Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Got Presence? Got Sadhana?


Today I was reminded about the importance of creating spiritual practices to ground and support our daily lives; in Sanskrit, these practices are referred to as "Sadhana." In order to practice beautiful self-care, we each must find solace and peace in our own godly presence. Rituals help me sustain and build a relationship with myself and my inner goddess, and are part of my journey to becoming my own best friend.

Our spiritual practices or rituals don't have to be fancy; in other words, we don't have to sit in meditation for hours, do a 30-day juice cleanse, do hot yoga, climb on top of a mountain, or go to an Ashram to practice our spirituality (although these can all be amazing). Our daily practices can be as simple as engaging fully in the tasks before us--as simple as
being fully present.

It's the best gift we can give ourselves,
and the people we love.

In preparing for the full moon, I was reading from MoonCircles; interesting coincidence (not!) that the article was also about daily spiritual practice. April Kent writes that we must infuse our daily lives with spirit, and "reorganize your daily routine to support spiritual objectives. Seek spiritual opportunity in chores and details." That means to giving attention (or, attend-ing) with full presence to seemingly mundane chores like washing dishes, matching socks, ironing school uniforms, or cooking.

As I do such chores, I imagine infusing love into the act of service I am accomplishing. For example, when I cook a delicious meal, I give my full attention to the creation of  loving, nourishing food for the people I love; I interact fully in the process of cooking with all my senses, sampling and adding flavor when needed, and following my intuition as I chop, stir, grate, and serve. This is a great act of love and service for me.

Rituals can provide us with grounding as we encounter the business of our daily existence. Today, I described how being present can offer not only a daily spiritual practice, but a gateway to LIVING A SPIRITUAL EXISTENCE.

How do you engage fully in your daily practice?

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