Why Should I Develop a Daily Practice?

Strengthening your awareness of your connection to Divine  is integral to your spiritual growth and development. In fact, that awareness is foundational for shifting from fear to love-based emotions, raising your vibrations, and improving the quality of actualizing your heart’s desire. That is why creating a daily practice and being disciplined about its use are so very important  to every spiritual system. Daily practice:

• strengthens your awareness of the connectedness of all life
• connects you with Divine and with the Earth
• allows your body to relax and become receptive
• allows receiving of guidance, help, and healing
• broadens your understanding of your spiritual path
• accumulates energy and increases your body’s resilience

My Daily Practice

My daily practice changes over time, but it usually has these components:

1. movement – These days I walk barefoot outside and connect with the Earth. For several years I  did  Egyptian Yoga (Ba-Ra-Shem-Ka) but felt that I needed more connection with the planet. So, I moved this practice outdoors. Movement practices help me open up my energy field and circulate and ground more energy. It also restarts circulation of cerebral/spinal fluids, when I wake up.
2. chanting/listening to music – I use chanting or listening to music to slow my mind down and focus. Currently, I’m listening to solfeggios shared by Panache Desai in his Align, Attune, Ascend series.
3. breathing – As a multi-dimensional being, I am a multi-tasker. So, I use the Heart Breathing practice from HeartMath when I listen to the solfeggios. This practice basically is breathing into your heart space while you imagine something you are grateful for. This may be the favorite part of my daily practice, as I generally end up with a big smile plastered on my face. It must be because most of the time I imagine myself cuddled up with my four cats!
4. sitting in silence – I love to do this practice outside, when I can. Sitting in silence in the sunlight helps my body gather Vitamin D and supports my pituitary and pineal glands, while I connect with the restorative power of Nature. No wonder the Ancients did a Salute to the Sun every morning!
5. grounding – I make an intention to myself to come back to my normal waking state of consciousness. Then, I see roots like the trunk of an Elder Tree growing from the bottom of my feet and intend for energy to go down the roots into the core of Mother Earth. I also ask that any excess energy be given to Mother Earth for her use.
6. gratitude statements – I write at least 5 gratitude statements in my journal as the capstone to my daily practice.

Connecting Heaven and Earth

Within Steps 2 and 3 I’ll feel inspired to visualize sending my breath from my heart up through the crown of my head and to the heart of Divine. I focus on this tracing until I feel a response from Divine (most often I feel a light pulsing). Then, on the exhale I intend to send this energy into the core of Mother Earth, down my spine and through my feet. Once this flow is established, I keep breathing until I sense Mother Earth’s response  (warm energy coming up through my feet). When Mother Earth responds, I intend to send her energy up through my crown to Divine. Then, I maintain focusing the up-and-down flow of both energies until it goes automatic.

When you are suspended between the gifting of Divine and Mother Earth, you can only benefit from being the conduit for this gift. Your energy system will clear easily and gracefully, opening more spaciousness in your body to receive,  as two energy channels almost automatically open to move the energy up and down your spine where your main energy centers are. It, in fact, is your intention during the visualization that lights the path for the energy to move, while your breath moves the energy. I eventually end focusing on the energy exchange between Divine, Mother Earth, and me, because I feel ready to sit quietly.

Mandalas, Sacred Objects, and Altars

Being artistic, there are times when I am moved to use visual tools in my daily practice. I have a “Possibilities” Board where I meditate, and sometimes I’ll just gaze on the poster. I also have paintings, mandala posters, colored scarves, sculptures, and portable altars in my meditation area. However, I don’t think the tools do the work for me. I just love having them around, and when I “spring clean” and redesign the space, what I notice is how these  tools help me  focus on aspects of myself I want to become more aware of.

What spiritual practices do you like? Do you practice daily? I would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment on this blog.