Finding Your Spiritual Practice

I was recently asked by someone if I have a daily spiritual practice. The question caught me off guard and I had to stop and think. Do I? If I do, what is it? What inspires me from day to day and brings me a deeper sense of connection to myself, the world as a whole, and everything that exists beyond? In that moment I was stumped and my lack of response left me sad.

In the following weeks I tried to pay attention to anything that might fill my personal need for a spiritual practice. I was surprised to notice that it was actually already present here and there in my life: practicing yoga in my kitchen (not what I’d consider a “spiritual” environment, but it’s the best flat surface in the house!); taking a walk through the woods on a sunny fall day with my dog, writing in my journal for meaningful self-discovery; singing in the car and connecting with the lyrics; using essential oils for mind-body-spirit and taking a moment to appreciate the many hands that helped cultivate it; reading books that are empowering and help me be my best self; sharing my inspirations with those around me; and the list goes on!

All of these are sporadic events, though. I knew I benefited from each activity, but I’d desired something that brought me deeper clarity. The same person who’d asked if I had a spiritual practice also encouraged me to discover what that was so I could build on it daily. Without me calling it out, she’d hit it on the head. My spiritual craving needed to be fed and I hadn’t been filling the plate.

NEW RELEASE!

My first assumption was that I needed to start meditating 20 minutes a day…no, scratch that…30 minutes a day, or maybe more? And that it should be every day at the same exact time, sitting in lotus position in the corner of my bedroom with absolute quiet and a serenely blank mind. Of course, performance anxiety and frustration came trickling in before I’d even finished the thought. I’d played this game before and I found myself giving up before I’d even started. That’s when I turned to Robert Butera’s Meditation for Your Life.

I’d been drawn to meditation in the past, but had only been able to strongly connect through it when I was guided in classes by an instructor. I wanted to be able to fly on my own! In my work acquiring this title I knew it was one I would eventually be coming back to. Now that I was ready to really absorb the material I read through the six types of meditation that Butera outlines (Breath, Affirmation and Visualization, Mantra, Devotion/Prayer/Intentionality, Mindfulness, and Contemplative Inquiry), trying to figure out where I fit. I discovered that I’d been trying to force Mindfulness Meditation, when my preferred style is actually a combination of Visualization and Devotion/Prayer/Intentionality. Just knowing this helped me feel like I already knew how to meditate, I just needed to trust my inner guidance. In fact, I’d already been practicing some of the things he described. Empowered by understanding of my own style and new tools to act on I feel excitement instead of trepidation over the beginnings of a more dedicated spiritual practice. How about you?

What’s your spiritual practice? Have you tried meditation in the past and found it didn’t quite work out? Or are you’re searching for new forms of meditation to enhance an already existing practice? For this and more, I’d recommend picking up a copy of Meditation for Your Life!