Happiness – paying attention to your spirituality
Spirituality is a very broad concept, and its meaning can vary considerably from person to person. However, it is often defined as “having a connection to something bigger than ourselves”.
This “something bigger” could be a faith or belief in a traditional religion. Or some kind of sense that there is a higher power in our universe. For some this may reside in their relationship with nature, or their relationship with art and music. For others spirituality may reside in their relationships with others and the service that they may give to others and their communities.
What is interesting about your own personal spirituality is that it can change throughout your life, and adapt to your experiences and personal development.
If we can find this connection to “something bigger” than ourselves, then it can nourish our soul and give us meaning and a sense of our Dharma or purpose in life.
Having a meaningful connection to something bigger than ourselves can result in helping to inform our identity and self worth, so that we can understand our place in the world. This leads to positive emotions and in turn having positive emotions can help you to recognise and connect to something bigger than yourself.
Mindfulness meditation is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non judgementally in the service of self understanding and wisdom
Jon Kabat Zinn.
A starting point for feeding the spirituality within us can be to develop a meditation practice, such as mindfulness meditation. Meditation not only has physical benefits but it also can help your creativity, your intuition and your connection with your inner self.
There are many ways of having a mindfulness practice. Yoga classes themselves are meditative, as through the practice of asanas (yoga postures), pranayama (breathing practices) and meditation techniques we can connect to our true selves and the present moment. This can lead to a calming of the mind and a clarity that enables us to connect to a sense of wholeness and unity.
