There is a verse in the bible that states:
" Do you not know that your bodies are your temples of the spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God " 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. In many eastern books, such as the bhagavad Gita krishna, states the same thing, "The body is the temple of the soul, we need to maintain it, but focus on the soul." I shared this with you so I could relate the four steps of freedom to the welfare of your body, by being mindful of your eating and exercise habits. When we are living with our suffering and trying to manage our pain through addictions or problematic habits or behaviors we get lost in our business. We neglect our bodies, either at our own expense from work or we have families in which our time seems to be non-existent for ourselves. These circumstances seem valid for neglect, but I'd like to give you another perspective in which you may find helpful. I too was very lost in material gains and my days didn’t seem long enough to manage my body, however when I started getting up early to meditate and looked deeply, I saw that neglecting my body now wasn’t good in the long run. I'll give you an example; If you don’t make time to exercise or eat right, the body becomes overweight, this causes diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiac problems. Of course, you are, taking care of your family and work duties right now, but at what cost? And does it really benefit our loved ones? We live into our 80's now days, so if you get all these health problems then you won't be able to properly care for yourself or your family; More than likely they'll be taking care of you. This also means we don’t overdo the health stuff either, but we also don’t neglect it. There is a middle way and I found it through practicing meditation, staying present, letting go and taking responsibility for my actions, thoughts and emotions.
I like to compare your body to a well-kept vehicle that you love and want around forever. If your vehicle gets a flat or broken windshield you repair it right away, because you need it to be functional. You cannot drive your toddler around with a flat tire or broken windshield, its unsafe and dangerous short-term and long-term; just as it is when you neglect your body. We believe we are helping others when we neglect ourselves to take care of others, but this a form of ignorance, not knowing. We must take care of ourselves first, so we are able and healthy to help others in the short and long-term.
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