Body and soul

Man is often referred to as having a body and a soul. Body is quite easy to point out but soul is an abstract concept. Talking about the body is easy and many interesting points and ideas can be raised about it. Countless books have been written about the body and how to take care of it, to enhance portions of it, to make it stronger and more pleasant to look at, as well as the many places that adornments that can be placed on it. The soul on the other hand is difficult to pin down without going into a discussion with a decidedly religious slant. With the body one can easily prove or disprove a contention by experimentation and by looking for authoritative opinions by various experts. What of the mind? Where does it reside? Is mind part of the body or is it an expression of the soul? Is it correct to dichotomize man the way many thinkers do?

I have heard of certain parts of the body being identified to be the "seat of the soul". Is it reasonable to assume that the soul is housed in a specific portion of the body? The brain might be a good place to assume as the seat of the soul and I am certain that there can be found reasons for declaring it to be so.The heart could be a good canditate and I have read somewhere that the tailbone might be the seat of the soul. Who knows? Does the soul reside in the body? Or is the body a mere vehicle for the soul in which case the discussion of where the soul can be found within the body becomes unnecessary or even impractical? How important is the body to the soul? Many esoteric literatures speak of the body as being the material housing for the soul which makes it pretty important. Without the body the soul cannot find expression in objective reality.Is this statement correct? If it is then we can conclude that the body not just a housing but even all-important to the soul which validates or accepts the basic premises of physical health and proper nutrition and exercise to preserve, nurture and appreciate it.