For people all over the world, 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year due to the stresses of living through the coronavirus pandemic and the necessary restrictions this has put on people’s everyday lives. This may have left you wondering what the point of everything is and if there is a greater power behind what is happening in the world. Such questions may have prompted you to explore your spirituality, whether from a specifically religious context or in the hope of finding inner peace. To help you out, here are four ways you can explore your spirituality.
- Research religions
Religions have been attempting for millennia to explain the meaning of life and the purpose of existence. Suppose you are embarking on a spiritual journey. In that case, a good place to start might be to research various religions to find out more about their philosophies and teachings and see if any resonate with your own beliefs. Many places of faith offer drop-in sessions for people to find out more about what they believe in and ask questions. Some may even offer courses such as Alpha and Life Explored, which will help you consider questions surrounding spirituality and religion in more detail.
- Practice yoga
Although yoga is seen as a trendy fitness regime by many in the West, there is actually much more to it than the downward dog. The practice of yoga has its origins more than 5000 years ago in northern India as a spiritual development practice designed to train both the body and mind to become self-aware and to cultivate a state of higher consciousness. You could even invest in a string of mala beads, such as those offered by Shivoham, for a meaningful meditation tool when carrying out your asanas.
- Make time for reflection
Whilst on your spiritual journey, you will probably come across a lot of information that you need to process and consider how your soul responds. Regularly make time in a quiet environment so that you can reflect on your thoughts, whether that is through prayer or meditation. You might want additional tools to help focus your thoughts, such as mala beads or a Bible passage and ensure that your environment is optimized for reflection. Make sure that the temperature of the room is a happy medium, neither too hot nor too cold, and dim the lights.
- Connect with others on a similar journey
You can sometimes feel very lonely and misunderstood if you have embarked on a spiritual journey, especially if your family and friends are staunchly atheist or rational. Try and find a community of others on a similar journey to yourself, perhaps through faith organisations or other participants on the spiritual courses mentioned above, or you could even connect with others online. As well as providing a welcoming sense of community, listening to other people’s stories can provide you with an outlet in which to explore and discuss your spiritual journey in further detail.