Spirituality - What is it anyway?

10 Tips to Help you on Your Journey!

Spirituality is many things to many people. Spirituality is not a religion. Religion can be
viewed as a set of rules followed by a group of individuals who share the same beliefs
that are unquestioned.
What is spirituality?
Spirit means soul and is derived from the latin word to breath (spirare), it is related to
the ebb and the ow of the breath, the exhalation and the inhalation. The rhythm of life
is bound by the breath, like the waves gently lapping the sandy beach it brings a sense
of calming, of stillness. It is in this stillness that we heighten our awareness of the outer
world and most importantly the inner world. When we concern ourselves with practices
relating to spirit, we call it being spiritual. Notice the word being. It is not doing, it is
being. Being implies immersion. A feeling, a knowing. Being implies an engulng of all
the senses that allows for the heart to open. As we open our hearts we connect to life in
a new way. We marry the heart with the mind and as this connection becomes stronger
and stronger we begin to operate from the space of the heart-mind.
How to achieve this?
Spiritual practice starts with connection, a deep connection... to nature. Because it is in
nature that you nd the essence of who you are. This connection to nature allows you
to reect deeply upon yourself and see the divinity within other beings. It allows you to
see the coherence, harmony and resonance of the natural world. It aligns you with the
feeling of awe. It is in this state of awe, this state of stillness that allows you to see
beyond yourself. Beyond being human. Ultimately allowing you to connect with your
own soul, your true essence. The path upon which you journey is called spirituality.
The beauty of practicing spirituality is that of following your own path, with your own
method. It is not dictated by a qualied individual, it is a journey that unfolds with
practice and persistence. It is a journey that unfolds from within.
But I still have no idea how to do this?
Here are the rst 10 tips to developing your own spirituality:
1. Spend time by yourself.
The greatest personal spiritual growth results from spending time in solitude. It neednt
be permanent, but spending time with yourself allows you to recalibrate. It allows you to
reect on your experiences and understand yourself better. This time for reection is
important for personal growth and navigating within the community as a unique
individual.
2. Spend time with nature.
Nature is guided by its own parameters. Everything in nature works in harmony,
coherence and resonance. The delicate eco-systems work with a synchronicity akin to
the symphony orchestra. Indeed, as the melodies of the birds greet you there is no
matching the harmonies played for all those who dare listen. The natural world has its
own breath, rhythm and cycle. It recycles all the old to give rise to the new through the
seasons in communion with the skies. As we harmonize with these rhythms, the
rhythms with which our bodies are attuned, a new sense of connectedness to nature
emerges. An innate connectedness our bodies know well.
3. Allow.
When many people begin their practice they experience resistance. This is natural
when you have not been exposed to these types of experiences before. If you become
one with the resistance by feeling it fully, over time you release it. As you continue with
your practice and allow feelings and thoughts to arise without judgement they dissipate.
Breathe..breathe...breathe.
4. Receive.
When you allow yourself to experience you are in a state of receiving. What can you
expect to receive I hear you ask? Well, that is the point, when you build expectations
you block your potential to receive. Many experiences and much information is derived
from being in a state of receipt. I will not be placing examples here because the mind
very quickly grabs on to what it can to nd meaning. When you approach your practice
from a state of openness then you are able to receive.
5. Accept.
When you let go of resistance and hence the connection to the ego, over time, you are
able to accept that which is new and fresh. That which is insightful. Acceptance does
not mean taking others experiences and force these on to yourself. Acceptance means
being gentle with yourself, a gentle acceptance of your experience without judgement.
6. Trust.
As you build your practice and your experience you begin to see synchronicity for the
gift it is and trust what you sense, feel, see and hear. As you let go of pre-conceived
ideas of what it should feel like, you begin to experience what it is like for you. After
all, anothers experience is their own and not yours. Also as you trust you begin to
release the feeling of wanting to control the direction of your experience. For as you are
in a state of expectation you miss the point altogether. The question remains what do
you really have control over? Does control exist? Only if you buy into it. Where does it
come from?
8. Gratitude.
Gratitude is spouted by many in spiritual circles, but what does it really mean and how
do you know you are in a state of gratitude? Activate your heart and see the world
through its eyes.
9. Patience.
Patience is the ability to continue even when things dont go the way you expect them
to. It is the ability to acknowledge that there is a higher perspective that is related to the
outcome and trusting this with a sense of humble acceptance that when the time is right
you will understand fully.
10. Persistence.
All the theory in the world cannot replace experience (epistemology vs ontology).
Without experience we would all be mechanistic and robotic in nature. The uidity of
nature lends itself to change and change takes humble persistence, patience and grace.
The humbleness to observe and accept change, the patience to receive in the right
timing and order and the grace to integrate what you have learnt along the way.
Persistence is the way of the seeker.
Find fellow seekers to support and encourage you or join a meditation class run by
Chiara!
Author: Chiara Marrapodi is a Certied Clinical Hypnotherapist and
Animal Communicator with ofces in San Diego and Los Angeles.
She helps individuals nd their barriers to positive change and
specializes in Work-Thrive Balance, weight loss, self-esteem, past
life regression and pre-post surgery. You can contact her at
hypnotherapist@dancesoulhypnotherapy.com or her websites
www.dancesoulhypnotherapy.com; www.wildvoicestalk.com;
www.societyforanimalconsciousness.org.
Photo acknowledgement www.freedigitalphotos.net by Stuart Miles.
Chiara Marrapodi. All Rights Reserved.