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Cultivate your self-awareness to transform into the best version of you
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There comes a point in time where materialistic goods and superficial friends just don’t cut it anymore—and that’s okay. It just means you’ve outgrown these things. But now what? How do you embark on a new journey in a day and age where everything feels superficial? The truth is, there are many simple ways to find deeper meaning in life. We interviewed spiritual experts to teach you how to become more spiritually aware and build long-lasting, meaningful connections with the world.
Starting a Spiritual Journey
Spiritual awareness is the journey of becoming more aware and connected to your inner self and the universe. By engaging in mindful meditations, practicing yoga, and showing yourself love and compassion, you can undergo a transformative experience that boosts your sense of purpose and relationships with others.
Steps
Section 2 of 2:
How to Be More Spiritually Aware
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Start with daily meditations. Meditation is the practice of taking your attention away from the world and re-focusing it towards yourself. [5] X Research source It allows you to slow down and take the time to be still. “When you’re thinking about things, that’s not really your soul,” psychic medium Mari Cartagenova explains. “[Meditation] is a quick and easy way to connect to your essence, your light, and who you really are.”
- There are 16 forms of meditation ranging from yoga meditation to sound bath meditation. [6] X Research source However, the most common form is breathing meditation.
- To learn how to meditate , start by picking a quiet environment to sit in. This can be a bedroom or outside in nature. Once you’re settled, allow your eyes to close. Sit in a still position with your hands placed on your knees and a straight posture. It helps to close your eyes in order to become fully aware of your breath and slow your body.
- If you're struggling or are new to the practice, try a 5-minute meditation when you first wake up or before bed. You can also play guided videos or practice being alone.
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Make time to be alone. “If you can’t meditate…spend time alone in nature doing grounding [work] which would be walking on the earth barefoot,” psychic medium Mari Cartagenova recommends. “In the woods, there’s not a lot of distractions [or] other people, [it’s] the best way to really get in touch with [your] soul.”
- When you step outside, Cartagenova recommends taking a deep breath. Allow it to rise to the top of your head, leave your body, and hold it for a moment. When you exhale, let your breath travel down your spine. When you do, you should be able to feel yourself drop back into your body.
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Practice yoga. Yoga is an ancient mind-body practice with deep roots in spirituality. The practice refers to how your thoughts and feelings can alter the way your body functions. [7] X Research source By engaging in regular movement, you can learn how to control your thoughts and emotions with each breath.
- To harness the spiritual benefits of yoga practices, look for instructors who prioritize emotional and spiritual practices. This includes meditation, chanting, breath (pranayamas), or hand gestures (mudras). [8] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
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Explore the seven chakras. Chakra balancing refers to the process of finding unity between the spirit, body, and mind. Spiritual Advisor Emily Christensen explains, “We all come into the world with all of our chakras balanced. And through life, they shut down based on belief systems…different situations we’re placed in and how we react to those situations. But when we start to reopen our chakras…[through] meditations…[you could] connect with your spirit guides.”
- Meditation is a great tool for learning how to unblock your chakras .
- The seven chakras include the Root (tailbone), Sacral (lower abdomen), Solar Plexus (naval region), Heart (center of the chest), Throat (above your heart), Third-Eye (between the eyebrows), and Crown (the top of your head). [9] X Research source
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Clear out negative energy. Being surrounded by people who bring you down can make it difficult to connect with yourself. Instead of engaging, set boundaries with people by communicating your needs. If that’s not respected, explain there are consequences to negative behavior. Consequences can include limiting your time around a person or cutting them off completely—that’s up to you. [10] X Research source
- To rid yourself of negativity , maintain positive energy and perspectives in favor of negativity.
- Foster healthy relationships and surround yourself with positivity. It can help improve your mental and physical health and enhance personal relationships. [11] X Research source
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Practice self-love. It’s a common experience to forget to care for ourselves when we’re weighed down by external responsibilities. Self-love refers to the appreciation of your own worth. Once you’re able to treat yourself with kindness, the practice teaches you how to do the same for others. [12] X Research source
- Spiritual Advisor Emily Christensen recommends activating rose quartz crystals in your practice. “By placing a rose quartz crystal in your bathroom in front of [the] mirror…when you look [at] your reflection…you’re going to be able to appreciate your positive qualities more often.”
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Create a personal altar. A personal altar is a tangible representation of your intentions and prayers. It serves as a constant reminder of the transformation you’re working toward. When creating an altar, choose meaningful symbols that represent your intention like a photograph or quote. Add a living element to bring life to your altar, such as a candle or flower. [13] X Research source
- Altars are meant to be worked with, meaning it’s an excellent space to practice meditations or place offerings.
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Attend a spiritual retreat. A spiritual retreat is an opportunity to disconnect from your everyday responsibilities and focus solely on connecting with your inner self. Many retreats include mindful activities such as meditation, yoga, or workshops. [14] X Research source This experience allows you to align with other like-minded individuals who are embarking on the same spiritual journey as you.
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Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is a form of meditation where you focus on being aware of your senses and feelings without judgment or interpretation. [15] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source You don’t need to be still with your thoughts to practice mindfulness. It’s a skill you can implement in nearly every component of your life—even when you’re washing the dishes!
- When practicing mindfulness , pay attention to your thoughts with purpose, live in the moment, accept yourself, and focus on your breath.
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Eat mindfully. Mindfulness can trickle into various components of your life, including how you eat. Intuitive eating is a practice that encourages people to listen to their body’s hunger cues instead of societal pressures that surround food. [16] X Research source So, instead of feeling guilty about craving a hamburger—listen to your hunger cues, and try to remember that food is fuel.
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Use mantras or chants. Mantras are sounds or vibrations used to enter a deep state of meditation. [17] X Research source When you chant a mantra , it’s like creating your own music. It creates an ambiance that is meant to uplift and motivate you.
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Take a hiatus from social media. While social media allows us to connect with people all over the world, it is also known to increase mental health risks surrounding body image issues, anxiety, and depression. [18] X Research source
- A social media cleanse gives you the time to think about how you want to spend your free time with intention. It can even give you the chance to pick up a new hobby or engage in slow movement.
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Write your intentions down. It’s one thing to think about what you want to do or who you’re striving to be. It’s another thing to write it down. The act of writing your intentions down triggers two things in our brain: external storage and encoding. [19] X Research source When you write things down, you have a larger chance of remembering it.
- External storage refers to storing your goals on a tangible item, like a piece of paper, that you can access anytime.
- Encoding refers to our brain’s process of taking the things we see, analyzing them, and then storing this information in our long-term memory.
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Trust your intuition. You may be familiar with the phrase trust your gut and your intuition is no different. Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately, without reasoning. [20] X Research source It takes practice to trust your intuition, so be patient with yourself. More often than not, your first thought or feeling is your body's intuitive response.
- To practice, try taking a few deep breaths. Quiet your mind and ask yourself what you expect or want out of the situation at hand. From there, listen to the first few things that pop into your mind.
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Educate yourself. With anything in life, you can’t fully understand something without dedicating time to study the topic. Spirituality is a field that has been influenced by so many cultures. Read foundational spirituality texts such as The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra or Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu .
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Attend community events. As you move along your spiritual journey, the more you’ll feel empathy and compassion toward others. To channel this positivity, share it with your local community by attending events. From community gardening to talks on spirituality or yoga, these gatherings allow you to meet like-minded individuals, learn from them, and spread good deeds.
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Create positive karma. While karma is often associated with bad juju, the truth is, there can be good karma too. In Hinduism and Buddhism, karma is the force generated by a person’s actions. [21] X Research source The idea here is that if you do good, you will receive good—and vice versa.
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Improve your emotional intelligence. A spiritual journey is bound to bring up past experiences and troubles that may cause you distress. That’s okay! When this happens, do your best to lean into your emotions—acknowledge, accept them, and let go to develop emotional intelligence .
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Learn to let go. At some point in your life, there may be a time you can recall being hurt by someone’s actions or words toward you. While sitting with those feelings is okay for a brief period of time, carrying the weight of someone else’s wrongdoing can lead to resentment and anger. [22] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source Letting go isn’t letting the other person get away with their actions. It’s about being able to free yourself from their negativity and move on with your life.
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Be the best version of yourself. No one is perfect—but by practicing meditation and looking inward, you can learn from your past behaviors and mistakes. It doesn’t always have to be in grand ways. It can be as simple as being the type of person to help out more around the house.
- Goal setting is a great way to improve yourself. Write your intentions or goals down on paper, discuss them with a friend, or create a habit tracker to implement these changes in your daily life.
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Prioritize daily rituals. Rituals are often associated with routines. However, the difference between the two is all in the mindset. Where routines are something you need to do, rituals are a mindful approach to basic tasks. [23] X Research source
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Be grateful. Gratitude is a way of appreciating your present. Whether that’s being grateful for good company, a house over your head, or good health, engaging in active gratitude allows you to feel more motivated in your day-to-day life. [24] X Research source When you take the opportunity to reflect on the goodness that surrounds you, it makes going through the bad times a tad bit easier.
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Be open-minded. Part of becoming spiritually aware is improving your relationships with others. We can’t control anyone else's lives, but we can be open-minded to their journey, even if it doesn’t align with our own beliefs or lifestyles. By leaving yourself open, you’re able to learn from your peers, express empathy, and build deeper connections.
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about spirituality, check out our in-depth interview with Mari Cartagenova .
References
- ↑ https://www.naturalawakenings.com/2018/11/30/224480/a-global-wake-up-call-collective-consciousness-nears-spiritual-tipping-point
- ↑ https://www.sos.org/spirituality/spiritual-awareness
- ↑ https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/6005C8AEE855867192AA66935332C428/S1355514600003850a.pdf/taking_a_spiritual_history.pdf
- ↑ https://imhu.org/integrative/spiritually-transformative-experience-ste-2/
- ↑ https://www.sos.org/meditation/meditation-faq/
- ↑ https://www.headspace.com/meditation/techniques
- ↑ https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-is-the-mind-body-connection
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8365182/
- ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/home-remedies/what-are-the-7-chakras-in-our-body-here-is-a-complete-breakdown/articleshow/70605207.cms
- ↑ https://psychcentral.com/pro/recovery-expert/2020/03/how-to-protect-yourself-from-others-negative-energy
- ↑ https://www.one-eighty.org/news/the-importance-of-surrounding-yourself-with-positivity/
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/how-to-practice-self-love/
- ↑ https://www.spiritualityhealth.com/articles/2016/02/23/building-altars-personal-transformation
- ↑ https://hridaya-yoga.com/
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356
- ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-intuitive-eating
- ↑ https://chopra.com/articles/what-is-a-mantra
- ↑ https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/just-how-harmful-social-media-our-experts-weigh
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2018/04/15/neuroscience-explains-why-you-need-to-write-down-your-goals-if-you-actually-want-to-achieve-them/?sh=155d72f37905
- ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/intuition
- ↑ https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/karma
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/forgiveness/art-20047692
- ↑ https://www.vox.com/even-better/23144784/why-rituals-not-routine
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisromero/2017/11/22/gratitude-the-ultimate-spiritual-practice-a-thanksgiving-special/?sh=582821d22706
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