Spirituality Archives

What are the spiritual benefits of walking? ~ Karin

Karin, Walking is a revered historical practice. When you study with most ancient spiritual traditions there is undoubtedly a walking meditation so one becomes aware of your connection with the holiness within your Self, with the Divine, and with the elements of the earth. You were created to move that magnificent body. Native Americans, Christian monastics, Islamic Sufis, Buddhist monks, Hindu priests and Taoist monks make walking a part of their deeply grounded spiritual path. Jesus walked from town to town healing the sick and teaching. Buddha spent his entire life walking from village to village teaching. Mahatma Gandhi walked 150 miles on the infamous Salt March that forever changed the future of India. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. walked the roads of Alabama and Georgia, and Susan B. Anthony spent her entire life, joined with a multitude of other women, walking for the right to the ballot box. Experience your walk as a pilgrimage. Pilgrimages are a part of every spiritual tradition. Jews go to Jerusalem, Christians go to the Holy Land and Muslims go to Mecca. Just imagine something you want to learn or focus on before you leave on your pilgrimage each day, and when you return you have gone on your own journey and are following a deep rich tradition. On your walk notice the birds, the sky, the clouds, the trees, the sounds, the smells and the colors. Your walk is packed with a kaleidoscope of possibilities. Choose a different route for a different experience. Create a group of people to walk with in the morning or evening or walk alone for some introspection and alone time.

How do I start journaling? ~ Kelli

Kelli, Research shows us there are health benefits to writing your thoughts, emotions, and experiences down on paper. To begin journaling: Choose the best time of day to journal. Take five minutes in the carpool line, when you get back from lunch, or before you go to bed. If you have more time, journal more; if not, make it a disciplined practice to do it for a few minutes once a day. Choose a journal that you love. You may want to keep one at work, one in your car, and one in your drawer by your bed so you can use it at a free moment in your busy life. I keep a beautiful one by my bed and a small one in my purse. You can use your laptop for the quick and easy journaling or your thoughts and feelings. Write your intimate authentic feelings about the experiences in your life. Writing the words helps take pain, grief, and anger out of your body.Write continuously and don't worry about your grammar, spelling, or punctuation.You may feel more expressive of your feelings by drawing instead of using words.

How do I take a cleansing breath? ~ Adriane

Adriane, To take a cleansing breath: Inhale deeply into your belly, through the nose (if you can't, use your mouth), bringing the air deeply into the lower lobes of your lungs. As you do this your abdomen will rise. On your out breath, your abdomen will sink back into your spine. Be aware of your ribs. Experience your rib cage expanding and contracting with each deep breath. Inhale to the count of five, and then hold for a moment and then exhale to the count of five. Notice how clear your mind feels, how refreshed your body feels, and what strength and power you experience. Set an alarm or have reminders on your mirror, in your car, or at your desk to take cleansing breaths during your busy days and don't forget to pass it on to your children, spouse, and coworkers. It is the gift of life, literally.

Can meditation help lower cholesterol levels? ~ Gretchen

Gretchen, The Journal of Social Behavior and Personality published a longitudinal study showing that cholesterol levels significantly decreased through meditation in patients with elevated cholesterol, compared to match controls, over an 11-month period.

How common is meditation? ~ Blake

Blake, Ten million American adults now say they practice some form of meditation regularly. This is twice as many as a decade ago. Professionals, homemakers, farmers, prisoners, physicians, teachers, children, religious and nonreligious people are all flocking to learn the practice of meditation. You no longer have to go to an ashram or monastery to study with a monk or a guru to learn meditation practices. You can learn at hospitals, libraries, prisons, wellness centers, spas, airports, and in the privacy of your home. Serenity practices, especially meditation, are being recommended by more physicians and often by other members of the medical community. Meditation had been taken from the realms of "fringe" or "new age" to mainstream as the science of serenity becomes demystified. The mind goes through ingenious changes during the practice of meditation.

What are the health benefits of serenity? ~ Carlos

Carlos, With studies we now know that we connect with some miraculous source of healing when you experience times of serenity. Your blood pressure goes down, your immune system gets a boost, and you slow down the aging process. Scientific research clearly reveals that your body replenishes and heals as you practice serenity. In the silence, your thermostat resets and you settle into the real rhythm of your mind, body, and soul.

What is serenity? ~ Josh

Josh, Serenity is about coming home to your real Self and your true purpose. Just say the word serenity over and over a few times and notice what feelings arise within you: sadness, exhaustion, frustration, or grief? I lived a life where my primary family and society held little value and reverence for serenity. Serenity was something monks, nuns, and hermits entertained. Serenity wasn't something a busy successful person with kids, a spouse, a job, and community and church responsibilities would have much of a chance to experience. In my life, and probably in your life, serenity is viewed as a luxury, not as essential to the life of your body, mind, and soul. Serenity is essential to every living creature, and if we don't experience serenity in some form we will experience dis-ease on some level. Serenity practices have always been known to be good for the soul, but there is growing evidence that it is good for the body as well. Serenity is an antidote to the chronic stress that affects millions of individuals. Scientific evidence in the field of medicine demonstrates how crucial serenity is to our health and longevity. There are enormous sociological, psychological, and physical costs associated with the fallout from chronic stress including divorce, depression and anxiety disorders, unhappiness, alcoholism, obesity, child and spousal abuse, job related problems, and relational issues. Serenity practices provide many health benefits that directly affect medical conditions such as cancer, heart disease, obesity, insomnia, diabetes, hypertension, infertility, and migraine headaches.

What is living from the inside out? ~ Hailey

Hailey, I have come to see that the path to one's true Self comes from living from the inside out. It is the keystone teaching of all the great religious and spiritual teachers throughout time and can be distilled down into one basic message: Look within, listen, and live from your center. Living from the inside out is the only way to find balance and truly experience an authentic sense of happiness in our lives. As we individually, and as a community, define true happiness, it must be grounded in a commitment to organically living from our core - that sacred space of vital energy and unlimited potential.