What are the Benefits of a Spiritual Practice?
In a recent blog, I shared the definition of Spirituality. Hopefully, this article helped you to gain a better understanding of spirituality and a greater sense of knowing who you are.
Today, I want to share with you the benefits of a spiritual practice. And I want to remind you that your journey is not the same as mine, and my journey is not yours, but if you meet me on a certain path, may we encourage each other.
I’ve already mentioned before that Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves. It typically involves a search for meaning in life, and it’s a universal human experience that touches us all. A spiritual experience may be described as sacred or transcendent, or simply a deep sense of aliveness and interconnectedness.
Maybe you don’t see the point in a spiritual practice?
You may be thinking, why would anyone be involved with any form of religion or spiritual practice?
So, what is a spiritual practice? And do you have one?
I define spiritual practice as something you do every single day that draws you deeper into who you really are, by connecting you with your divine self.
Please don’t be put off by the word spiritual here! Spiritual doesn’t have to entail meditation cushions, prayer beads, chant books, yoga mats, or any other such paraphernalia. A spiritual practice might be baking, gardening, running, knitting, playing an instrument, painting, hiking, meditating, golfing, yoga, tai chi, or writing, the list is endless! It’s not so much about the form, it’s about the profound and connective quality of the time spent within it. It’s whatever resonates with you; for me it’s breath work, meditation, incantations, exercise, journaling, expressing gratitude, visitations, energy clearing, chakra cleaning, yoga, chanting, shamanic ceremonies and playing music… And enjoy it!
The ‘practice’ part of a spiritual practice means just that – you do it daily, over and over, it’s what becomes your rituals, and this is what makes you who you are. Without the aim of ever stopping, you practice your rituals as a contribution to your ever-unfolding life on this earth. It can feel beautiful and compelling, harrowing and agonising, annoying, vexing, boring as hell, or as ordinary and routine as brushing your teeth. Above all, it’s your rock, the ultimate pillar of strength, steady and reliable as they come.
My spiritual practices and rituals have widened and deepened over the past 12 months to support my onward spiritual path. There have been times when my spiritual practices have served me well on the toughest of days and bring me such joy on the best days. They’re a necessity for me to stay centred, grounded and balanced in this ever-changing world we live in.
Before you start a spiritual practice of your own, firstly you must admit to yourself that a practice is essential and something that you MUST do. Next you must carve out, designate and stick to the time for it, often letting go of something else in order to keep it alive. Many people find it easiest to maintain a practice first thing in the morning. BUT what does that mean you have to give up? Sleep? Or the screen time upon waking in the morning as you reach for your phone? There are choices and the choice is yours; ultimately, you must summon the courage to make room for spiritual practice.
For me, I have spiritual practices in the evening and in the morning, my choice was to no longer watch TV so I would have time in the evening. And go to bed earlier so I can get up earlier for my morning practice.
Why not take inspiration to start your spiritual practice from the following benefits:
- It provides clarity during our overflowing and demanding days.
- It cultivates the attention required to complete our tasks.
- It lifts our mood.
- It creates a sense of steadiness and grounding in change.
- It keeps us afloat and even keeled in even the most riotous of emotional storms.
- It helps us see our lives on a macro level.
- It helps us understand our lives on a micro level.
- It draws us into the simplicity of the moment.
- It touches us so deeply that without it, we would feel lost or lack wholeness.
- It connects us to and reveals true spirit.
At this time, I can’t imagine my life without the spiritual practices I have adopted anymore. The deepening of my spiritual practice has helped me beyond imagination in all aspects of life. It’s not perfect, and not always easy, yet provides a sense of rightness, resilience and joy to my journey in life.
You could start with my 3 Golden Nuggets to help you to have a happier, healthier and fulfilled life with a greater sense of balance and connection.
Golden Nuggets
1. Feel more inspired
A daily time set aside at the beginning of the day for meditation, for reading an inspiring quote or text, helps us set the tone for the day, bringing hope and inspiration in our lives.
Top Tip
Find a quiet, comfortable place and sit tall, enjoy the stillness and be present. If you have a special spot for your meditation practice, that’s wonderful. If you don’t, any quiet place will do.
Relax your shoulders and release any tension you notice in your body, especially neck, jaw and other physical tension magnets but keep your back straight. Whether you are on a chair or cushion, your straight back and alignment will support awareness and discourage drowsiness.
2. Letting go of unhelpful patterns
A moment of reflection at the end of the day helps to take stock. What were our challenges, and how did we deal with them? What could have been better? What do we need to let go of? Can we decide to try something different next time? Removing our unhelpful habits brings us to our wholeness.
Find the joy! What can we be happy about and rejoice in? What did we do well today? Celebrating our strengths is very important and counteracts any guilt or low self-esteem. It brings us joy and helps us to achieve what we want in our lives.
Top Tip
Keep a journal. Journaling is a mindful practice that’s been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, so naturally there’s massive pressure to be good at it. To begin with, let’s do away with that: try keeping a journal if you want to keep a journal. Never mind all those picture-perfect bullet journals clogging up your Instagram feed (how do those people have so many different coloured pens? How are they always balancing mugs of tea on their bedspread with minimal spillage?).
Your journal is for you, so find a practice that makes you feel relaxed, engaged, mindful, cathartic or whatever resonates with you, and stick with it. Never mind what you think a journal is supposed to look like.
3. Start being present Remaining in your centre
Being aware of our thoughts, our words and our actions during the day, as each one of them has an effect. This can be practised anywhere, any time: while washing the dishes, responding to an email, driving the car, meeting a colleague etc. It brings a more realistic perspective in our life, being centred and fully present in any moment.
Top Tip
No matter how out-of-control your day is, no matter how stressful your job or life becomes, the act of being present can become an oasis. It can change your life, and it’s incredibly simple.
Practice, practice, and being present will become natural.
Here’s how to do it: whatever you’re doing, right now, learn to focus completely on doing that one thing. Pay attention: to every aspect of what you’re doing, to your body, to the sensations, to your thoughts.
You will notice your thoughts, if you’re paying attention, jump to other things. That’s OK, you are not trying to force all other thoughts from your mind. But by becoming aware of that jumping around in your thoughts, you have found the tool for gently bringing yourself back to your present task. Just notice the jumping thoughts, and lovingly come back.
Do this once, then do it again. Don’t worry about how many times you must do it. Just do it now.
Practice, repeatedly, in small, easy, beautiful steps. Each step is a wonder in itself. And each practice helps you to find that calm in the middle of the traffic of your life.
So, let’s summarise those Golden Nuggets again:
- Feel more inspired
- Letting go of unhelpful patterns
- Remaining in your centre
Your spiritual practice will enable you to master your inner life, your soul ‘The I’.
When we have more insight into our inner world, we are more and more able to influence it, so it will affect what we say and do. This is transformational. We are then in charge of our own life and the responses to whatever life brings us. We can then control our thoughts, emotions, behaviours, rather than allowing them to control us. It is very powerful to bring power over ourselves instead of us trying to get power over others. This will increase the sense of satisfaction and happiness we all long for. When we see the challenges of our own development, we can be more compassionate to others as well. It also allows us to be of benefit to our surroundings.
How to create a deeper spiritual relationship with yourself
Deepening our spiritual connection gives us greater balance in our lives. Through greater connection to Spirit and our higher selves, we are able to gracefully deal with the many challenges that occur in our lives. We maintain our centre like the calm in the eye of the storm, remaining unshaken at our core even though chaos surrounds us.
Those who don’t have a connection to Spirit or to their higher selves, may often feel lost or may be easily upset by what’s occurring in their outer world. When we align with our highest self, we know who we truly are and feel a sense of purpose and clarity that guides us through life with ease. We are empowered to continue our journey through life. When tragedy befalls us or our hearts have been broken, we find our strength and optimism, rather than choosing to be a victim. We see the beauty of life and the glory, embracing the possibilities of our futures.
Join my FREE 2-hour workshop to create a deeper spiritual relationship with yourself. Held over zoom on Sunday 25 April at 4pm.
Please register for the event and your will receive an email with joining instructions. Book your place on “How to create a deeper spiritual relationship with yourself” today.
Thank you for joining me and I look forward to seeing you again next week for Pura Vida Your Life Happenings for insight, inspiration and more Golden Nuggets to help you live a happier and fulfilled life.
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Until next time – Pura Vida!