Spiritual Living

The path to spirit is not a straight and uneventful path. If it was so easy to get spiritual more people would be there. Developing a spiritual life has nothing to do with the religion one chooses to follow. It has everything to do with personal beliefs, mind set and attitude.

Spirituality is defined can be defined as a state of mind. Finding the place where nothing bothers, hurts or defines the self. Is that possible? Yes, a simple question or two can put the event into perspective.

The first step in developing a spiritual life is to make it a way of life. Find a form of meditation that works for you. Try the Tibetan Buddhism use of primordial sound chants, these clear each chakra and balance the spirit. The universal sound of Ohm is another sound chant that helps to center the spirit and the body, creating an opening for energy. Other meditations that will work is to just sit and breath. Following Yoga practices, as well as Zen Buddhism, you will learn to follow your breath and focus only on it. This is a terrific take anywhere with you skill to reduce stress in less time that it takes medication to work.

Centering in spirit brings you to a place of calm, understanding and awareness. This is your best defence against the world and the many problems. Once you find a path use it every day, practice as often as possible, but as minimal as three times per day. Upon awakening, at lunch and prior to bed time are terrific times to sit with the quiet of your breath.

Journal what is bothering you. Let those worries have their say through your writing. Once the worries are done, ask why does this bother me? What is the reason I have let this (fill in the blank) affect me? The answer is there, listen and do not be afraid of hearing it. Awareness means that change is possible, it will happen and the more these simple steps are used the better equiped you will be to deal with the world.

With the basics of spiritual practices it becomes possible to quit smoking, drinking, drug use/abuse, gambling and a mirade of other issues that stand in the way of happiness.

Remember it is a new habit, so if you forget, practice when you remember. Make a note to meditate, put it where you will see it. Sticky note to the alarm clock, on the mirror, with those things you pick up upon leaving in the morning. For those long commutes practice following the breath, just do not close your eyes, duh. The first step to developing a new habit is to remind, then be patient.

You can do this, I know you can.