Spiritual Practices

Being stuck in life can take many forms. Maybe it’s a relationship gone stale. Maybe you feel like you aren’t growing in your current role. Maybe your creative flow has gone dry. That happened to a woman who came to me for coaching a few years ago. She was an artist whose deepest wish was to be able to support herself full-time through her painting, but her inspiration to paint had dissipated. Her aging mother required a good amount of care, which she provided. An almost full-time job paid her bills. She had a supportive friend group and did her best to take care of her well-being.

Many people I coach are already deeply reflective people, and this client knew herself well. We worked through some emotional and mental blocks, which helped, but the flow and discipline of painting didn’t open up. She had an extensive body of creative work in her home and in storage. Many large canvases adorned and even littered her home. She viewed her painting as spiritual work, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it anymore. Life was overwhelming. In the end, we decided to get back to working on her dream by starting small. She added a simple practice to her morning ritual. She would paint a small 4” x 4” canvas daily.

This ritual made her feel herself again. It made her feel productive in the way she wanted to be productive again. It provided her with a daily experience of flow – one of the best human experiences that we can have! She took steps in the direction of her dream life while feeling more fully alive.

Spiritual practices open up your mind, heart and spirit to new solutions and new ways of being while rooting us deeply in our authentic selves.

I often say that my work helps you go inward to find the way forward. Spiritual practices of all kinds help you go inward so that you can be who you want to be and build the life you choose to live. My client had to open up to the idea of “micro-painting.” Her work didn’t have to be on an expansive piece that took months to complete. Beauty and meaning comes in all sizes. She also needed the experience of painting in her body, mind and spirit to return to herself.

Writing is one of many different forms of spiritual practice for me. Especially since I have been living mostly alone more in the last five years, it has become one of my basic practices. Journaling helps me tell my own story of who I am and process on-going situations. Poetry writing lets me release harsh negative emotions and experiences and also to quickly crystalize moments I want to remember. They reflect the grace of both releasing pain and savoring joy. When I’m stuck writing for larger projects, often a bit of time journaling or jotting down a quick poem gets me going again.

Spiritual practices help reground us so that we have a solid, full foundation from which to give, serve and create. They release us to transcend limiting beliefs, situations and ways of being.

How do spiritual practices ground and open you?