wellness

Starting a Spiritual Practice – Laying the Foundation

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / 1 Comment

Part I of a series

Meditation has proved to be the single-most valuable tool through which I have birth to my Soul and a tool I recommend to clients and students. The purpose of this series is to offer helpful support for those who may be new to meditation as a spiritual practice and to provide additional resources for experienced meditators.

Starting and maintaining a spiritual practice is dependent on finding a style and format that works for you and practicing it.  Here I offer guidance on a wide variety of spiritual practices with the hopes that you will find one or two that work for you. 

It is said that it takes twenty-one days to start a new habit.  I promise that if you practice meditation daily for twenty-one days that something will happen in those twenty-one days that convinces you to NEVER miss your meditation practice.  You will find it to be as necessary as food, water and shelter and you will choose to do it because you find it so life-giving.

Defining Spiritual Practice

A spiritual practice is ultimately anything that helps you to connect with your higher self, God/dess, highest truth; and that which leads us to an experience of peace, contentment, focused attention, fulfillment, completion and love.  You are probably already engaging in some sort of activity in your daily life that brings you to these kinds of experiences—cooking, gardening, exercising, painting, drawing, house cleaning, parenting, making love, etc. etc. etc.  When you realize what it is you are already doing that brings you to these experiences and then bring the intention of it as being your spiritual practice, you deepen the experience. 

The content that will follow is intended to introduce a variety of traditional spiritual practices so that in addition to what you are already doing, you might carve out 15-30 minutes a day specifically devoted to your spiritual practice.  Diligent attention to our spiritual practice provides a myriad of benefits including decreased stress,  increased peace and relaxation, increased productivity and creativity.  It just makes us happier and scientific research is beginning to prove that a regular mindfulness practice helps to support our physical health and wellbeing. 

Dispelling Myths

The following myths have been propagated in regards to meditation as a spiritual practice.  None of these myths (from my perspective as an experienced meditator and Spiritual Director) are true.

• Meditation has a goal.

• The goal of meditation is silencing of the mind.

• There is a right and a wrong way to”do” meditation.

• If you reach the state of peace, you did it right….if not, you did it wrong.

• An empty mind is the devil’s playground.

• Meditating makes you a “better” person.

• Only enlightened/holy people meditate.

• Meditation is the path to enlightenment.

• Sitting in silence is the only valid form of meditation….or it is the preferred method.

• Meditation is an Eastern practice and cannot be practiced by Christians.

• Eastern meditation practices are dangerous.

• Lay people cannot meditate.

Secrets to Your Success

The goal of spiritual practice is “NO GOAL.” Your job is to simply show up. Striving after
a goal (other than showing up) will prove to be an obstacle to your practice.

There is no right or wrong way to meditate.

If you find that state of inner calm and peace…..it is PURE GRACE…..not something you
received because you finally meditated the right way or enough times.

There is a rich tradition of meditation and contemplation in the Hebrew and Christian
traditions.

It is in the emptiness that we find God/Goddess/Love/Truth. We are also invited to
find God/dess in the midst of the chaos.

Meditation can be receptive (listening, sitting, being) or active (expressing, moving,
giving, processing).

Meditation encompasses many formats and practices including but not limited
to: meditative reading of sacred texts, journaling, sitting in silence, movement (yoga,
tai chi, dance, etc.), chant, listening to music, daydreaming, paying attention to our
dreams, mindfulness practices, acts of service, making love, being present to our family and friends, being out in nature, creative expression, painting, drawing, cooking, cleaning, etc. etc. etc.

A spiritual practice is anything that helps us connect with God/dess, peace, love, joy,
flow, compassion, harmony, forgiveness, mercy, ecstasy.

In the Western tradition, Meditation refers to the reflective thoughts in the mind. In the
Eastern Tradition, meditation is understood to mean sitting in silence. Contemplation is the term used in the Western tradition to refer to sitting or being in silence with God/dess

The only danger in meditation or contemplation is connecting with your truth.
Warning: Truth can be a dangerous thing if we are not prepared or if we do not have the
support for accepting and processing it. As Gloria Steinem said, “The truth will set you
free, but first it will kick your butt.”

Meditation may lead you to enlightenment, if that is your path in this life;, it will help
you to be a happier, more peaceful and more loving human being.

From the Hebrew and Christian perspectives, meditation and contemplation will
empower you to experience the Kingdom of God/dess right here, right now, in this
life. You will discover that you don’t have to die to know the peace and love of God/dess.

Meditation can be practiced by ANYONE……regardless of your race, color, creed,
education, status, position of power, ordained or not, etc. etc. etc.

Stay tuned for the next topic in this series: Starting a Spiritual Practice! Copyright Lauri Ann Lumby

Moving Gently

/ Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Often, when I reflect on what I want out of my life, the phrase moving gently surfaces. The idea of moving gently is so contrary to the way I have formerly moved and to the way in which we are often conditioned in this society that it has taken me time and much practice to realize this gentle movement in my life. Now, when I am able to sink into this gentle movement it feels natural, nourishing, and life-giving. In the times when life throws me back into situations where gentle is either not possible or difficult to attain, I feel violated and as if my life force is being sucked out of my being. This contrast encourages me to choose gentle movement wherever I am able and to free myself of those things that don’t allow for gentle.

Moving gently brings up images for me of the Bronte sisters and Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women – Victorian women (albeit privileged) who lived in a time when quiet reading, long walks in the moors, the needle arts, and writing were honored as time well-spent. Moving gently also brings up thoughts of medieval nuns like Hildegard of Bingen whose lives were defined by prayer, tending their gardens, providing counsel, caring for the sick, and completing the daily tasks of running a monastery.

These images provide but a glimpse of all the aforementioned lives required, but it is the energy-sense of these images, much more than the literal truth of them that provides food for thought and seeds for discernment.

Moving gently is about having a felt-sense of gentle and choosing this wherever possible in ones life. It is about measuring each experience and encounter and comparing it to what gentle feels like. Then it is about choosing what measures up and discarding the rest. As it turns out, choosing to move gently has application in all areas of my life. Here are some real-life examples:

Exercise: I used to be a gym rat, spending hours a week forcing my body into a size six form through vigorous exercise and weight lifting. Now, I relish in the gentle movements of yoga and Chi Qong. I’m no longer a size six (thank you menopause), but I feel good in my body.

The Drive to Succeed: I spent the vast majority of my life driving, striving, and forcing myself into the western world’s definition of success. I drove myself to be number one in my class. I sought positions that dangled the money carrot. I followed all the rules of SEO marketing and professional networking to try to be a success in my own business. Now, I do none of these. Instead, I listen deeply to my soul and when I feel called to work, I do.  When things come to me that feel life-giving, I receive them. I create what I want to create and leave the rest to God. Somehow it always works out – often by the skin of my teeth, but it works out.

Popularity and People-Pleasing: (puke emoji). I used to believe it was my job to make other people happy. Formerly, I worked hard at being friendly, outgoing, welcoming, and approachable. I wanted people to like me, and I would change and adapt in the hopes of getting other people’s approval. No more. Now, I am me. If people don’t like me, that’s more a reflection of them than it is of me. Instead of wanting to be popular, I now prefer to be unknown and unseen. In my mind, I like to think of my invisibility as the Diana Prince to the Wonder Woman hidden underneath. I no longer need to wave the banner of my magic to get people’s attention. If my gifts are meant for them, they will find me.

The Use of My Time: Formerly, my time was put toward efforts that I hoped would produce popularity, money, fame, even power. Now, my time is spent gently. If I have nothing “to do,” I spend my time in prayer and contemplation. I seek out opportunities for learning. I read and study. I read for enjoyment. I move my body gently. I feed my body simply. I enjoy quietude. I listen to music. I spend time with friends. I work with clients when the opportunities present themselves. I moderate student discussion in my online classes. I facilitate a weekly meditation circle. I tend to the responsibilities of my “chop wood and carry water” job. I pay my bills. I carry my love out into the world. I no longer engage in debate. I have freed myself from trying to convince anyone of anything. I have released resentment. I have let go of my need to fix, change, or save the world and the people within it.

I’m not saying it’s perfect. But identifying my soul’s need to move gently and going about the process of making this choice, I feel more peaceful and content than I have ever felt in my life. Oh yes, I sometimes stray from this and my battle armor is always close at hand, but at least I know what my soul prefers and that the freedom to choose gentle is almost always there.