Uplevel Your Life With “Daily Spiritual Practice”
When we’re in harmony and at peace with ourselves through spiritual practice, we can handle whatever is thrown at us. On the other hand, when we’re out of balance, life can feel draining and overwhelming.
Having a “sadhana” (sanskrit word for daily spiritual practice) helps to center us so that we can show up more fully to life. Our sadhana is the foundation for connecting with our inner being, our higher self, our spirit, our soul, the guiding light within.
When we deliberately connect with our inner being, and are rooted in our approach to life, we make the empowered choice to allow our connection to our Source be our anchor no matter what circumstances we encounter.
In the words of Abraham Hicks, “Care most and first with calibrating with Who You Are, and the rest will take care of itself.”
For me personally, having a daily spiritual practice has had an overwhelming positive effect on my life, and has enabled me to:
Be less reactive
Experience more peace of mind
Be able to sense my intuitive guidance more clearly
Fill my proverbial cup so I can be of service to others
Create more self-love and self-trust
Increase my creativity and productivity
Feel empowered to make better decisions
Feel connected to the universal life force energy
Once you’ve experienced the harmony and the joy that a daily spiritual practice brings, you won’t want to live any other way!
What can your practice look like?
We are all unique, so your daily spiritual practice should be what lights you up!
If you’ve tried certain practices in the past but didn’t feel supercharged by them, you may just need to find what works best for you and your unique body, mind and soul—not anyone else’s.
Our sadhana can look however we want it to. There’s no right or wrong here. It’s just about what feels good to you!
Here are some potential practices to get you feeling inspired:
Meditation - Silent - Guided - Visualization - Chanting / Japa
Breathwork / Pranayama - Ujjayi Breathing - Alternate-Nostril Breathing - Three-Part Breathing - Breath of Fire
Energy Work - Qigong - Reiki - Pranic Healing - EFT/Tapping - Working with Crystals
Body Movement - Yoga - Dancing - Swimming - Walking / Running - Weightlifting - Surfing - Hula Hooping - Moving your body in nature
Prayer - Speaking prayers aloud or in your head - Reading prayers from a sacred text - Writing prayers in a journal
Writing - Gratitude - Affirmations - Journaling - Freewriting
Sound/Music - Singing - Playing an instrument - Listening to music - Kirtan
In the Kitchen - Tea / Coffee (with intention, gratitude, prayer) - Cooking / Prasad (an intentional offering of love)
Is there a secret formula?
Yes! The secret formula is what makes you feel joyful, heart-centered and grounded.
Here are some key elements that can help you create your own special formula:
Gratitude and appreciation
Spending a few minutes in quiet stillness
Conscious breathing
A receptive, open heart
The intention to connect to something bigger than yourself - a higher power
*Major bonus for practicing in nature
How can you successfully integrate your daily spiritual practice into your life?
1. Intention is everything
The difference between a “daily practice’ and a “daily spirit-ual practice” is the intention to connect with Spirit. When we consciously invite in the Divine, our practice becomes sacred. Each moment becomes a prayer of appreciation and a deep honoring of Life.
You can set an intention for your practice each day, each week, or just once, to encompass your practice across time and space. Here are some examples of intentions to get your wheels turning:
Through my spiritual practice, my intention is to:
open my heart to Love - connect with my mind, body, and soul - allow my Spirit to be my guide
You can also use intention throughout your practice to get even more laser focused on how you would like to feel. For example you can set an intention to:
be present for each sip of your morning tea - connect with your heart while you meditate - release any thoughts or energy that no longer serve you while consciously breathing
At the end of my spiritual practice, when I’m feeling centered, I like to set an intention for how I want the rest of my day to feel. I find that this elevates the following experiences of my day.
Lastly, one of my secret strategies is to set an intention before I go to sleep, to wake up rested and refreshed at the perfect time in my sleep cycle in the morning. It works like a charm!
2. Create a practice that you truly enjoy
Honor what nourishes your soul versus choosing a practice that you think you have to do (but don’t want to!).
Be honest with yourself. If you know that you are the type of person who absolutely hates running, then don’t choose it as your practice. Choose what makes your heart sing. Perhaps that’s dancing around in your PJs for 10 minutes. Don’t be afraid to be creative and unconventional!
If you know that you need routine, then stick to a more regimented style of practicing. If you know you thrive on variety, then design your practices to support you in that way. Use your discernment and trust your internal guidance.
Not sure where to start? As said by Bashar, “Follow your highest excitement!”
Choose what excites you most and act on it to the best of your ability without any insistence on the outcome.
3. Get clear on your priorities
You may need to re-evaluate and rearrange other parts of your routine in order to prioritize your spiritual practice i.e. go to bed earlier, exercise at a different time, wake up before your kids, adjust your work schedule, etc.
If you really want to practice, but feel like you don’t have time, a very key component of creating a daily spiritual practice is building your life around your practice, not your practice around your life. This may seem difficult since your current routines are already established. However there’s always room to re-prioritize—it’s just a matter of opening up to possibility and honoring what is most important to you.
If you’re really short on time, I don’t recommend “multi-tasking” with your practices, as it’s the splitting of your energy and focus. However, there are some options that can streamline your energy versus fragment it. For example, in the shower, you can do an energy cleansing (imagine the water is clearing away all negativity from your field). You can also set intentions or offer prayers of gratitude while you’re getting ready for your day (i.e. brushing your teeth, washing your face, etc.).
4. Shift your mindset
Do you have a story that’s keeping you from practicing? If you feel called to meditate, practice yoga daily, or write, but feel resistance towards it, try shifting your approach from:
“I don't have time to meditate” to “Quieting my mind for a few minutes everyday brings me peace and clarity. It feels like I even have more time in my day because I am extra focused after I meditate.”
“I don’t feel motivated to get on my mat” to “I love taking care of my body by getting on my mat every day”
“I don’t know how to write” to “I’m getting better at exploring my writing without any expectations of how it should be”
We are capable of absolutely anything! It just depends on our perspective.
“Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.” ~Roy T. Bennett
I invite you to open yourself up to trying new things. You never know what practices you might end up connecting with!
5. Make it easy!
Set yourself up for success by making your daily spiritual practice as easy as possible on yourself. What does this mean?
If you’re just beginning, choose one or two practices to start with. Don't overwhelm yourself by picking 6 different practices. Be honest about what you can sustainably take on. Focus on these one or two practices for as long as you need before adding anything else.
*On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In Lally's study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit. [https://jamesclear.com/new-habit]
Write your new practices down and put them somewhere you can see. This may seem silly but it helps — alot!
You can even create a shorter version of your practice for those days you have less time. My sadhana has been evolving over the past 4 years and I regularly write down my practices to help integrate them into my mind. The less I have to think about, the easier it is for me to relax and know my path is already laid out for me.
One of the most effective things you can do is place your sadhana elements in sight, in mind i.e. set out your yoga mat, exercise clothes, or journal the night before. That way when you wake up, you’re all set to go.
I also suggest beginning your practice the moment you awaken. This is KEY.
When we first open our eyes in the morning, that’s when we have the best chance of directing our focus without interference. Upon awakening, we have very little thoughts in our head in comparison to the afternoon or evening when we may be analyzing the events of the day.
The less stimulated our mind is, the quicker and easier it is to move from the head to the heart.
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~Buddha
No matter what your schedule looks like, you can consciously choose to begin your day in gratitude, joy, and peace—or whatever mood you want to create. Now, real talk here—many of us may not get 5 minutes into our day without dropping out of the present moment and worrying about something, and that’s okay. Keep bringing your focus back to your intention, again and again, without judging yourself. This is a practice that requires repetition and patience. With dedication, you will notice that this gets much easier over time.
*If you feel called to practice in the evenings, absolutely follow your internal guidance. Your intuition reigns supreme here!
This last one goes without saying, but it is so important. If you’re practicing something that requires privacy, make sure you put yourself in a position where you won’t be interrupted—this includes your phone. If you need your phone for your practice, be sure to put it on silent.
6. Create a sacred space
Depending on what your practice is, you can set the mood by lighting a candle or burning incense, sage, or palo santo. I often burn incense before I meditate because it helps to put my mind in a space of deep relaxation.
A messy space may make it harder for you to feel at ease during your practice. A clean space reflects the energy of clarity, harmony, and expansiveness.
In addition to tidying up your physical space, you can also clear the energy of your space (which is best done while burning sage or palo santo) by saying, either aloud or in your head, “I clear and cleanse this space of any energy no longer serving me, my highest good, and the highest good of all”.
Another way to develop your sacred space is to create an altar. If you’re intrigued by this idea, consider this your permission slip! An altar is a sacred offering—it anchors and amplifies the frequencies you put into it, and it is a physical reminder of the union of our human self with our Eternal Self. Making your own altar is a way to express your creativity and design a physical space that feels nourishing to your Soul and brings you home when you sit in front of it or gaze upon it.
7. Incorporate gratitude
Practicing gratitude not only feels good, but it also puts us in a state of receptivity. It is in this state where we often experience spurts of inspiration and a clearer knowing of our inner guidance. When we’re feeling appreciation, we’re vibrating at a high frequency. This means we have more access to the universal wisdom that is here to assist us.
“‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say.” ~Alice Walker
Gratitude is a tool that helps us raise our vibration so we can be available to heed the signals of our soul’s highest calling. Plus, when we’re in a state of appreciation, we are creating even more of what we’re appreciating!
8. Allow for spontaneity
Know thyself, and leave room to surprise thyself. Your practice doesn’t have to be exactly the same everyday (unless that’s your thing—which is also great!). Mix it up by trying a new class, switching up your playlist, putting on a guided meditation, having a dance party, or using a new breathwork technique.
You can also take your sadhana outside to a beautiful setting like the beach. One of my favorite things to do is go for a hike and pack a blanket, journal, and a snack so I can do my full practice out in nature.
9. Share your practice
Sometimes it’s more fun to practice together! Whether you’re teaming up with your partner, friend(s), or participating in a group class, practicing with our “sangha” (sanskrit word for community) can make us feel even more encouraged, connected, inspired, and fulfilled. The collective energy can also make it easier to come into a flow state. It’s kind of like catching a wave that’s already moving, versus jump-starting our own.
Another way you can benefit from sharing your spiritual practice, is by giving and receiving support. A few years back, when I was training myself to wake up at 5:30am, a friend and I used to message each other in the mornings as soon as our alarms would go off (she was training to do the same thing). It made it so much easier to get out of bed knowing that my friend was rocking the early morning sadhana too. We were utilizing our collective power to uplift each other—and it worked!
10. Have compassion for yourself
Give yourself permission to skip on the days that it's simply not possible to practice. Sometimes we have to surrender to conditions that are out of our control. Trust your gut so you can honor your needs. On days I’m not feeling physically well, sometimes the best thing for me to do is stay in bed, and sometimes it’s to get up and do my practice. It’s all about being emotionally honest and using discernment.
If you miss a day, a week, a month—you can always start again the next day. One of my favorite meditation teachings is to “begin again, without judgement”. There’s no need to be hard on yourself. You’re learning a new skill and it takes patience. It’s called a “practice” because we’re evolving little by little.
Having a daily spiritual practice is something that develops and expands over the period of years, and eventually a lifetime. When you shift your mindset to the bigger picture, it can help to release feelings of guilt for skipping a few days.
11. Make it a tool - not a rule
Use your spiritual practice as a tool to serve and empower you—not bind you.
If you feel like you’re just going through the motions and doing your practice just to do it, take a step back and figure out what needs adjusting. Your practice should always add value to your life, not take away from it.
12. Allow your practice to evolve
Your sadhana will evolve as you evolve, so it’s important to re-evaluate every once in a while. As your interests change, allow your practice to shift to meet your needs. The important thing is to keep following your highest excitement!
When I first started out, I meditated for 20 minutes a day. Over the period of about 4 years, my spiritual practice has evolved to also include breathwork, chanting, prayer, journaling, and sometimes yoga asana. For me it’s not about how long I practice or how many spiritual tools I use—it’s about doing things that make me feel good so I can come into greater alignment with myself.
13. Recommit (again and again…and again)
When you don’t stick to your practice, you will notice the difference. You will want to get back on it because it enables you to feel better. You always have the option to recommit, and being again.
Recommitting to your sadhana is much bigger than devoting yourself to spiritual practice—it’s a deep honoring of yourself and your highest potential. It is a statement to the universe that you cherish and appreciate your mind, body, and soul. It is a reclamation of your birthright to be happy, whole, complete, aligned, empowered, and attuned to your highest frequency no matter the state of the world. Your daily spiritual practice is a powerful demonstration of Love.
You can do it!
I’m cheering you on every step of the way!
With love & gratitude,
Sara