Somewhere during my college years I began to delve
into spirituality and the idea of unlocking your inner power. This power is
known by many names: chakra, reiki, qi (chi), psychic energy, etc. But what is
spirituality, exactly? Funny enough, there isn’t a universally agreed upon way
to define what spirituality is. It depends on the cultural perspective viewing
it much like preferences in beauty for example. It is important to know that it
is NOT just limited to believing in ghosts, psychic powers, God, deities, etc. There
are many schools of thought regarding spirituality and the Wikipedia page is a
good introduction to the subject. To me, it is essentially any kind of activity
someone does in order to find meaning, whether it is the essence of the universe
or themselves (or both). When I think of spirituality, I think of the spirit
and the source. I’ve mentioned before that balance in life consists of the mind
and body; however, I think it also involves the spirit. My ultimate goal is to
be able to understand my world and live a fruitful life. Both go hand-in-hand. In
order to achieve this, I need to have a strong body, mind, and use it to its
fullest potential (spirit). You can be smart and strong, but if you’re not
doing anything with your gifts, what are you achieving?
To me, spirituality is about finding truth and
becoming the best version of myself. To achieve this, you need to have an open
mind. However, there’s a difference between someone getting plastic surgery to
make themselves artificially beautiful because they think it will make them
happier and someone who takes the time and effort to live a healthy life (body
and mind) in order to achieve a goal. Everything has a consequence, and if you’re
doing something to gain instant gratification, you’re not actually addressing
the root problem. It’s like cheating on a math test and by the time the next
test comes you have to do it again. Why? Because you didn’t take time to learn
the material. You cheated (instant gratification) and you still don’t
understand the mathematical principles.
How can you be more spiritual? Remember, you don’t
need to be a mystic or shaman or whatever to be spiritually-tuned. Many aspects
of spirituality can be seen in popular activities such as yoga and martial arts.
Both are extensions of meditation, which is mainly used to calm the mind and achieve
higher states of consciousness. Of course most mainstream forms of yoga and
martial arts don’t openly promote that, but each practice still produces
meditative effects that promote inner peace and happiness. Ever take a yoga
class? Whether it’s the good stretches or the ASMR-esque voice many yogis have
during sessions, you tend to feel good afterwards. Many martial artists (myself
included) experience a state of flow (being in the zone) when practicing their
form or sparring with others. Honestly, any activity that helps you achieve a
state of flow can be considered meditative and thus can help you become more
spiritual. Just remember, it’s not simply doing something, it’s also about the
mindset going on behind the activity.
By delving into spirituality, the biggest change is
how I’ve gone about living my life. I started to question how I could make my
life more fruitful. I started thinking about my goals; my dreams. I then
started thinking about how I could make them happen. A lot of commitment and
some years later, I have changed my diet for the better, developed a more
fitness-oriented mindset (and enjoy working out), I’ve gotten into the habit of
reading informational books, and have grown so much as a result.
Now I’ve moved to a different country, have made a
bunch of new friends, and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for
me.
Whether you believe in any of this or not, it’s good to keep an open mind. Life guides us in many ways. People, animals, nature, death, breakups, a new job, etc. We may not always understand, but there's a lesson in everything. If we take time to reflect on life and learn from it, we can gain so much insight. Many people do believe and do live wonderful lives due to how they conduct their lives. At the end of the day, isn’t finding happiness what really matters? Follow your heart and you'll get where you need to go.
Whether you believe in any of this or not, it’s good to keep an open mind. Life guides us in many ways. People, animals, nature, death, breakups, a new job, etc. We may not always understand, but there's a lesson in everything. If we take time to reflect on life and learn from it, we can gain so much insight. Many people do believe and do live wonderful lives due to how they conduct their lives. At the end of the day, isn’t finding happiness what really matters? Follow your heart and you'll get where you need to go.
 |
| The first drawing I did after starting my spiritual journey. What do you see? |
Comments
Post a Comment