"If you don't take care of life it becomes messy," my yoga teacher said this morning. Health is an ongoing and continuous balancing act which requires that we keep checking in with ourselves. Health is not "just there," it's something that needs to be worked at. And health consists both of mental and physical aspects. So, not only do we have to eat healthy foods, get enough sleep and some exercise here and there. We also need to dust off the cobwebs in our mind on a regular basis. For that we need time to check in with ourselves.

Whether that means meditating, journaling, simply being aware of what goes on "up there" or in your body, doing yoga or any other practice that rebalances and refocuses you, doesn't matter much. It just matters whether you do it or not. Otherwise it's easy for things to get out of kilter, and that's when we can get sick, either physically or mentally.

Take a look at your life and scan it for such balancing activities. It is good to spend time alone with yourself. Such a grounding and alone practice could also be writing a poem, doing calligraphy or ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arranging), gardening, or going for a massage. The possibilities are endless as long we do such activities in a mindful way that focuses inwards. If you don't already have such an activity in your life consider making time for one, or two, or three.