6 Things You Can Do Today to Create a Spiritual Practice

April 15, 2020 by Maren Hoflund

Spirituality has been on the rise in recent years. More and more young people are finding themselves to be very spiritual, and less religious, and there has even been a decrease in self-proclaimed atheists. Despite the rise in spiritual practices, it may feel overwhelming and confusing in the beginning. Additionally, having spiritual beliefs is much more than lighting sage once a week, curating the perfect collection of crystals, or reading your Bible regularly. All of these things are wonderful and can be very beneficial, but will only be empty actions if your heart is not involved as well. 

Regardless of whatever your religious or spiritual practices are, they are aspects of yourself that are vital to protect and strengthen in life and in quarantine. Spirituality bleeds into every aspect of our lives, relationships, and personal development. This alone makes spirituality a worthwhile topic and potentially relevant to anyone with a tendency for introspection and holistic well being.

I have created this list of 6 ways to begin or strengthen your spiritual practice. It is meant to be applicable to anyone who finds that it resonates with them, and it is not meant to deter anyone away from their already existing practices. 

1. Prayer and/or meditation

​For individuals who have a spiritual practice, for religious people, and myself, there is a common theme of believing that we are all apart of something bigger than ourselves. An easy way to connect and begin building a connection with your part of the world is to pray. Prayer has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels, and enhance an overall sense of wellbeing. Additionally, one does not need to believe in a higher power to pray. For those that do resonate with a higher power, there are many variations of this being and we are free to follow where our mind and hearts guide us. For some people this is God. For others, it is the Universe, Source, Brahma, and others. Regardless of whatever this may be for you, or if this resonates at all for you, the key to establishing a strong spiritual connection is to establish a relationship or connection with the world you find yourself in.

​Prayer is open communication with the universe. You can pray when you are happy, grateful, sad, angry, or any other emotion. You can ask for what you need, what you want, pray for yourself, and pray for others. Even if you don't experience a life changing moment when praying, just thinking your prayer or saying it out loud can be a source of comfort. 

For others, prayer may not be "for them." This is where meditation comes in. Before you begin a meditation practice, it may be helpful to set an intention before you start. What do you want to gain from your meditation experience? What insight are you looking for? Sometimes the answers to our most burning questions, or the solutions to a problem already exist within our subconscious and meditation is a way to put your thoughts to rest and allow the feelings or answers to come to you. 

2. Rituals

​Rituals are apart of your routine that enhance your growth and/or connection. Not all rituals need to have a spiritual focus to be beneficial. For some, a ritual may include listening to a podcast every day, cleaning your room, or maybe attending a church service.

Your rituals should be personal to you and not feel forced. For me, I practice "morning manifestations," which is in essence future journaling or scripting. I tend to speak aloud my gratitudes in my life, connect and thank my ancestors, journal, and use tarot among other activities.

Perhaps journaling at night before bed, reading a new book, or lighting a candle and saying a prayer could be your ritual. There is abundant freedom in this practice, and can be beneficial as long as it is done for your own fulfillment.

3. Educate yourself

Indulge in the beauty that other cultures practice in their beliefs and rituals. There is rich symbolism and connection when learning about and trying on a new spiritual activity, especially one practiced by your ancestors.

Perhaps purchase a world religions book or take a new course on the subject. Approaching this subject from multiple viewpoints and critical thinking will lead to increased intelligence and personal growth due to self reflection.

4. Personal Development

Whether you're spiritual or religious or not, personal development is something you can seek. There really is no harm in working on becoming a better version of yourself. You can start by asking your loved ones for some constructive criticism, but you could ask in prayer or in your intention before meditating. You can trust your instinct when you feel a certain way about actions you perform, you can read the Bible, go to a service, and you can learn more and try to enhance your knowledge and grow as an individual after educating yourself. Personal development should be AT LEAST partly inspired by prayer/what may come to you in meditation, and by what you learn after educating yourself/expanding your knowledge. It can also come to you as you go through life and achieve (or not achieve) your goals. ​

5. Be Yourself

​When seeking or strengthening a spiritual or religious practice, it can sometimes feel daunting. There may be a reputation that follows these things with both positives and negatives, but anything that you choose to follow should not strip you of your personality or values. Adapting a belief system and rituals into your life can bring up fears of becoming "that one super spiritual person," but this isn't a bad thing as long as you stay true to yourself and what you believe. Your spirituality or religious identity should not be hindering your growth but promoting it, along with your view of yourself and the world. Regardless of what you believe, your self should not be taken away when finding something to believe in that works for you. 

6. Find a Community

Everything above is great and arguably needed in developing or strengthening your spiritual practice, but being apart of a community is essentially the cherry on top. Finding and participating in a group of like minded people can enhance your spiritual practices, and you will in turn be helping to enhance the practices of those around you. A community can look like a small group of people who study the Word together, your close friends with similar beliefs, church, or your family. For me, I spark spiritual conversations with my friends, and I try to follow people on social media who have a similar belief system to my own so that I am feeding myself information that is both validating and thought provoking. And if something I see doesn't sit right with me or goes against my values, then I simply unfollow them. For other people, it's going to church with the same people once or twice a week. Whatever form of community and communication works for you, your values, and your lifestyle, is the way to go. 
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Religion and spirituality is involved in our daily lives, whether that is in the culture of the groups we associate with, or we have religious family members. As time progresses, more and more people are finding themselves to be spiritual. This also means that more and more people are seeking and searching for something that resonates with them. Whatever path you think you might want to explore is open and waiting for you, all you have to do is open up to it and seek it.