People ask me to help them recognize and appreciate spiritual life.
Some people practice specific ways of strengthening spiritual life. Some people follow traditional practices they find helpful, some discover their own.
It can be good to begin by exploring what practices have helped, and not helped, them already. They may feel stuck or trapped in a particular practice. They may want to adjust how they experience certain practices, or set them aside completely.
Some people find it beneficial to set aside what they have already tried and start at the beginning.
For me, the basic, beginning spiritual practice is breathing.
Breathing is what we do when we do not do anything else. Breathing is what we do while we sleep and when we pay attention. Breathing is the practice that makes all our other practices possible.
Our breathing is deeply spiritual. Sacred writings describe how the breath of life awakens and inspires us. People tell us how spiritual insights take their breath away. Some people believe a scriptural notation for God’s name comes from the sound of breathing.
Breathing is also a powerful working metaphor for spiritual life. We breathe in, and fresh air fills our lungs. We pause to receive. We acquire the oxygen we need for our hearts, minds, and bodies to continue working. Our sense of smell connects the world around us with the world within us.
We breathe out, providing nutrients to the plants around us. We release tensions and toxins, letting go of what is not healthy for us to hold in ourselves.
Our breathing reflects the steps we take inward and back out into the world on our spiritual journeys each day.
When was the last time an insight took your breath away?
Who helps you recognize and appreciate spiritual life?
[Image by chintermeyer]
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