What is a Healing or Spiritual Practice?

As I was writing up my notes for a Soulful Practices Podcast an interesting question popped into my mind - What is a spiritual practice or healing practice?  

I paused for a moment and realized I don't think I’ve directly shared my definition or idea of what makes something a spiritual practice or a healing/growth practice. It isn’t simply having a meditation routine, an exercise or yoga routine, or a commitment to a diet. Spiritual practice requires a willingness to allow that which you are doing to inform you, adjust you, and invite you into change and evolution.

Here’s my short answer - a spiritual or healing practice can be anything that we do in which we decide to do with presence, awareness, intention, and committed action. When I use the word practice I’m inviting myself into:

• Opening to a inner stance of willingness to be in awareness of who and how I am showing up in the present moment, 
• A willingness and humbleness of the Mental Being part of me to allow myself to be reflective on who and how I have shown up in the past,
• Followed by a commitment and devotion to step into committed action with any changes to my habitual thoughts, actions, and perceptions that I might be engaging in that do not match or align with my intentions.
• Rinse and Repeat :)

Wisdom traditions and modern best practices for personal growth will all invite you into a similar formula - asking you to pause your habitual doing so that you can witness and gain self-knowledge and awareness of what is driving you behind the scenes with:

• What are you thinking?
• What is guiding your perspectives and perspectives?
• Are you willing to lovingly challenge those habitual responses and reactions with some type of statement of “Is that true?” or “Does that stance/story/perception serve you in a way that matches your true intentions?”
• And concluding with an action step. Are you willing to challenge the well worn pathways within your own system and step into the uncomfortable energy of developing new stimulus and response pathways or embracing your authentic way of being that is free from the proactive and survival adaptations that are controlling you?  

Through developing these skills you can turn your daily life into a living breathing spiritual and healing practice. Giving yourself the gift of being able to witness who and how you are showing up in the little moments. To become aware of your thoughts and how they are asking you to engage life. To use the moments of awareness when you have a flash of anger, frustration, or fear in your system as an invitation for creating balance and wellbeing in your system instead of that something, someone, or you has done something wrong. To be open to invitations throughout the day to witness yourself opening to the positive, the laughter, and connections that you might not have allowed yourself to be with before.

Life is your practice.

This can feel like a big statement and a bit ungrounded. To help ground “your life as your practice” it helps to pick one thing, concept, or idea that you would like to focus on that day, week, month, or even a quarter/year. Little by little you will have completely changed your very system.

• The cells in your Body Being will inherit new programming and release the old, literally giving you new organs and cellular tissue that are unburdened from the weight and toxicity of past trapped traumas and ways of being.
• Your Mental Being will be liberated from old limiting ways of perceiving and responding to the world around you.
• Your Heart Being will be more open and willing to sense and connect with yourself and others from an inner state of love and compassion.
• And you will be willing to hear, sense, see, and seek council from your Soul Being. Little by little a practice that is based in intention, awareness, and engagement your whole entire life begins to shift into more choice, compassion, and expansion to be who you truly be.

This week, in episode 17 of Soulful Practice Podcast, I share about one of the key components that is a part of embracing the idea of my life is my practice - a willingness to see and interact with pain with compassion and curiosity instead of something that is wrong or that you did something wrong. I also share a great sample Practice with the RAIN Method, developed by meditation teacher and psychologist Tara Brach.

Check out the full episode on Spotify or YouTube.