Physio Divina
The Mind-Body-Soul Connection as Sacred Rest
As humans, so many of us live in a state of chronic stress or have faced trauma with a lack of safe support to recover, leaving us emotionally dysregulated and our nervous systems in a chronic state of fight/flight/freeze/fawn response. When we live in that chronic state, our nervous systems get stuck in a state of panic or shut down, sometimes swinging wildly between the two extremes. In this state, self-care is often the first thing to go out the window.
While it can look different for everyone, living in an activated state of the nervous system without safety in the body (fight/flight) means running on high alert, and anxiety, which can be incredibly fatiguing to the body, contributing to higher levels of cortisol in the blood and physical dis-ease.
The body’s protective response to chronic stress and dis-ease is to move into freeze/fawn, a “system shutdown” that creates and contributes to a state of depression or hopelessness.
The Polyvagal theory, developed by Stephen Porges, teaches that there is a third state of the nervous system that is ideal for health, which he calls the social engagement system. This is when the system is relaxed, but alert. Present but open. Safe. This social engagement system helps us navigate relationships in safe intimacy.
At Loto Wellness, we practice Physio Divina, embodied prayer, that utilizes somatic body-based tools like long-held stretches, breathwork, and body scan meditations that can help support us in self-regulating our nervous systems into this healthy state of rest and safety. Thus, helping us connect more fully with ourselves, with others, and with God’s Spirit inside us.
To learn more about the autonomic nervous system, check out this video.
“The deeper your interior silence, the more profoundly God will work in you without your knowing it.”— Father Thomas Keating
Understanding the mind-body-soul connection is critical for learning how to heal the fear-based trauma of the human condition. The profound wisdom (and neuroscience) of what is happening simultaneously in the brain and body and how that connects to our spiritual growth gives us the roadmap to thriving like Jesus.
“Jesus answered him, “The most important of all the commandments is this: ‘The Lord Yahweh, our God, is one!’ You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with a passionate heart, from the depths of your soul, with your every thought, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment.” — Mark 12:29-30 TPT
Physio Divina
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MIND
Quieting the internal narratives of our minds and opening our hearts to hear God from a nervous system state of rest.
The Bible tells us that transformation comes from the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) and not conforming to the world’s patterns [of restlessness]. Loto Wellness Collective events and content explore the neuroscience of rest, utilizing the PolyVagal theory as a framework to increase our vagal tone (the body’s adaptive response to environmental stimuli), moving our nervous systems out of fight/flight/freeze/fawn and into a state of “rest and digest.” These mindfulness practices include breathwork, forest bathing, and community-building ceremonial healing circles (co-regulation).
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" Romans 12:2 NIV
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BODY
Finding moments of stillness and communion through somatic (body-based) practices and prayer postures.
The connection between our physical state and physical well-being is profound. Our ability to experience the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit diminishes when our bodies are tense and our minds are scattered. This is where somatic practices like body-scan meditations become invaluable in experiencing rest- mind, body, and soul. Somatic practices are body-centered techniques that help self-regulate the nervous system by promoting awareness of bodily sensations, grounding in the present moment, and facilitating relaxation.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV
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SOUL
Monastic practices that care for the spirit and emotions, to nourish a healthy soul or heal a wounded one.
Soaking our souls in Living Water requires the intentional sacrifice our time and attention to God. It is in this focused state of quiet receptivity that we discover the life-giving power of communion with The Holy Spirit. Life starts to slow down and we are changed from the inside out—Discontentment turns into gratitude, anxiety to peace— With their roots in traditional monastic practices, Loto Wellness Collective engages in contemplative prayer, including: Lectio Divina, Visio Divina, prayer walks, journaling, and Bible devotionals.
“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life”.” John 4:14
