Cultivating Serenity: How to Create a Daily Spiritual Practice for Inner Peace
Hey, Gorgeous -
Life can feel pretty crazy some days, am I right? Even when we set the intention to live with integrity, daily life can knock us off course, and have us reacting automatically rather than responding with intention. I don’t know about you, but my work can easily take over my life. I love my work, it's my soul's blueprint so it's just too easy to keep working! That to-do list never ends. I know you know what I mean. But our souls tug at us when we work too much, reminding us there’s more to this life than doing. So what’s a spiritual seeker to do? How do we find life - true life - amidst the chaos of daily living?
Is Cultivating Serenity in a Hectic World Even Possible?!
Yes, it is as I write this blog from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, NC where I am taking time to cultivate my inner peace at Sohum Mountain Healing Resort. More on this experience in my next blog.
Let’s just get it out there: operating from a place of inner peace is possible. But it does take intention. And a lot of quiet. If you’re someone who hates to be alone (hello, my beautiful extroverts!), or if you’ve avoided being alone with your thoughts due to trauma, this might scare you. And that’s ok! Our spiritual journeys can often take us to places that scare us, but they also offer healing to keep going.
When we dive inwards, we not only cultivate a connection with Spirit and a higher knowing, we grow our own connection to our intuition. We don’t need to learn intuition, we need to reconnect to it. I can personally attest to the big ways in which listening to my own intuition has impacted my life.
So, how do we reconnect with our intention and find inner peace?
So many options are open to you; the important part is to create a daily spiritual routine. Mindfulness has become such a buzzword, I know, but for a very good reason! Few other practices offer us so many benefits - but we do have to practice it. We have to bring intention to it: which is why, even aside from mediation, I consider it a spiritual practice.
Ideas for Building a Daily Spiritual Routine
Building a daily spiritual routine that brings you peace doesn’t have to be complicated. The important thing is to pick something, get started, and allow for adjustments. What fills your cup in one season might not fill it in the next. If I could give you the most basic definition of mindfulness, it would be this: attention to our experience as it is right now. There are many ways to experience mindfulness and practice awareness of our current experience. So here are several places to start to increase mindfulness for inner calm:
Attention to the present/presence: Two sides of the same coin, we choose to either fully pay attention to this moment, as it is right now or to fully pay attention to Spirit, right here and right now. Consider setting timers throughout the day to remind you to take 1-5 minutes to give your full attention to the moment or what Spirit was to reveal to you.
Eating slowing: If you’re new to mindful eating, I suggest starting with a snack and building up to a full meal. You’ll be surprised how long it can take you to eat a tangerine when you’re fully present in the experience. Concentrate on the flavors and textures, the smells, and the way it feels in your mouth.
Mindful movement: Moving mindfully doesn’t just mean yoga! While traditional yoga does encourage mindfulness throughout the practice, you can do any exercise mindfully. Take a walk, but focus on your feet hitting the ground instead of listening to music or a podcast. Do sets of squats paying attention to how a different muscle feels during each set (set 1: quads, set 2: glutes, etc.).
What I love about mindfulness as a spiritual practice is that you can so easily build it into activities you already do in your day. Choose an intentional moment for yourself, and seek to connect to the movements of your body, mind, and soul.
Using Breathwork and Meditation to Go Deeper
Breathwork and meditation are two additional practices that help us connect to our intuition and grow inner peace. While separate practices, beginner versions of both have you focusing on your breath. If you’re new to either, consider using guided practices. YouTube is a tremendous free space, but apps such as Breathwork, Insight Timer, and Calm offer free and paid versions. If you’re interested in more complex breathwork techniques, I explored these practices in a previous post and would love to be your guide.
And if you’re looking for something you can do on your own right this minute, check out this great practice I recorded on Instagram. Depending on how much time you have, you can do just the breathwork or listen to the whole session, which includes a 15-minute meditation from one of my favorite guides.
Practicing Gratitude
Did you know that the benefits of gratitude have been extensively studied and go far beyond spiritual benefits? These additional benefits, including improved physical well-being and an increased ability to achieve goals, are the reason so many people stick with this practice for years.
An easy way to start is to choose a time each day (many people pick first thing in the morning or right before bed) to write down three things they are thankful for. Pick a dedicated journal, write them at the top of your to-do list, or even put them on a Post-it note and throw them in a jar to watch your gratefulness grow! You can also bring others into your gratitude practice by telling one person each day that you’re thankful for them and why. You’ll brighten both your days.
Choose a Digital Detox
Technology has so many benefits - such as being able to connect with people you would never otherwise meet - but it can also be a drain on our mental and spiritual health. A digital detox does not have to be 30 days of no social media; it can be a daily practice to increase well-being and inner peace.
Consider turning off screens at the same time each night and using that time to read, pray, meditate, or connect with a friend/partner. Choose a time every day you shut off all screens and focus on a hobby that brings you life. We have a no cell phone in the bedroom policy at my house and then I do not look at my phone until after I have completed my Divine Daily Practices. Pick a day of the week when you don’t use any social media. If you choose a weekend, you could even consider shutting off all work notifications for your social-free day as well. Skip Netflix and chill one night every week and go out for a leisurely meal solo or with a loved one.
Getting away from digital distractions, whether work, social media, or streaming, reminds us to check in with others and ourselves and can also improve our dopamine pathways.
The Divine Daily Practices
Creating a daily spiritual practice can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it. All the ideas above are great ways to get started. But if you’re still undecided, check out my Divine Daily Practices. You’ll receive short videos in your inbox for a week days educating you on different methods of connecting to yourself and Spirit. You might just find one you want to make a daily ritual!
With Love & Gratitude,
Tara