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"We must take care of the body by giving it food, shelter, and clothing. This is necessary because the journey to the Self is only easy when the body is healthy. If a ship is not in need of repair, if it is in good condition, we can easily use it to go on a journey."
"You need a body that is in good working order in order to realize the Self. Realizing the Self is the only useful and worthy activity in this life, so keep the body in good repair till that goal is achieved.
Afterwards, the Self will take care of everything and you won't have to worry about anything anymore. In fact, you won't be able to because the mind that previously did the worrying, the choosing and the discriminating will no longer be there. In that state, you won't need it and you won't miss it."
Supporting the body is not about pursuing the perfect physique or extending life at all costs. It is about creating the conditions in which the body naturally functions well, the mind becomes quieter, and life is lived with greater ease.
The body has remarkable intelligence. Given proper nourishment, movement, rest, sunlight, fresh air, and time to recover, it continually works to restore balance. Much of good health comes not from controlling the body, but from removing the unnecessary obstacles that interfere with its natural functioning.
The practices in this section are simple, timeless, and practical. They are not ends in themselves. They are ways of supporting the body so it can quietly serve its purpose and allow your attention to rest on what truly matters.
"Do not neglect this body. This is the house of God; take care of it, only in this body can God be realized."
The body and mind are not separate. They constantly influence one another, each reflecting the condition of the other.
A restless mind often becomes a tense body. Anxiety tightens the muscles, shortens the breath, disturbs digestion, and disrupts sleep. Likewise, a tired, inflamed, or neglected body can cloud thinking, heighten emotional reactivity, and make inner stillness more difficult to access.
Every choice affects the whole. The food you eat influences your energy and clarity. Sleep restores both the body and the nervous system. Movement lifts mood and reduces stress. Breath calms the mind as surely as it relaxes the body.
Supporting one naturally supports the other.
This is why caring for the body is not separate from spiritual practice. It creates the conditions in which the mind becomes quieter, awareness becomes clearer, and deeper understanding can naturally unfold.
The goal is not physical perfection or mental perfection. It is harmony. When the body and mind work together rather than against one another, life becomes simpler, lighter, and more balanced.
"The body and mind are not two separate entities. They are one."
Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated. It is simply one way of caring for the body and mind so they can function well.
"When the body is purified by pure food, the mind becomes purified. When the mind is purified, memory becomes steady. When memory is steady, all the knots of the heart are untied."
Sleep is one of the simplest ways to support both the body and the mind.
Living in harmony with the body’s natural rhythm matters as well. Morning sunlight, regular sleep and wake times, and reducing artificial light in the evening can help regulate the body’s internal clock and support deeper, more restorative rest.
"Knowing how and when to rest is a deep practice."
Walking is perhaps the most natural form of movement. A daily walk grounds the body, settles the mind, and reconnects you with the rhythms of nature. It asks for nothing except your presence.
Mobility and stretching help maintain freedom of movement and reduce stiffness. Gentle, consistent movement can help the body feel lighter and more at ease.
Strength training is equally important. Whether through bodyweight exercises, weights, carrying, climbing, or other forms of resistance, maintaining strength supports stability, posture, resilience, and healthy aging.
There is no single perfect form of exercise. Swim, cycle, hike, garden, dance, play, walk, stretch, lift—find forms of movement you genuinely enjoy and can continue doing.
"Walking is man's best medicine. If you are in a bad mood go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood, go for another walk."
Your breath is one of the simplest ways to return to the present moment.
When the mind becomes anxious, hurried, or overwhelmed, the breath often becomes shallow and fast. When the body relaxes, the breath naturally tends to slow and deepen. Simply becoming aware of the breath can help interrupt mental momentum and create space for stillness.
"There is no doubt that breath-control is the means for mind-control, because when one of them is controlled, the other gets controlled."
Everything unfolds in its own time.
We often rush because the mind believes something needs to happen now. Nature offers a different lesson. There is no hurry, yet life continues to unfold exactly as it should. We don’t have to force every stage of the process.
You don’t need to escape into the wilderness. Simply spend time outside each day. Let the sunlight touch your skin, breathe fresh air, and remember that the body is part of nature, not separate from it.
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
Modern life makes distraction almost effortless.
Turn off unnecessary notifications.
Less stimulation. More space. More presence.
"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."
Modern life can keep the body in a near-constant state of stimulation. Work, screens, noise, stress, and the endless demands of daily life can make it difficult to fully slow down.
Sleep.
Silence.
Slow breathing.
Gentle movement.
Time in nature.
Periods without screens or notifications.
Nourishing, simple food.
Less or no caffeine and other stimulants when they leave you feeling agitated.
"Do your best and then relax. Let things go on in a natural way, rather than force them."
How you carry your body affects more than appearance.
Posture influences how the muscles and joints share the body’s load, how freely you move, and how easily you breathe. The way you sit, stand, walk, and rest can either support the body’s natural alignment or create unnecessary tension.
Think less about finding one perfect position and more about moving well and changing position often.
Strength and mobility also support healthy posture. A body that is strong enough to support itself and mobile enough to move comfortably is less likely to rely on unnecessary tension.
"Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind."
Teeth are also different from many other parts of the body in that lost tooth structure cannot simply grow back. Once enamel is damaged or a tooth is lost, prevention becomes especially important. Regular care isn’t about cosmetic perfection—it is about maintaining something you use every day.
A simple foundation looks something like this:
It isn’t about having a perfect smile or an elaborate routine.
Good oral health starts with consistency.
"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."
There are many approaches people use alongside conventional health care to support relaxation, movement, comfort, and overall well-being.
Acupuncture — A traditional Chinese practice involving the insertion of very thin needles at specific points. It is commonly used as a complementary approach for pain and other symptoms.
Massage Therapy — Hands-on manipulation of soft tissues that many people use for relaxation, muscle tension, recovery, and general well-being.
Yoga & Tai Chi — Mind-body practices that combine movement, breathing, balance, and attention. They can support mobility, physical fitness, relaxation, and a greater sense of awareness.
Mind-Body Practices — Practices such as meditation, mindfulness, relaxation techniques, and biofeedback that explore the relationship between attention, stress, and the body.
Aromatherapy — The use of aromatic plant extracts and essential oils, often as part of relaxation or sensory rituals.
Cupping — A traditional practice that uses suction cups on the skin. Some people use it for muscle discomfort or relaxation.
Ayurveda — A traditional Indian system of health and well-being that includes approaches to diet, daily routine, herbs, and lifestyle.
Traditional Chinese Medicine — A traditional Chinese system of health that views well-being through concepts such as qi, the vital energy described as flowing through pathways called meridians, and yin and yang, complementary forces whose balance is traditionally associated with health.
The basics still matter most: Eat well. Sleep well. Move. Breathe. Rest. Spend time outside.
"The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well."
A healthy life is shaped less by occasional effort than by the way you live each day.
The small choices you repeat—what you eat, how you sleep, how often you move, what you give your attention to, the people you spend time with, and how much space you leave for rest—all gradually become the environment in which you live.
The goal is not to design a perfect life. It is to be here for the life that is already happening. Actually live it.
"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos — the trees, the clouds, everything."
The body and mind are continually influenced by what we take in.
What are you consuming?
What are you giving your attention to?
What are you allowing to continually shape your state of mind?
It simply means becoming aware of what you repeatedly invite into your life.
"You become what you give your attention to."
What you take in shapes your experience.
What you watch.
What you read.
What you listen to.
The conversations you participate in.
Some inputs nourish you. Others leave you feeling agitated, distracted, heavy, or scattered. Over time, the things you continually expose yourself to can influence the way you feel, think, and move through life.
Notice how you feel after spending an hour scrolling.
Notice how certain conversations affect you.
This isn’t about perfection, purity, or paranoia. It’s about awareness.
"Be extremely careful what you say consciously or unconsciously, what you feel and what you do. Every word has a verbal and a nervous reaction, which sets a wave going. Do not allow others’ words to react upon you. Be careful not to use words which produce responses in others. Be careful about what books and newspapers you read. Similarly, what you feel affects you nervously, and you will find what tremendous effect movies have on you. Cinema awakens responses which continue in that state and are not ended. Therefore, you are inclined to go again and again to movies. You have to understand this and be free from all these excitements."
Technology has made it easier than ever to connect, learn, work, and be entertained.
Turn off unnecessary notifications.
"Men have become the tools of their tools."
Your surroundings can influence how you feel, think, and move through the day.
What is the general atmosphere of your mind?
"There are two kinds of environment: inner and outer. Outer environment consists of one’s physical surroundings (noisy, quiet, and so forth). Inner environment is one’s state of mind."
Distraction does more than interrupt what you are doing.
It continually pulls attention away from what is actually here.
A notification appears.
A thought arises.
Someone asks for your attention.
Turn off what doesn’t need to interrupt you.
You may begin to notice how often the mind creates its own distractions.
The point is presence.
Not to get more done, but to stop continually leaving the moment that is already here.
"The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence."
Attention becomes clearer when it is not divided.
When you give yourself fully to what is happening now, something changes.
This is not about becoming more productive or getting more done. It is about being where you actually are.
Doing one thing with full awareness can be more valuable than moving through many things without really being present for any of them.
"Doing one thing at a time means to be total in what you do, to give it your complete attention. This is surrendered action – empowered action."
The mind has a remarkable ability to turn life into another project.
It is about needing less from life in order to be at peace.
"In the pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the pursuit of wisdom, every day something is dropped."
The problem begins when life itself becomes a project of self-improvement.
"You don't have to improve yourself. You just have to let go of what blocks you from being yourself."
There is nothing wrong with wanting to use your time well.
A simple question can often replace an elaborate productivity system: What actually needs to be done?
Then simplify.
At the end of the day you don’t need to turn your entire life into a calculation. As you walk the spiritual path, life naturally begins to simplify itself.
Interests fall away. Unnecessary obligations dissolve.
The mind can become so focused on managing time that it forgets to actually live life.
You can spend the morning organizing your day, the afternoon trying to stay ahead of your schedule, and the evening preparing for tomorrow—and still never really arrive anywhere.
When something needs doing, do it. Give it your attention.
When it is finished, let it be finished.
A planner can help.
A calendar can help.
The goal is not to become an efficient machine, but to use your time and energy for what truly matters—and ultimately to see beyond time—to realize who you are.
"Save all your energies and time for breaking the wall your mind has built around you."
There’s a reason people have long said that laughter is the best medicine. Ancient Greek and Roman writers, and later religious traditions, recognized the connection between cheerfulness and well-being. The idea even appears in Proverbs:
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” -Proverbs 17:22
But you don’t need a list of studies to understand the value of laughter.
Just laugh with your friends. Laugh at something ridiculous. Laugh at yourself.
Laugh at the mind.
Laugh at the strange seriousness with which we can approach life.
Notice what happens.
For a moment, the mind stops.
There is no past to replay.
No future to plan. No problem to solve. No identity to defend.
You are simply laughing. There is something wonderfully freeing about that.
The mind can take life very seriously. It creates problems, stories, judgments, and endless things that need to be figured out. Laughter can interrupt all of it.
You don’t have to force presence.
You don’t have to practice being in the moment.
When you are genuinely laughing, you are already here.
So laugh when you can.
Don’t be afraid to take yourself a little less seriously.
Life is not always easy, but it doesn’t always have to be heavy.
"I want you to laugh with your whole countenance, with your whole heart and with all the breath of your life. Whenever you have the chance, laugh as much as you can...But to laugh superficially is not enough: your whole Being must be united in laughter, both outwardly and inwardly. Do you know what this kind of laughter is like? You simply shake with merriment from head to foot. Little by little, the rigid knots that make up your shackles will be loosened and you will find yourself becoming free."
The body and mind are worth caring for.
They need food, rest, movement, attention, and space to function well. But there is another question beneath all of this:
Are you the body and mind, or are they what you experience?
The body changes. The mind changes.
Thoughts come and go. Feelings come and go. Memories, identities, roles, and circumstances all change.
Yet there is an awareness in which all of this is known.
This is where the path of inner work begins to turn toward something deeper—not improving the body or perfecting the mind, but asking what you are before either one is taken to be who you are.
Less to grasp. Less to become.
"The wise person remains where they are and begins to work on themselves. They begin to transcend the body-mind.
To the extent you begin to transcend the body-mind, to that extent you find happiness and peace. How do you do this? It has been show to us by great Sages. The secret again is to quiet the mind by any means you can."
Let the body walk, speak, eat, work, and rest. Let the mind think, plan, remember, and imagine.
The body will still do what the body does.
The mind will still do what the mind does.
Let the movie play. But don’t lose yourself in the scene. Stay as the screen—effortless, choiceless, pure awareness.
"Let the body and mind do their function. But you, remain as you are."