As a child my grandfather would say “ if you take care of the nature, nature will take care of you.” He would say this with his hands smudged with dirt from the garden. What I considered to be grandfather wisdom, science is proving to be correct.

The power of our creative minds is nothing new. We know where we direct our mental energy will lead to creation. The lyrics of the invigorating new song “Energy” by Disclosure puts it beautifully: “Where your focus goes, your energy flows. Are you hearing me?” Our life experiences are truly the culmination of thoughts brought into action. With every thought, we are affirming or declaring our truths.

“Life is but a dream.” Seems like a fairytale tagline, but what does it really mean?

Life is a continuous movement through 3 states of consciousness: the awakened state, the dream state, and deep sleep. In each phase, consciousness creates a world that appears to be absolute reality. In the awakened state, the individual perceives their surroundings as real. They use their perceptions, actions, and bodies to reinforce their reality. This world only exists for the awakened while the other two worlds are seen as mere illusions. Upon closing the eyes to rest, the entire waking world disappears and consciousness moves into the dream state.

What is your practice of self care? True self care is a trifecta of maintaining the health of the body, the emotional heart, and the intellectual mind. For many, the physical body is the primary step of action. For those concerned over looks, weight, or maybe motivated by physical ailments, there are incentives to be in better physical health. Often times, the mind and the emotional heart are less a priority in self care. The results are difficult to measure and social conditioning suppresses the sharing or discussion of thoughts and emotions. Faced with such opposition, how does one create a practice of self care? The answer is through a loving discipline.