If we understand the body, we know everything. Because the body is not just materialized things, body is interconnections. Body is energy. Body is consciousness. The body is everything.”

-Grand Master Nan Lu