10 Ways to Kickstart A Daily Spiritual Practice

We all crave more peace, less anxiety, and definitely less stress.

One of the best ways to do this is to have some kind of daily contemplative practice. Think about this as a time to simply be with you. To touch base with the wise, all knowing self that resides deep within you.

A spiritual practice is something you give yourself so it should feel exciting and fun and definitely NOT like a chore. It’s not another “have-to.”

I often think about this time as refuge – a state I can enter where the craziness of the world is far away- where there is only peace and a sense of calm.

Here are 10 ideas to get you started:

1. Prayer

If you’ve grown up with any kind of formal religion, you know what prayers sound like. But a prayer doesn’t have to be religious. It’s really a call from your heart out into the world.

My prayers are usually for people who are suffering as well as for the planet. But a super terrific prayer to start everyday is one I’ve mentioned before from A Course in Miracles, it says,

What would you have me do today?
Where would you have me go?
What would you have me say and to whom?

2. Affirmation

Starting your day with an affirmation or a list of them is a really powerful practice. You are speaking aloud what you want to manifest in your life. An affirmation can be general or specific.

I consider Louise Hay to be the queen of affirmations. Here is a great video with her sharing about affirmations.

3. Meditation

Meditation has literally transformed my life. I cannot imagine not doing this everyday BUT I do know how hard and scary it can be to start.

And I will admit, that even now, 20 years later, sometimes when I meditate, my thoughts don’t stop leaping around. As you begin or deepen your own time in meditation, remember that it is a practice. It isn’t about perfection.

If you want to start with a guided meditation or visualization, hop onto Insight Timer and have fun exploring not only my meditations but the hundreds of other ones!

4. To Be List

One of my favorite spiritual teachers, Dr. Robert Holden offers this suggestion. Rather than having a To DO list, have a To BE list. Isn’t this a great idea!

How do you want to be today?

• Loving
• Kind
• Generous
• Patient

5. Journal

I have many friends who begin each day writing in their journals. They are literally writing their lives into existence. If this sounds intriguing, get yourself a special notebook, decide your spot and commit to writing – for 5, 10, 20 minutes, whatever it is for you. There’s something transformational that happens when we put pen to paper. 

6. Contemplative Walk

Walking is both meditative and aerobic. Obviously the best places to do these walks is somewhere pretty or serene – such as a park, along the water or in the woods. But you can have a contemplative walk not in nature too. Even on the treadmill. Plug in some soothing music and allow yourself to move.

7. Singing

I recently attended an earth honoring circle where a few women were inspired to sing. If singing helps you connect with your heart space, this might be the practice for you. Find some honoring, uplifting music that speaks to your higher self and belt it out! I am a big fan of kirtan, a form of Sanskrit chanting and love singing those songs.

8. Inspirational Video

If multi-media is more your thing, you may enjoy a video that connects you. One of my absolute favorites is Louie Schwartzberg’s one on gratitude.

9. Yoga Asana

Another way to ease into the day is through yoga, and doing a repetitive asana. One of the most common is the Sun Salutation, which is a series of simple moves designed to help awaken the body.

I have suffered from sciatica for 20+ years and discovered that doing the sun salutation every morning actually kept me pain free. So this is a daily part of my practice. See it performed here.

10. Start Your Day

Okay, I admit it, I hate getting out of bed. And I can be pretty grouchy in the morning. For over 10 years, my husband has lovingly reminded me that how you start your day is how you live your day.

So instead of groaning about getting up, how can you greet your day?

How would you like this day to be for you? Rewarding, satisfying, fulfilling, peaceful?

Whether you choose one of the above or a number of these, deepening your relationship to yourself is what a spiritual practice is all about. Decide what feels right for you and how you want to support yourself in your own evolution. That's what life is all about!

As always, don't be a stranger. Let me know what works for you!

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Shift Your Life With Mantra

Feel like your life needs a shift?

Have you considered trying mantra?

A mantra is a word or phrase that, according to Yogic philosophy (Vedanta), has power.

The story is that the ancient sages, (Rishi) could hear the vibrations of everything in nature and made these sounds into words and phrases known as mantra.

Mantra is the literal creation of form from energy.

I’ve used mantra on and off. But the first one that I chose for myself was in 2000, when I moved to Florida. I decided to learn a long chant called the Hanuman Chalisa that an Indian friend of mine had been reading in Sanskrit.

The Hanuman Chalisa is 40 verses dedicated to the monkey God, Hanuman, the god of service and devotion. Purportedly, doing this mantra gives the practitioner Hanuman’s grace.

All those years ago, I sang that long song every day – initially for forty days in a row – but then kept going, memorizing it completely.

Excited by the results, I tried other ones.

But, to be honest, I hadn’t done mantra in a really long time, well, not until a few weeks ago.

I’d been sick and was ready for a shift, physically, energetically, emotionally. I needed to kick myself into a new space of action and clarity. And what better way to do that than to create sacred space with ritual?

I bought flowers, lit incense, offered some fruits and sweets and lit the candle on my altar. I rang the bell and called to the gods and goddesses, and then I did mantra.

The one I chose was to Laxmi, the goddess of prosperity. Om Shree Maha Laxmi, Namaha.

After I finished the mantra and my subsequent meditation, I realized I wanted to continue doing this mantra for forty days. We say forty days because that’s the approximate time it takes to change a habit.

If you’re ready to give mantra a try, here are the details.

1. Choose a word or phrase to repeat

2. A mantra can be given by a teacher and/or it can be chosen by a student

Think about what you would like in your life right now: strength, peace, clarity, insight.

Use your intuition to guide you to sources that might have a good selection.

Read through each mantra and it’s meaning before making a choice. Then try it for a few days and see how it feels.

3. The goal is to repeat the mantra for forty consecutive days

Mantra is said to gain power the more it is repeated.

4. Say it once a day or, if you like, choose a number of repetitions

Hindus traditionally do 108.

Repeating a mantra is just like doing rosary.

In Sanskrit, this is called Japa (to repeat). Normally practitioners use a Japa mala, the Hindu equivalent of a rosary. Hindu mala are made with either 27, 54 or 108 beads. It is customary to count mantra in sets of 108.

There are many reasons the number 108 is significant in Hinduism. It is said that there are 108 names for the Goddess. There are also 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. (54 x 2 = 108) Apparently there are also 108 energy lines that cross our bodies, intersecting at our chakras and converging at the heart center. 

If you decide to repeat your mantra, place the mala in your right hand and count each bead with your thumb as it slides over your index finger. The larger guru bead or meru (mountain) bead is where you begin (but don’t count it!) When you hit it again, you know you’ve done one round.

But remember, if you miss a day, start over again at day 1!

5. When you’re ready, find a comfortable place to sit.

Close your eyes.

If you choose, have your japa mala in your right hand.

Focus on correctly pronouncing the sound, word or phrase of your mantra silently or aloud.

If you don’t have a japa mala or feel daunted by this part, simply say your mantra once a day, or use your fingers and say it ten times. The point is to use mantra for clarity, invocation, and grounding.

You can use a Sanskrit one or say a word or phrase that resonates with you.

If you’re interested in a Sanskirt one, here is a short list:

• Om: (vibration of the universe, the word that means God, it has also been translated to mean:  Everything; it is, will be, will become
• Shanti: Peace
• Om Tat Sat: – I am that; what is everlasting and unchanging is God
• Sat Nam: – Truth is my name; I recognize the divinity within you.

Give mantra a try and let me know how it goes!

Tell me which one you chose below!

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