Therapy Meets Mysticism: A How-to Guide to Embodied Spirituality

If your approach to life isn't turning out practical results that make your everyday reality better on an ongoing basis, it's time for a reset! Cultivating an embodied spirituality can be the shift that catalyzes lasting change for you. So today, I'm giving you a step-by-step guide to creating a tiny-but-mighty, customized daily practice to support your growth and healing.

When I was in college at a tiny religious university in northern Wisconsin, I had a theology professor who used to say, "It's a sin to bore people with theology." I agreed with his sentiment, but ironically, he was the driest and most boring professor in my major. *insert cry-face emoji here*

The part of his statement that rang true for me then and now, though, is this: spirituality/theology/your metaphysical belief system is meant to have intensely practical outworking in real life! If your belief system and values are directly translating into your daily reality and supporting your personal growth and improved quality of life in tangible ways, I'd like to humbly suggest that it's time for you to update your approach to a more embodied, practical approach.

I absolutely experience and believe in supernatural energies and my own soul's immortal transcendent nature, but I just as staunchly acknowledge and value my physical body's wisdom, well-being, and mortality. My spirituality is alive and exciting to me because it helps me integrate my finite self with my infinite self.

Embodied spirituality is a bridge that can help you bridge the seen and unseen worlds in a way that helps you heal, grow, and experience the miracle of your humanity to the fullest extent. In the next few paragraphs, I want to give you small guide to crafting a daily healing practice that weaves together therapeutic exercises with ritual spirituality to make a tangible, action step you can do each day to heal your nervous system and recharge your energetic self.  

We all have a lot on our plates, so I know this action step has to feel accessible/easy to do, otherwise you won’t do it. It's like that for me too. So we're going to keep this practice simple and straightforward. Thankfully, simplicity is powerful.

Ready to create your daily healing practice?

OK.

Step 1:

Think of something you do every day - brushing your teeth, drinking coffee, fixing your hair, showering, walking your dog, taking your meds, etc. 

Choose one simple action that is already part of your daily routine.

Step 2:

Think of a healing action that you want to incorporate into your life.

This could be connected to your physical health (e.g., stretching, drinking water), your mental/emotional health (e.g., an affirmation, listening to a particular song, hugging a loved one), or your spiritual self (e.g., connecting with Spirit/your guides, meditating). This is an action that is quantifiable. "I want to breathe deeply for at least 30 seconds." "I want to remind myself that I am safe and loved."

Step 3:

Combine the two.

"Every day when I drink my morning cup of coffee, I will imagine myself opening my heart to drink in connection with nature/Spirit/the Universe."

"Every day while I walk my dog, I will repeat this mantra for my mental ___________." "Every day as I brush my teeth, I will listen to this song that shifts my mindset/perspective."

Basically, you're just adding a layer of intentionality or mindfulness to something that is already part of your life. You're choosing one element of your life to bring a little bit more care and awareness to.

BTW, if you don't want to start with doing a daily practice, you can aim for a weekly practice instead. Just go through all the steps and replace "daily" with "weekly" to craft your weekly embodied spirituality resource.

Start with one thing, and after you have one mindful daily ritual, you can add another one. And then if you keep doing this over time, you'll eventually have a life that is layered with intentional, connective, healthy rhythms.