Spiritual practices do not have to be complicated or happen in a spiritual place. Sometimes a simple change in your intention can turn an ordinary event into spiritual time. An easy way to improve your spiritual growth is to take one of your habits and make it sacred. For example, you brush your teeth every day. What a wonderful opportunity to institute a new daily spiritual practice. Below are some ways you can convert this habit into a spiritual activity.
1. Use your habit as a reminder to say a prayer.
You can say your prayer before your habit, during your habit, after your habit, or some combination of the three. You can coordinate performing your habit with saying a prayer or mantra such as the Jesus prayer. This is similar to the concept of kids washing their hands until they have sung the Happy Birthday song three times.
2. Offer up the habit itself as a prayer.
The habit itself can be a gift to God. Prayer does not always need words to be effective.
3. Express gratitude
Offer up thanks for the ability to perform the habit. In the case of brushing your teeth, you can be thankful for having healthy teeth. Offer up your habit as your response to God for blessing you.
4. Practice mindfulness by just focusing your awareness while you are performing the habit.
5. Turn your habit into visualization.
Visualize that as you are brushing you are cleaning away any distractions that are preventing you from communicating with God.
6. Turn on worship music that you listen to while performing your habit.
You can use any type of music as long as it shifts your awareness spiritually.
This concept can work with any habit. If your goal is to “pray without ceasing”, gradually convert all of your habits into spiritual practices.
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Project-Spirit is devoted to analyzing and discussing the factors that influence an individual’s rate of spiritual growth. Skills exist that can be learned & developed to enhance spiritual growth regardless of which spiritual tradition is followed. This site provides information on how those skills can be developed within the unique context of an individual’s life.
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I love that the little things in life can be spiritual. Finding and living out my spirituality doesn’t have to be as intimidating when I observe it through small and specific moments. It makes the whole concept a lot more manageable and rewarding down the line.
nice post. thanks.
I love this! My husband and I have been praying together as we clean our house. We clean together with the intention of cleaning as an expression of gratitude for our home and all that we have. It makes cleaning much more enjoyable, nourishes our relationship with each other and the Divine, and is a way to deepen our time together in these busy days.