Daily Spiritual Practice

A daily spiritual practice is intended to support your spiritual specialties and soul growth. Yes, we’re probably going to get uncomfortable at some point, but that just means we’re in the midst of transformation.

Your daily spiritual practice isn’t an item on your to-do list. It’s meant to be sacred, not a chore. 

It’s so easy to forget that, and to shy away from practices that are fulfilling for us. Especially right at the start of cultivating a spiritual practice. 

All the best rewards in life come with practice. But what makes spiritual practices different from practicing other skills is the sacredness. And something only becomes sacred when we have a personal connection to it. 

Therefore, a daily spiritual practice needs to connect with us as individual mystics in order for it to become sacred to us. We’re much more likely to actually engage in a practice if we care about it. 

I want to share my best pieces of advice for cultivating a supportive spiritual practice. These are things that come up a lot in my coaching program Manifest On Purpose, so I know you’ll find it helpful:

Only take what resonates

You’re not obligated to include any specific activity in YOUR spiritual practice. Besides meditation. Yes, I need meditation to be part of your daily spiritual practice. But meditation takes so many forms, you can completely customize it to suit your preferences.

Cultivate a daily practice

Your daily practice is your strongest practice. I would rather hear about you meditating for five minutes every single day than an hour twice per week. I would rather hear about you journaling a line or two per day than only journaling at the full moon. Consistency is key, that’s the core concept behind practice!

Allow for play

Your spiritual practice needs to inspire you to engage. Whatever activities your practice consists of, approach them with the attitude of playfulness and experimentation. There’s no such thing as perfection, only the experience. So have fun, enjoy yourself, soak up all those good vibes, and most importantly, give yourself the opportunity to try new things. 

Be curious

Approach practices (especially new ones) with curiosity. Every single time you engage in your chosen practice, give yourself grace. Be willing to be a little sloppy. Be okay with a less than stellar “performance.” No matter how much practice we get, we will never perform the exact same task with the exact same results. This is what makes practices fun! You never know what you’re going to find.

Dwell in curiosity by releasing the temptation to label everything as good or bad. Disband expectations or requirements. The act of engaging is the goal, not the results.

Prioritize yourself

Cater to YOU. And no one else. Consider all of your unique spiritual specialties, interests, opportunities for growth, and what makes you feel good and fulfilled. You don’t have to justify a damn thing to anyone else. So that means you’re free to do whatever you’d like, however you’d like to do it. That doesn’t mean you can’t take inspiration from others, or learn valuable techniques from them. This simply means that there are no wrong answers.

Don’t force anything

Don’t force what isn’t working. But also, you need to stick with it long enough to know for sure it isn’t working. There’s no way to know for sure how something will serve you unless you give it a solid chance. Your intuition is guiding you there for a reason, so there must be something there for you. Even if it’s just the opportunity to let go of expectations.

For example, I tried for years to be one of those yogis that leaps out of bed before dawn to do 100 sun salutations to “start the day off right.” I probably actually did that successfully less than a dozen times total, and I didn’t notice a substantial difference in my days between doing it and not, and it filled me with shame and guilt every time I didn’t do it.

So why was I continuing to force what wasn’t working? I knew I needed the grounding movement practice of yoga, so I came back to what was most important. Moving through the asanas during a time of day that feels good and fulfilling. Now when it’s time to engage in my spiritual practice of yoga, I do it in a way that’s exciting and fulfilling, not an obligation.

There’s not right or wrong answer

Even if you’re engaging in a practice that has structure to it (such as yoga), there truly is no wrong way to go about doing it. Sometimes, my yoga practice is more like a dance practice, and that’s okay. Other times I repeat the same sequence I’ve done 100 times before. No matter what you’re doing, do it your way. No one else ever has to know or see your methods. It’s purely for you and serving your soul. So say it with me: I DON’T CARE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK!

Come out of the spiritual closet

Be okay with other people being aware of your spiritual practice. I’m really passionate about this, because I don’t believe anyone can live in secret forever. At some point, we all have to come out of the closet with what we love and what we do, otherwise we live in the dark our whole lives.

No one needs to participate or understand. You don’t need to ask for permission, but you’ll likely have to work around the lives of others to do your spiritual practices. And that’s okay! Unless you’re single and work from home, you probably always have someone else in your space.

So this is a good chance to exercise setting boundaries, putting yourself first, and coming out of the spiritual closet. I’ve talked at length in other episodes about what to do when you feel the need to keep your spirituality a secret.

And I’ll reiterate that you cannot maintain a thriving spiritual practice that serves your soul expansion, and keep it a secret at the same time. Keeping part of yourself hidden is the opposite of what the Universe wants for you. So yes, you don’t have to care about what anyone else thinks of your spirituality and your practices, but you do need to come to terms with the fact that other people will be aware of them. It’s a good thing! Not a scary thing.

BTW, if you have a really hard time with this idea of letting your spiritual beliefs and practices become known to people who don’t agree with them, take a look at which zodiac sign Chiron is on your natal chart. This will give you some insight on how to best put yourself out there!

New Age Practices

So now you are committed to finding mindful moments throughout your day to consistently practice your spiritual activities. You probably already have a few ideas on times that would be good for you to steal 10 minutes for yourself. 

Let’s talk about a few ideas on what to include in your mindful moments. Remember, take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and always dig deeper! Feel free to play and explore, mix and match, and find your own spiritual style. 

Meditation

As I mentioned already in the episode, and in many other episodes, meditation is absolutely non negotiable. Luckily for us, there are endless ways to meditate and it’s probably the easiest thing to mold to your personality. I’ve dedicated entire podcast episodes to the various forms of meditation.

You can follow guided meditations online, you can listen to music (regular or healing music), you can sit in silence and just breathe, you can recite affirmations, or follow a visualization. You can also meditate while walking (which is particularly effective outside). Every single day, strive for at least 10 mindful minutes of meditation, and your spiritual practice will unfold organically from there.

Affirmations

I did this A LOT when I was pregnant to tame all the anxiety I was feeling at the time. I would spend my mindful moments reciting my chosen affirmations and really leaning into them. I truly believe this is one of the biggest reasons why I was able to manifest my perfect birthing experience. I managed my anxiety through mindfulness, and believed in my affirmations as I said them.

This practice has evolved a bit since being pregnant, but it taught me a lot about the power of practicing mindfulness and affirmations consistently. I highly suggest this one as a place to start with your mindful moments. It’s a form of meditation after all. Take your 10 minutes to recite (or write) your affirmations over and over. Transformation will come!

Journaling

This topic I don’t have a full episode dedicated to just yet, but will soon! There are so many ways to journal. You can even just jot things down on sticky notes. Journaling is an amazing spiritual practice because it helps us process whatever is on the surface of our minds.

And it’s one of those practices that you can pick up at any time. No matter how rusty you are, you can always start again and work through all the mental muck. After just a few journaling sessions, you’ll start going deeper with your thoughts and feelings, uncovering all kinds of things about your soul self.

Yoga or movement

I mentioned a bit about my yoga practice in this episode already. Moving your body is a fantastic spiritual practice. It keeps your mind/body/spirit thriving, especially if you exercise periodically throughout the day. All movement can be mindful movement, as long as you don’t get lost in your thoughts and forget about your body. In fact, this is true of any activity. If you keep your focus on the task at hand, and don’t run away with unrelated thoughts, then you’re having a mindful moment! 

Card reading

Whether you prefer to read tarot or oracle cards, pulling cards is a skill that brings you closer to the Divine the more you do it. You can pull cards to answer all kinds of questions or to speak on any situation. And you can pull a card (or however many) every day if you’d like. It’s such an easy way to connect with Spirit and receive some guidance and/or validation.

Prayer

Similar to meditation, praying is such a beautiful spiritual act. This is another podcast topic by itself, but as with everything else, there’s really no wrong way to engage in prayer. It’s all about the intention. Whatever you have to say to the Universe, simply say it. It doesn’t need to be perfect or eloquent. Praying can be as simple as “Thank you for your continued support and presence in my life.” And you can pray for everyone and everything. So why not? It’s relaxing, it builds spiritual connection, and it helps other people if you pray for them.

Energy healing

If you’re attuned to reiki, you can use your mindful moments to give yourself some. Or to send it to others, or both! You can also work with crystals a few times throughout the day to reintroduce their energy and intentions into your aura. You can infuse your meditation with a bit of energy work to take it up a notch. 

Pranayama (breathwork)

If you’re a yogi and are familiar with breathwork practices, you can use your mindful moments to do some pranayama practice. This is the breath of life, a branch within yoga where we breathe in certain patterns to support our health and spirit. I also did an episode on breathwork back in the fall, so have a listen if you want to learn more about this easy practice! Focusing on the breath is great for meditation because it gives your mind something to be preoccupied with instead of thoughts.

Artwork

Creating something for the sake of creation is a great way to connect with your spiritual self! The muses are likely to come and visit you if you’re engaging in your preferred creative outlet. Why not invite them in intentionally and ask for their assistance? Epiphanies are common while creating art because again, our ego mind is preoccupied while our soul is free to speak itself. Creativity establishes connections to the Universe because of its inherently unpredictable nature. As you may have realized, the Universe loves mystery. So if you embark on a journey and don’t know where it will lead, the Universe will rejoice and you will be rewarded with some incredible spiritual expansion!

Thank you so much for reading. And as you go on your way today, know that I’m sending you an abundance of love, light, and inspiration. Blessed be!