I am part of a men’s group that meets once a month. We gather to share stories about ourselves and share what’s going on in our live. We offer advice and guidance to each other when asked. Recently we took in a new member and spent one afternoon sharing the story of our lives decade by decade. I was sharing about my elementary school experienced when I had a sudden realization.

One of the happiest times in my childhood was when my family lived outside San Francisco. The school I attended encouraged creativity and full expression. In fourth grade I wrote, illustrated and bound a book. I learned about fractions in a sandbox playing with measuring cups. In fifth grade my parents moved to Illinois where I sat in a desk in neat, ordered rows and learned from a blackboard.

This got me thinking about integration – especially integration of mind, body and heart. Many of us are strong in one of these areas and struggle in others. OK, so what does this have to do with school experiences? An expressive experience during childhood encourages expressive and integrated adults. A repressive experience in childhood makes integration more difficult.

When we experience life though integration of mind, body and heart we see a more complete picture. We analyze the problem at hand, we experience how that problem feels in our body, and we appreciate the impact of the problem on others.

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately talking with my friend, Grif, about integration. We completed a ropes course together several years ago. When we were talking about integration, I was reminded of how we were able to climb 40 feet up a tree and walk across a rope bridge without falling. Integration was key. Our minds knew that we were secured by ropes in case we fell – we were safe. Our bodies knew instinctively how to climb that tree. If we thought about it too much we were stuck. We were reminded on how to trust what our body knew and let go and just climb that tree. Our heart were supportive of everyone in our group. We felt the love and support of our group that helped us up and across that rope bridge.

I invite you to take a look at your daily challenges and see how integration can provide a fresh perspective. Just like a three legged stool it’s hard to sit unless all three legs are balanced. Sometimes life is hard unless our mind, body and heart are balanced too.

Mindful Self Loving

Mindful Self Loving is taking a short hiatus in November and December. The third Monday in November is the same week as Thanksgiving and in December is right before Christmas. We'll be back on January 16, 2012.

Have a Great Thanksgiving!

Ed