Exploring Spiritual Practices: A Personal Journey
“Connecting to your own life and being true to your internal questions and desires is something you’ll never regret,” expresses Aizaiah Yong, associate professor of spirituality at the Claremont School of Theology.
Gwen Vogelzang struggled with infertility, seeking spiritual comfort to maintain focus and avoid emotional spirals. After adopting children, her advocacy for her neurodiverse kids left her feeling disconnected from her religious community. Moving across the country during a pandemic added difficulty in finding a stable church community. To cope, Vogelzang, from Grand Rapids, Mich., developed her own spiritual rituals by focusing on presence during daily activities like dishwashing and observing nature, such as birds outside her window. She finds spirituality in moments where her ego takes a backseat, like feeling the sun on her face in her sunroom.
Personalizing spiritual practices are within your agency, according to Yong. Spiritual rituals are dynamic entities that allow for meaningful additions or changes.
Questions to Develop Spiritual Practices
Question 1: What does ‘something greater’ mean to you?
Spirituality often involves connecting with something beyond oneself. For some, this might be God, collective consciousness, or principles like faith and love, notes psychiatrist Anna Yusim. Spirituality bridges religious and non-religious individuals alike.
Question 2: Where do your spiritual beliefs come from?
Understanding your spiritual origins helps connect with greater entities. Yong emphasizes knowing oneself to forge meaningful connections. Consider early feelings of connection to something bigger and identify which rituals and influences to embrace or explore. Yong himself practices an interreligious faith informed by his diverse cultural upbringing.
Question 3: What activities connect you to your spirituality?
Consider past experiences that made you feel close to your greater entity. Integrating these into life as rituals, whether religious or secular, might enhance your spiritual practice. Rayna Jhaveri, a Cambridge-based musician, immerses in music circles that uplift participants. Yong advises steering spiritual practices towards remembering connections beyond self-centered endeavors.
Question 4: What else can you do to strengthen your spiritual connection?
Reflecting on spirituality might inspire creative exploration. Within your faith, seek ways to advance, like acquiring a mentor. Consider adopting secular practices or drawing inspiration from other cultures while respecting their traditions.
Investigating unfamiliar cultural rituals necessitates genuine connections with those communities, Yong emphasizes.
Discovering your spiritual practices might require perseverance. Yong assures that staying true to your life and its inherent questions and desires brings no regrets.
How do you approach spirituality? Is it tied to religion, or do you build a spiritual life beyond religious doctrines? Share your insights by emailing [email protected] with “Spirituality” in the subject line, including your full name. Your response might feature on NPR.org. The editorial team includes Andee Tagle, Malaka Gharib, and Beck Harlan. Connect via voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email [email protected]. Follow Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and subscribe to our newsletter. Engage with us on Instagram at @nprlifekit.