Having a “practice” is a great way to regularly remind ourselves of our spiritual beliefs and foundations. It grounds us and gives a sense of our place in the Universe.

I personally think…

• We are all connected. 
• There is magic in mystery, and plenty of mystery.
• The meaning and purpose of life lies in the nature of its unfolding.
• Spirituality gives us perspective about how we fit into the greater world around us and what is important to us.
• Spirituality fosters continued personal growth, self knowledge, and awareness.

These are just thoughts that resonate with me, you may disagree. The beauty is you get to choose for yourself.

What I do know…

Through regular practice and rituals we are reminded often of our beliefs and that helps to keep us grounded. The more we practice the better we develop our spiritual habits and the better we are able to maintain a healthy perspective throughout our everyday lives.  

I’m not an expert in spirituality, and spirituality is very personal and unique to each person. I will share a bit about what my practice looks like later on in this post/episode but I want to stress the importance of exploring on your own and finding what truly resonates with you.

I do suggest you follow your head and your heart and be careful not to get sucked into unhealthy groups or belief systems. If it feels wrong to you, trust your instincts.

There are certainly millions of different resources available to you online so I won’t go into detail in this post/episode. Simply use it as inspiration for beginning your journey. 

I do want to mention that Spirituality and Practice is a really comprehensive website about spirituality. It has so many ideas for creating your own spiritual practice, you could spend years exploring it and using it as a jumping off point. 

I found the spiritual practice toolkit especially helpful if a bit overwhelming.

Find that at:

https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/features/view/27713/spiritual-practice-toolkit

This kit lists all the different ways people practice spirituality. Click on the word and it will take you to detailed information about that topic. There are over 200 things listed!

After researching spirituality there for this post I have a few more things I’d like to explore myself.

My current practice is quite simple.

I like to do most of the practices I listed below each morning or evening. I also like to set a bit more time aside on Sunday for study and reflection when I can.

Sunday is also a day my husband and I don’t usually make plans or have visitors. We choose instead to use it as a day of rest and reset.

Of course, this is a practice and I am not perfect.

1. Set the Mood

In the morning I get a cup of coffee and climb back into bed with my journal. I have a special cushion I use for a desk, prop myself up with pillows, and settle in for an hour of quiet writing.

At night I like to light candles or burn incense because it sets the mood for my evening practice. Each night I practice yoga and meditation. It tells my brain it’s time to switch off the day, turn off the mind chatter, and begin to relax.

Depending what I am doing I also like to play meditation music in the background, it’s soft and soothing. 

2. Journaling

My daily morning journal practice includes gratitude, becoming work, thought work, and free writing. Sometimes I summarize events or break down situations that happened. I feel like it helps me clear my mind and focus my thoughts.

You can use the page to center on an idea or dig in deeper on a particular question or topic.

Another great thing about journaling is the ability to reflect and really look at what went well, what didn’t and the things you may want to do differently.

3. Meditation & Mindfulness

Meditation is the main piece of my practice. Meditation has many proven health benefits including lower stress levels and the ability to manage your mind. 

When you are able to see your thinking mind as separate from you, the watcher, you are able to detach from your thoughts. You can see that you are in charge of them, not the other way around.

With mindfulness our awareness also grows. When we are mindful of the present moment, we are living in the now, we are not thinking about the past or the future. 

Give worry and regret time off by learning to live in the present moment

4. Yoga

Yoga is a complete spiritual practice that I have barely just skimmed the surface of. I am learning more about it and I’m fascinated.

According to Wikipedia, “Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciousness untouched by the mind and mundane suffering. 

It sounds much like mediation to me…

I mainly do yoga in the evening from YouTube videos, but I am continuing to explore.

5. Nature

I love spending time outdoors. I think time in nature is necessary to our mental health. 

Many studies have shown that time in nature can lower blood pressure and stress, improve your immune system, improve self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve mood.

6. Organization

Put it together in an organized way. If you know anything about my coaching or membership, you know I like to be organized and I like to have a physical workbook or guidebook for everything. My brain settles down when I have it in writing. I’m so concerned I will forget something or won’t have it when I want it.

I found it very helpful to create my own spiritual notebook that houses ideas and inspiration. I keep my favorite meditations and journal prompts in there as well. 

I have personalized mine so it’s meaningful and beautiful by including quotes, natural items, and artwork.

7. Exploration

I like to study and explore the different religions, spiritual practices, and philosophies around the world. 

I don’t agree with everything and not everything resonates with me, but through this exploration I have been able to find spiritual connection in a very patchwork way. 

I love the Emerson quote, “Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.” 

Do you already have a spiritual tradition?

If you practice a religion, it may be time to dust that off a bit. Maybe you’ve grown lazy or never really connected with your religious practice in a very intimate or personal way. 

It’s very common to find yourself just going through the motions. 

Feel free to reach out to your spiritual or religious teachers for ways to create a more personal practice specifically meaningful to you, they will be thrilled to help you.

Just as life isn’t black or white, spirituality isn’t either. It isn’t one size fits all, and my practice changes with the seasons of the earth and the seasons of my life. 

Create your own spiritual practice and rituals and make them a habit. You will manage modern life; all the stress and busy in a way that is not only healthy but rewarding.

Quotes I like about spirituality.

"Awakening is not changing who you are, but discarding who you are not." – Deepak Chopra

"The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper." – W.B. Yeats

"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you really are." – Carl Jung

“The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware; joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.” – Henry Miller

“Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives.” – Brené Brown

“We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically.”– Neil DeGrasse Tyson

“You do not need to work to become spiritual. You are spiritual; you need only to remember that fact. Spirit is within you. God is within you.” – Julia Cameron

"The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves." – Alan Watts

"Happy people build their inner world; unhappy people blame their outer world." –Dalai Lama

“When you consider things like the stars, our affairs don’t seem to matter very much, do they?” – Virginia Woolf

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the now the primary focus of your life.” – Eckhart Tolle