How To Choose The Right Type Of Spiritual Practice
Like physical exercise, no spiritual practice will work if it isn’t something you enjoy. Perhaps you were dragged to religious services as a youth, and you know how much you didn’t enjoy that! Or you have tried a couple of things like reading sacred literature, reading a prayer, attending a religious service, and it just doesn’t do it for you. So you may think, “I’m just not that spiritual.” In this article, I help you to choose the right type of spiritual practice for your everyday life.
So let’s turn the tables on the traditional idea of choosing a spiritual practice and go at this in a different way. In my book, PRESENCE Recognizing the Divine in Your Everyday Life, I introduce the idea of “Favorite Things.” These are the wonderful things in your life that already make you happy. A favorite thing could be a flavor, color, shape, activity, place, or sound that you just cherish. Perhaps you love dancing, or watching a sunrise, eating ice cream, or listening to music. You already have your favorites every day in your life. Consider making a spiritual practice of your favorites. How can you turn something you already love into a new spiritual practice? How do you take something that might pass you by without much notice and turn it into your personal, prayerful connection on your spiritual path?
Mindfulness
There is much said today about mindfulness. What is it? Let’s first look at what happens when you don’t pay attention, get sidelined by distractions, are too anxious or depressed, or are in too much of a hurry. You miss out on so many good things in life. Sounds like regular life, doesn’t it? But it doesn’t have to be that way. What if you change your energy on purpose? What if you calm your mind and body, tune out the distractions, and slow down to engage in an experience you want not only to remember, but to expand and enhance? That’s mindfulness.
Choose one of your favorites and start by reflecting on it as a gift from the Divine. Let the experience of that favorite enter the innermost reservoir of your being and connect with the God of your understanding. Just as you often give a gift to someone you love hoping to deepen your connection with that person, so the Divine gives us the gift of our favorites to connect in a loving and generous way. Breathe into the experience of your favorite thing, focus on it, be thankful for it, and let every fiber of your body connect. That’s mindfulness, and it means you can always have the exact type of spiritual practice that is just right for you – and it is always at your fingertips.
Of course there are more formal and organized practices that can deepen any spiritual practice. For some people, writing in a journal, joining a meditation group, practicing yoga, walking a labyrinth, or attending a traditional religious service or retreat can be just the right thing. And that may be something to try. Meanwhile, you can open yourself to a custom-designed spiritual practice by taking the time to focus on everything that brings you joy. Then that becomes a constant reminder that you are continuously receiving the love and blessing that you might otherwise have missed.
For more information or help with choosing the right type of spiritual practice, contact me or pick up your copy of PRESENCE Recognizing the Divine in Your Everyday Life.