On a past episode of the Answer Your Unique Calling podcast, I talked about the importance of building a strong spiritual foundation. In that episode, I gave some things that could or should be part of your daily spiritual practice. Today I want to revisit the subject with 4 things that I think are essential for building a strong spiritual foundation. I think these 4 things are so important that I think you need to focus on them first and make them the backbone of your daily practice.
Meditation
If you didn’t think meditation would make my list, you really haven’t been following me much. Meditation, the practice of quietly observing our own thoughts, is such an important part of my spiritual practice.
One of the reasons that I put meditation on this list of essentials is that without meditation, you really don’t have awareness of your own thoughts. What I mean is that when we use meditation to observe our own thoughts we can more clearly see the patterns in our thoughts. These patterns point to the areas where we’re creating blocks in our lives. When you think about doing something new, what’s the first thought that comes to mind? Are your thoughts overwhelmingly positive or are they negative? A meditation practice will help you get clear on that and change the inner monologue.
When we quiet the mind, we’re more clearly able to hear divine inspiration and our spirit guides. There are numerous times that I’ve sat down to meditation and had an entire blog post or podcast episode pop into my mind. Meditation creates the space for this to happen.
Movement
We all know that to stay healthy we should exercise. Exercise isn’t always enjoyable but there is a spiritual element to moving your body. And by movement, I don’t necessarily mean that it has to be strenuous. Gentle stretching, a slow walk in nature, or dancing are modes of moving your body that will fit the bill here.
The importance of movement in building a spiritual practice is two-fold. First, it helps connect you to your body. When we do some gentle stretching, walk or make any kind of movement, our awareness shifts from our mind to our body. We notice what the body feels like. We notice where the body resists or aches. That body awareness is critical. We experience our intuition most through our body (“gut feeling” anyone?).
Another reason movement should be part of your daily practice is that it can be very difficult to stay in a high vibration while experiencing physical pain. When we don’t move our body, it can be difficult to do things like sit in meditation without discomfort. When we take care of our body, it takes care of us by supporting our spiritual practices.
Appreciation
Appreciating what you have creates an energetic attraction for what you want and need. Spending time to reflect on your blessings and appreciate them raise your vibration and makes you more attractive to experiences and opportunities that are aligned for you. Just think about the last time you gave something to someone who didn’t appreciate it. How likely are you to give them something again? It works the same way with the energy of the quantum field. When we don’t appreciate what we have or have been giving, we shut off the flow from the quantum field.
A wonderful practice for appreciation is to take out your journal and start writing about what you appreciate. Then go further. Appreciate more. Try to stretch your writing to 3-5 pages. Let the things that you appreciate trigger more appreciation. Note how you feel afterwards. Does your vibration seem elevated?
Inspiration
Inspiration is one key to building a strong spiritual foundation that often goes overlooked. I think this is because when most people think about inspiration they think about it in the context of creativity. If you think inspiration is just about revving up your creativity, you’re missing the potential to really up your spiritual game. We can be inspired to far more than just creativity. What inspires joy for you? What inspires love? What inspires you think about God/dess or Source? This is the kind of inspiration I’m talking about.
The practice of inspiration means to read things that inspire a high frequency vibration in you. Read things that light you up, make you feel good, and elicit feelings of love and compassion. Listen to music that brings your thoughts to God/dess and Source. Spend time with people that leave you feeling joyful and uplifted. This is inspiration at work.
Just as important as selecting things that elevate your vibration is avoiding things that lower it. In the interest of building a strong spiritual foundation, it may be wise to limit how much time you spend with that friend who always says mean things or the neighbor that gossips. Consider taking a break from reading the morning news. Tuning out to things that inspire you to feel fearful, less worthy, or inauthentic is important.
Meditation, movement, appreciation, and inspiration are essential practices for building a strong spiritual foundation. What’s beautiful about them is that you can experience them all in different ways. This means you can build the daily practices that feel aligned for you. After all, the best practices for building a strong spiritual foundation are the ones that you’ll do consistently.
What tools do you use for building a strong spiritual foundation?
Drop a comment below and share what tools you’re using for building a strong spiritual foundation.