The term ‘spirituality’ often bears religious connotations, when in reality, its definition is far more wide-ranging than this. Essentially, spirituality is finding harmony and balance of the mind, body and spirit and forming a connection with one’s higher self. There are many methods that can facilitate this search for internal equilibrium, including activities such as running a cleansing bath or casting a spell.
Often we may feel that we are lacking in spirituality and the resolution for this feels unclear. Perhaps we are drained by the week’s heavy workload, or we have been faced with endless obstacles which have taken their toll on our inner shine. In order to rectify this, embarking on a journey of spiritual self-care may serve to restore your spirit to its fullest potential. Outlined below are ten spiritual self-care steps to follow in order to fully nurture the mind, body and spirit. All of these steps can be performed in a single day, over the space of a week or incorporated into one’s lifestyle for ultimate spiritual betterment. However you wish to use them is your prerogative, but remember to have fun with it!
1) Listen
Have you ever experienced those moments in life where you think back and see that all of life’s warning signs were present, but you decided to overlook them anyway? Oh, the beauty that is retrospection. What this teaches us is that life really does have a path for us, but it is our job to listen and be receptive to the signs presented to us. We need to learn to listen to everything; to the sounds of nature, to the things our loved ones tell us, to the way we are truly feeling deep down. Slowing down and spending a quiet evening soaking up life’s ‘sounds’ is a great place to start. Listen to your surroundings and listen to your deepest intuitions. Be patient with the process as while your mind may whirr noisily to begin with, soon your spirit will begin to soothe and you will become far more receptive to what’s really important in life.
2) Embrace Mother Nature
To really optimize our spiritual self-care, we must make an effort to spend extra time surrounded by nature. Not only does added time outdoors help boost our mood, but it also has a fantastic effect on our physical health. It clears the lungs, improves circulation, rejuvenates the skin and keeps us fit and active. Remember, the key to improving one’s spirituality is by finding balancing between the mind, body and spirit, so we must nurture all three aspects of this special trinity.
In addition, immersing ourselves in the energies produced by Mother Nature and all her creations are a fantastic way to connect with our higher selves. For instance, the humble tree is a remarkable beacon of all that is spiritual and mighty; a tree retrieves stagnant energy from the ground and carriages this into an abundance of beautiful flowers and fruits while asking for nothing in return. Therefore, we must take lessons from the tree, using our own stagnant energy to make a similar abundance of positive and meaningful impacts on those around us. Our spirit will benefit from this immensely.
3) Meditate
Meditation is a powerful way to connect you and your higher self. Meditation is proven to reduce stress and anxiety which obstruct our spirituality from fully thriving. Many of us may feel that meditation is a daunting prospect, as it forces us to silence life’s distractions and makes us face our thoughts head on. These thoughts can often be intrusive or negative, but learning to find acceptance with them through meditation is the best way to quieten the noise in our minds.
When partaking in a session of meditation, we are to conjure the negative thoughts that have been weighing on us. After retaining these negative thoughts for a short period, the next step we need to take is to consciously expel them from our mind and body. By doing this, we are teaching our subconscious to understand that these harmful thoughts are not a reflection of reality and cannot define us. Adopting this technique of grounding oneself is a fantastic way to restore greater perspective and spirituality into one’s life and only needs to take a few minutes every day.
4) Cleanse your surroundings
Another way to implement some much-needed spiritual self-care is by removing unnecessary clutter and cleansing your surroundings. If you look around you right now, you may notice many objects that simply clog the flow of energy in your home. These objects may have negative associations or simply serve little purpose whatsoever. Visualize this clear-out as a space created to lure in the best possible version of yourself.
5) Chanting
Embracing the wonder of chanting and all of its healing properties is a fantastic way to care for our spiritual selves. While the act of chanting may lead you to feel a little silly at first, it requires you to let go of all inhibitions and get stuck in to feel its full effects. We can chant by sitting in a group and repeating the same positive affirmations over and over again until we can feel the cumulative energy mounting and washing over us. We can also chant by producing an ‘om’ sound while meditating, as the vibrational frequencies produced by this allow us to connect more deeply with the wavelengths of the universe and our higher selves. The energy produced by chanting is of astronomical proportions thus having a profound influence on our consciousness.
6) Yoga
We are regularly told that exercise is vital for our physical and mental health, but we must remember that it is also important for our spiritual wellbeing. Yoga is the perfect balance between keeping oneself active whilst avoiding feeling out of depth at the same time - particularly strenuous forms of exercise it not only a strain on the body but can leave us feeling overwhelmed, dimming our spirits. With this in mind, yoga is very accommodating for people of all levels of athletic ability and all body types; the slow-paced and peaceful routines are far more nurturing of the mind and the body in comparison to high intensity workouts or lugging oneself down to the gym three times a week. It can also easily be conducted in the privacy of one’s home, free of the perceived judgement that exercising in a public environment can have.
7) Positive affirmations
Positive affirmations work by taking negative and destructive narratives and swapping them with ones of positivity and self-affirmation. By doing so, we are allowing ourselves to actually begin fulfilling such desires. In addition, positive affirmations are a scientifically-backed method that encourage optimism and self-love for all. Reducing our innate tendencies to ponder on negative thoughts and experiences is a difficult task, but is essential in improving our concept of self and thus, our overall spiritual wellbeing.
8) Run a spiritual bath
While the purpose of a regular bath is to wash oneself, a bath that focuses on spirituality serves to cleanse the mind and spirit. To upgrade your regular bath, it is important to be mindful of the ingredients you place into the water. For example, using lavender essential oil is great for completely relaxing the body and enticing positive thinking. Using pink Himalayan or Epsom salt is fantastic for unblocking stagnant, negative energy and cleansing the skin.
9) Cast a spell
Casting spells may be out of many of our comfort zones, but it is important to remember that spell casting isn’t exclusive to witches and wizards who meddle with dark magic or simply exist in fairy tales. Spells can, in fact, be cast by any of us, as long as our intentions are in the right place. Detailed below is an example of a simple spell that can improve our spirituality;
Firstly, light a white, unscented candle and sit in a dark room. Make sure to prevent any distractions or interruptions while you sit in a meditative state and conjure images of you and your higher self. Try to visualize your spirit’s energy and expand it in your mind - notice the colours, shape and density of your spiritual energy, and take note of how it makes you feel. This spell can be repeated as often as feels necessary in order to reach full spiritual enlightenment. Don’t worry, you may not feel you have accomplished this right at first, but practice certainly makes perfect.
10) Use your crystals
Crystals are incredibly personal and are perceived differently by different people. While they all possess a variety of different properties, whichever crystals you personally feel drawn to are the crystals your spirit is urging you to connect with. Often we are blind to the issues that need addressing in our lives making crystals a fantastic way to begin our personal roads to spiritual betterment.
By taking these spiritual self-care steps into account, we are allowing ourselves to remain open and receptive to improving our spiritual wellbeing. Our mind, body and spirit can often grow unbalanced and discordant as we fail to properly nourish this special trinity. Moreover, finding equilibrium and harmony between all three equips us with the spiritual power necessary for true enlightenment of our higher selves. This list shouldn’t appear daunting, as you are free to dip in and out of steps as you wish. What is most important though, is that you recognise there is not one ‘right path’ and that nurturing our spirituality is an incredibly individual process.
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