A 3-Minute Meditation to Get Inspired and Empowered

When we hear the word “psyche,” we often think of mental states, psychological profiles, or the brain itself. Modern psychology tends to focus on cognition, emotions, and neuroscience, and this is quite understandable. The past decade has brought extraordinary technological advances in our ability to observe the brain, its inner workings, and how brain states relate to thought forms and emotional experiences. But, is it possible that, with all of our excitement about the brain, we’ve forgotten about its crucial connection to the body?

In its original Greek, psyche doesn’t mean mind or brain; it means soul. And just like the modern definition of “psyche,” it cannot be studied in isolation. We need more than CTs, MRIs, and PET scans. We need to remember that inner growth is not just a medical process; it’s a human one. We need to engage our bodies, listen inward, and honor the wisdom they have to share. And as we do, we rewire our brain through a process called neuroplasticity. (You might have heard the phrase, “Neurons that fire together wire together.”)

The Mind-Body Solution: Connection

As a transpersonal psychologist, I believe the solution to the mind-body problem is connection: paying special attention to mind-body synthesis in my practice. For each of my clients, I view healing through a wide-angle lens, engaging with the whole person: mind, body, spirit.

Our psychology invariably affects our physiology, and vice versa. Stress changes hormone levels; simple thought patterns influence neurotransmitters. Trauma, instilled in us from our own experiences or those of our ancestors, gets stored in the nervous system and shapes what we’re able to access emotionally or spiritually. Even when the mind shows resilience decades after a traumatic event, studies have shown the body “doesn’t forget.”[i] We might say, “Our issues are in our tissues.”

The good news is that we can heal. But as it is said, "To heal it, we must feel it." And thanks to neuroplasticity, we know the brain can change. And, as a matter of fact, we can use that daunting mind-body connection to reverse engineer our growth, soothing our brain from the outside in.[ii]

Practices like meditation and breathwork don’t just calm us; they can rewire us.[iii],[iv] That’s why, no matter what my clients are facing, I recommend an approach that integrates spiritual intelligence, psychology, and somatic (body-based) practices, starting with the INSPIRED Protocol.

The INSPIRED Protocol

To help my clients access and integrate their psyche/soma connection, I often guide them through a practice I call the INSPIRED Protocol: a simple way to initiate healing and connect with one’s life force energy and presence. It starts with turning inward, letting your spirit rise, and staying rooted, connected to the grounding presence of the Earth. Some of the instructions may not click immediately as rational directives, but I invite you to trust in your intuition and see what arises.

If you’d like to do the INSPIRED Protocol along with me, check out my guided meditation video here (or, if you’re tight on time, the three-minute version here). Sit upright with your feet flat on the ground and repeat these phrases:

Inward gazing

Nostril breathing

Spine supporting, spirit soaring

Posture aligning

Inhaling, exhaling

Relaxing, receiving, resting feet flat on the ground connected to the center core of Mother Earth

Expanding awareness: pelvis, belly, diaphragm, heart, chest, shoulders, arms, legs, entire body, and the space all around it

Deepening into essence

Sit with these concepts for a moment. How do you feel?

Conclusion

There’s no right or wrong way to conduct The INSPIRED Protocol. It’s just a reminder to tune into your body and the environment around it—whatever it might be bringing to you in this moment.

In a world that overanalyzes the brain, it’s easy for us to forget that we are so much more than just brains operating bodies. The original meaning of psyche reminds us that our transformation must be rooted in somatic awareness. The positive benefits of spiritual intelligence have already been studied and demonstrated.[v],[vi] And, by integrating spiritual intelligence with these embodied practices, we create new possibilities for growth from the inside out.