You have probably heard the saying, "the mind and body are one" many times. Maybe the mantra is so prevalent because of the wealth of evidence backing this point of view. One needs only to look around and listen to daily life experiences to see the simple phenomenon in play. But it is one thing to say it and another to practice it. How do you practice oneness between the mind and body? By starting at the beginning: awareness.

Your body affects your mind and your mind affects your body. In fact, for myself, I had to look no further than writing this article. For a week I was not able to write anything, and it was not for lack of trying. My body just didn't feel right. Everything was sore and tired. My energy was low. I felt like I was coming down with a cold. So it was no surprise that my mind was in a "weird" space.

Waking up after a week of frustration, my body felt great. My shoulders and neck were pain-free. The energy was flowing. My whole body was relaxed. To no surprise, my mind was clear. Before I knew it, I was sitting at the computer typing away. What a difference a day made. So what happened? Basically a shift in my body created a shift in my mind.

The connection between mind and body is a two-way street. I work with many athletes who compete on the national and international level. No matter how hard they train or refine their technique, if their minds are not in the right place, they will most likely not perform as well as they could. At top levels of competition this can mean the difference between a gold medal and merely participating, or worse yet, an injury.

After talking with athletes who've had a let down experience, all of them, without exception, had something on their mind that was bothering them. It is the same for all of usómind affects body. The foundations of health must address body and mind simultaneously. You can't have health in one without health in the other.

When it comes to the body, there are many proven methods for training and development. Basically, you just have to find an exercise that you like, which meets your needs, and stick to it. But working to develop the mind is not so easy.

The mind is difficult to see. To make matters more complex, very few people think to stop and look into their own minds and bodies to become aware of what's happening on the inside. People go about daily life without the awareness of their seemingly ceaseless stream of thoughts, sensations and emotions. It all happens under the radar of consciousness. By remaining unconscious of these thoughts and emotions, the mind becomes identified with them to the point that people don't realize that they have a choice to act upon them or not. The unconscious barrage has the mind running in circles, which adversely affects health and connectivity. Fatigue, lack of concentration and negativity are sure signs that we are not functioning from the natural balance of the mind and body.

This is where sitting in meditation becomes useful to promote mental and physical health. Essentially, meditation awakens the mind by being conscious of the "right here, right now" and allows the natural balance that is already there to manifest in this life. Physical activity halts and attention turns inward. As awareness grows and deepens, there is an awakening to what is happening within and around us and the silence becomes empowering in the midst of the cacophony of thoughts and worries. When the inseparable harmony that exist between the mind and body is realized, then anything is possible, even writing an article.