Spirituality

Spirituality

What is spirituality?

Spirituality has many definitions, but at its core spirituality helps to give your life context. It's not necessarily connected to a specific belief system or even religious worship. Instead, it arises from your connection with yourself and with others, the development of your personal value system, and your search for meaning in life.

For many, spirituality takes the form of religious observance, prayer, meditation or a belief in a higher power. For others, it can be found in nature, music, art or a secular community. Spirituality is different for everyone.

Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human experience—something that touches us all. People may describe a spiritual experience as sacred or transcendent or simply a deep sense of aliveness and interconnectedness.

Some may find that their spiritual life is intricately linked to their association with a church, temple, mosque, or synagogue. Others may pray or find comfort in a personal relationship with God or a higher power. Still others seek meaning through their connections to nature or art. Like your sense of purpose, your personal definition of spirituality may change throughout your life, adapting to your own experiences and relationships.

Spiritual questions

For many, spirituality is connected to large questions about life and identity, such as:

• Am I a good person?
• What is the meaning of my suffering?
• What is my connection to the world around me?
• Do things happen for a reason?
• How can I live my life in the best way possible?

Spirituality refers to the evolutionary process as it drives us forward, eventually, to perfect wholeness. It relates to the expansion or evolution of consciousness. And, thus all activity-be it physical, emotional, intuitional and so forth-that leads towards greater perfection, goodness and wholeness is therefore spiritual. The scientist working, for example, on a cancer cure is involved in spiritual work, as is the diplomat attempting to bring harmony between warring parties or the artist seeking to create a beautiful masterpiece for enhancing the quality of life.

Spiritual values are qualified by ever-widening horizons, synthesis, growth and wholeness as well as greater vision, understanding and integration.

We know that without the physical sun, the world would be a dark, cold, dead place. Without the Soul-the heart of the inner spiritual wisdom-the inner sun, the world is full of psychological darkness in the form of ignorance, selfishness and separateness.

How can spirituality help with stress relief?

Spirituality has many benefits for stress relief and overall mental health. It can help you:

• Feel a sense of purpose. Cultivating your spirituality may help uncover what's most meaningful in your life. By clarifying what's most important, you can focus less on the unimportant things and eliminate stress.
• Connect to the world. The more you feel you have a purpose in the world, the less solitary you may feel — even when you're alone. This can lead to a valuable inner peace during difficult times.
• Release control. When you feel part of a greater whole, you may realize that you aren't responsible for everything that happens in life. You can share the burden of tough times as well as the joys of life's blessings with those around you.
• Expand your support network. Whether you find spirituality in a church, mosque or synagogue, in your family, or in nature walks with a friend, this sharing of spiritual expression can help build relationships.
• Lead a healthier life. People who consider themselves spiritual may be better able to cope with stress and may experience health benefits.

Discovering your spirituality

Uncovering your spirituality may take some self-discovery. Here are some questions to ask yourself to discover what experiences and values define you:

• What are your important relationships?
• What do you value most in your life?
• What people give you a sense of community?
• What inspires you and gives you hope?
• What brings you joy?
• What are your proudest achievements?

The answers to such questions can help you identify the most important people and experiences in your life. With this information, you can focus your search for spirituality on the relationships and activities in life that have helped define you as a person and those that continue to inspire your personal growth.

What types of spirituality are there?

• Mystical spirituality is based around a desire to move beyond the material world, beyond the senses, ego and even beyond time. This approach centres on personal relationships and a sense of unity with all things. 
• Authoritarian spirituality is a particularly strong form of spirituality based around a need for definition and rules. This type of spirituality is particularly common in specific religious practices.
• Intellectual spirituality focuses on building knowledge and understanding of spirituality through analysing history and spiritual theories. This approach can be found in the study of religion, also known as theology.
• Service spirituality is a common form of spirituality in many religious faiths. This is predominantly built around serving others as a form of spiritual expression.
• Social spirituality is often practiced by people who experience a spiritual feeling in the company of others. Social support is often seen as one of the important aspects of spirituality in general.

Why do people practice spirituality?

Many people see spirituality as a great way of seeking solace and peace in their life. It can often be practiced alongside things like yoga, which ultimately focus on stress relief and release of emotion. 

Spirituality is also used as a way of gaining perspective, recognising that our role in life has a greater value than just what we do every day. It can separate a person from dependence on material things and establish a greater purpose. Some people also see spirituality as a way of coping with change or uncertainty.

The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection

The truth is, spiritual health is inextricably connected to mental, emotional, social, and even physical health. When our spirit is healthy, our body is healthier, our brain is healthier, our relationships are healthier. Our entire soul is healthier.

What Does It Mean to Be “Spiritually Healthy?”

Spiritual health may mean something different to each of us. To me, spiritual health means connecting with God (The Universe, The Divine), on a daily basis through slowing down, tuning in, listening, and obeying the whispers. Spiritual health involves stepping out of our mind and body, getting in touch with what really matters, and living in line with our truest self.

 

In order to improve our spiritual health, we, first, need a desire to grow, spiritually. Once we have that desire, it’s important to begin some form of daily spiritual practice. After all, it’s only through practice that we see self-improvement and growth.

6 Benefits of Daily Spiritual Practice

There are plenty of reasons to start a daily spiritual practice. Here are six I’ve discovered over the years. I hope they inspire you to make your spiritual growth a priority, and start “practicing” today!

 

1)   We all have a spirit. And, when our spirit is unwell, our body, mind, and soul are unwell too. I know not everyone identifies as a “spiritual” person. That’s okay; we don’t have to identify as “spiritual” to have a spirit. When we neglect our spirit, it shows up in other areas of our life, whether we notice it or not. Taking care of our spirit makes all areas of life a little better. Don’t believe me? Just try taking care of your spiritual side for a while. You’ll see the benefits soon enough.

 

2)   Spiritual practices improve health, increase personal growth, strengthen relationships, and are the way to true self-actualization. better parent, spouse,We can read and study and work until we’re blue in the face, and we can achieve great growth and learning this way. But, our greatest learning comes on the spiritual plane. It comes when we get quiet and still. Only then can we listen and hear and know the things we need–to improve ourself and our relationships, to be a , partner, or child. To be a better person.

 

Practices such as prayer, meditation, scripture study, pondering, stillness, yoga, and mindfulness (to name a few) open us up. They re-connect us with the Divine. They allow us to hear the fine whispers that can guide our life. They allow us to step out of our everday worries–out of our own “agenda”–and be who we really are. As one of my favorite men wrote, “We are very busy people. We have so much to do. We need to get off by ourselves once in a while and think of the spiritual things and build ourselves spiritually. If you have a study at home, lock yourselves in it. If you have a place in the basement where you can be by yourself, go there. Get by yourself…. Just meditate and reflect…about yourself and your relationship to [God]. If will do something for you.”[2] Yes, it will.

 

3)   Most spiritual tools and practices are not only backed by experience; they’re backed by research. Even though I know, from experience, these spiritual tools and practices lead to greater health, meaning, and purpose in life, you don’t have to take my word for it. Practicing meditation, mindfulness,[3] prayer,[4] and even being in nature have all been shown to improve health and wellness, in the scientific research too. In fact, as one study says, “nature plays a vital role in human health and well-being.”[5] All the more reason to get outside and get still today.

 

4)   At the core of every trauma is a spiritual wound; and focusing on spiritual health can heal us. That’s what I have learned, not just from my own experience, but time and again from those I help in therapy. It may be easier to see or feel the physical, emotional, or mental wounds, but pain and trauma also impact the delicate spirit, whether we sense that impact or not. When we focus on creating spiritual health, we not only feel emotionally stronger. We heal.

 

5)   When we engage in spiritual practice and “obey the whispers,” we’re not only healthier—physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. We grow. As I write in my memoir, This is How We Grow: “There are some principles that are time-tested to be true, and when we live according to those principles we experience an increase of joy. Obeying the whispers is one of these. Call it your conscience, the voice of God, the spirit, the Holy Ghost—it’s like a radio wave continually broadcasting which you can only hear if you sit and tune in. It is up to each of us to listen for this guidance and up to each of us to choose to obey.” As we listen and obey, we know what we need to do. And, we’re somehow given the strength to do it. And, that makes us grow.

 

6)   Having a Daily Spiritual Practice is the surest path to Joy. We all have joy, deep within. But, for most of us, our joy is covered up by the stress, drama, and trauma of life. Only when we get still, pray, connect, listen, do we begin to uncover our joy, leading to a continual source that improves our life and everyone around us. Bottom line: if we want true joy, we need to connect, spiritually. As Eckhart Tolle writes, “It is from inner space, the undconditioned consciousness itselt, that true happiness, the joy of Being emanates. To be aware of little, quiet things, however, you need to be quiet inside. A high degree of alterness is required. Be still. Look. Listen. Be present.” That about sums it up.