THE SPIRIT OF HEALTH
In 2002, after a dedicated writing journey, a labor of love—and at the time, little reliance upon the Internet—Cindy self-published The Spirit of Health: Mind-to-Toe Self-Care for Women. After a swift and remarkable solo sell-out, without an agent, the publishing came to a halt. Time went by and life got in the way. Then in 2020, with an eye toward relaunching The Spirit of Health, Cindy decided to re-format the book into a different layout specifically geared for Amazon launching. She divided it into 10 parts, calling it The Spirit of Health Series.
Cindy said, “At that time, I was teaching hatha yoga at Yavapai College in Sedona, Arizona. The college invited me to teach their very first Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) program, which, for me, was an inspiring accolade. The College then became so impressed with my book, they invited me to teach an on-going workshop at the college, based on The Spirit of Health Series. While I was preparing the SOH Series, I got Parts One through Six re-formatted—but then the dreaded pandemic hit. And everywhere everything changed. Yavapai College closed, my workshop was cancelled, and of course, like many teachers, I had to stop teaching yoga for the first time in my adult life.”
As you know, things were never the same after the pandemic. Finances were unstable, and so was the US and the entire world. All the upheaval put the brakes on Cindy pursuing the relaunch of The Spirit of Health. Until now.
So what is it, and what can it do for you? SOH is self-care, literally from mind-to-toe. When the vision became clear in Cindy’s mind, she knew for a person to not only survive, but to thrive, their self-care had to encompass these fundamentals:
The Seven Essential Elements for Optimum Health: Air, Water, Nourishment, Sleep, Movement, Cleanliness, and Peace.
Cindy launched the beginning of the SOH with The Mind. She knew that many women were frequently being told, “It’s all in your head.” And that phrase was a seed planted to create self-doubt and a weakened sense of self-esteem. But with many years of study and self-reflection, Cindy began to realize that in a way, they were right all along! So, literally, by changing your mind, you can create tremendous changes in your life. And because “the mind is the space between the cells,” (psychoneuroimmunology), changing your mind can change your body and your spirit too.
The Spirit of Health tells us: “Beyond this dynamic and powerful connection between our minds and bodies lies the profound impact it has upon our spirits, upon our very souls…The connection above, toward spirit, cannot be complete without the connection below, toward Earth…we are at a time in human evolution where reconnecting our values with the sacredness of life and with the Earth is essential not only to our personal survival, but to our planetary survival as well. Without a deep and sacred respect for the place where we stand, sooner or later, we will fall.”
“The trinity of the mind, body and spirit must be recognized in order for true healing potential to manifest.”
The key to the spirit of health, yours and mine, is the underlying principle that in order to make change in our lives, we have to change the way we think. We are indeed products of our thoughts. How about that—the old cliché “it’s all in your head” turns out to be true after all! No matter what we’re dealing with in life, big or small, how we think and feel about it makes all the difference in the world. Changing our minds changes our lives. This idea is old and new all at the same time—our ancient future. Technically called the mind-body connection, or psychoneuroimmunology—PNI for short—in a dry sense it means that what we think and feel (our minds) affects our immune system (our bodies). Thoughts affect stress levels and stress levels affect the aging process—our thoughts can add to or subtract from the quality and length of our lives! * * * Although considered relatively new to the western world, the concept of PNI has been brewing for centuries. It all boils down to this: we can re-write our future by changing today’s script.
Know who you are and be sure of it. Know that the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself. Be strong in your knowledge and your gathered wisdom. Every day plant the seeds of peace in your world and strive to grow deeper toward your ultimate connection—union with the Divine Spirit. Know that each and every step you take in life sends out a far-reaching ripple into the Universal pond, and every day each of us makes an individual difference—so step with care, step with deliberation, step with peace. As the women of the 21st century, we are reclaiming our power. We are the connectionists, the light-bearers, the change-makers; we are spiritual missionaries. Together we hold the key to planetary peace. Reclaim your power as a woman of peace and as a woman of strength. May you continue to grow, secure in the knowledge that right now you are enough.
Cindy teaches classes, workshops and retreats all over the world. With clarity and creativity, Cindy blends inspiration with good humor and dedication. With a relaxed teaching style, she makes yoga fun. As a seasoned writer and teacher, Cindy provides support and concentrated wisdom to her students. With her guidance, you too can reach your full potential.
