Mounted prints by ©Michelle Arnold Paine 2017
Mind-body-spirit Connection: expression and science
When I was in my early twenties I lived in Italy for several years. There I began to be more conscious of the mind-body-spirit connection. I had a friend who was a physician and dance instructor. She beautifully integrated the emotional and the scientific in her very being: body as both an expressive tool as well as a scientific organism of systems and processes.
Female Figure Pink Reach, Watercolor Pencil on Paper, Click to Purchase ©Michelle Arnold Paine 2017
In our own stories of pain, we all had blockages of the mind-body-spirit-connection
When that class ended I took every adult beginner dance class I could find: contemporary, ballet, Latin, and also some yoga classes. After three or four years, I entered graduate school for an MFA in painting, and no longer had money for dance classes. I found other ways to minister to my body by going to the gym, attending dance performances at the University (student tix!) and attending a free yoga class held twice-weekly at the Student Health Center.
And there it is again – the mind-body-spirit connection. The Student Health Center was investing in a yoga teacher to help keep the students sane, and hopefully decrease health difficulties (so many of which can be traced to STRESS). Over those two years I was able to memorize and bring home a basic enough yoga routine that I could practice at home. I still do so to this day, ten years later.
Pink Pigeon ©Michelle Arnold Paine. Purchase Prints
To heal the whole person – mind, body AND spirit – you need to treat the whole person.
Through a very stressful time with a few anxiety attacks and some counseling, I found respite in routine movement and challenge of breathing, balance and strength found in the practice of yoga. In those years I realized it was pointless for me to work when I was over-tired. I should stop and eat if I was hungry, and drink if I was thirsty. If I was feeling stiff, I should go for a quick walk or workout.
It seems too obvious even to write, but in a competitive environment (whether that competitive drive is internal or external), it is very easy to push down those needs. Many of you know it is easy to ignore your body, to the detriment of your physical and emotional health. Even as I write I can feel that sense of crowdedness and clouding in my head. A physical sensation takes over that is more than just a jumble of thoughts, but I found can only be released with the adrenaline of exercise. Awareness of my mind-body-spirit connection helps my work.
I always say that in my next life I will be a dancer (and my husband always scolds me, reminding me that I do not believe in reincarnation). But I do feel as if there is a part of me that hasn’t reached its potential – that still wants to dance. In this life, I have dedicated myself to the visual arts, and to the representation of the human figure in art. And when I see the model take a pose I follow the tension and relaxation fluidity and feel it in my own body, too.
Art creates sacred space
These dynamic new ink and watercolor drawings celebrate the connection between body and soul. When you are looking to create sacred space in your life, art is an ever-present, always accessible reminder of what is important in your life. Art can help you to re-center in the middle of life’s stresses. Please visit the store to browse prints and originals of the whole Mind-Body-Spirit Collection!
