Want to start your spiritual journey with God? You’re in the right place!
Whether because of our sufferings or some particular interest, we have sometimes thought of starting a spiritual journey.
But this is not so easy because the attachments and habits of our daily life keep on distracting us from time to time.
Due to this, confusion arises, and we can neither succeed physically nor spiritually.
That is why we need to follow a particular spiritual pattern and habits with complete devotion and discipline, which helps us move forward in our spiritual journey while also allowing us to balance the conditions of our physical life.
How to Start Your Spiritual Journey with God
Today, I will discuss such habits and practices to help you start your spiritual journey with God.
I’m also on my spiritual journey, so I will suggest everything based on my learning and experiences.
Profound interest
Let’s talk about first “What is life?”
Life is the repetition of fixed mind patterns and daily life habits like thoughts, emotions, food, eating, sleeping, physical appetites, greed, ego, etc.
Unconsciously, these habits become our VASANAS (Likes or Dislikes).
We can be a true YOGI only when we learn to regulate these patterns or VASANAS.
Most of us live our lives superficially, which makes our lives miserable. Similarly, we also follow superficial spirituality.
When we hear about spirituality from any guru or book, we start practising it. Still, if we do not get the expected result or lack of interest, we stop those practices after some time.
So, the first step is to have a profound interest in yourself for spirituality.
Only when we have a deep interest in something can we achieve that thing. So we have to keep our interest without worrying about the result.
Prepare Your Body and Mind
I would not advise anyone to engage directly with meditation.
Because meditation in itself is a higher level of practice for which our body and mind need to be prepared beforehand.
So, how can we prepare our body and mind for meditation?
As I mentioned earlier, With a deep interest, we must adopt certain habits with complete devotion and consistency that will prepare our body and mind for spirituality.
Let’s discuss these habits:
Start Practicing Yoga Asanas
Yoga is an ancient practice to prepare our body and mind for profound spiritual experiences.
It can shift our awareness and align our body, mind, and soul to a deeper level. It helps us to remove specific energy blockages from our body and mind.
These blockages are mental inertia, laziness, inactivity, daydreaming, and negative emotions.
Start by practising easy yoga poses according to your body type and comfort.
Better, join a regular and consistent yoga class online or offline.
Rhythmic Breathing
If we have rhythmic breathing, we have the backbone of spirituality.
Deep rhythmic breathing regulates our negative emotions and unnecessary thought patterns.
The slower your breathing, the fewer unnecessary thoughts will arise in your mind, and the more relaxed you will feel.
To get rhythmic breathing, start practising pranayama, also called Anulom Vilom.
I recommend practising Anulom Vilom under a yoga practitioner.
Observation of Mind
Observation of the mind depends on one’s intellectual level.
You will have to observe your mind in your daily life. You must be aware of your thoughts, feelings and emotions every moment.
It will not be accessible initially, but your observation will become accurate after a few days or months of practice.
If you’re having negative emotions and feelings, then you have to improve them.
Check if you have a sustainable spiritual quest every day. Set a reminder!
Note your drifts and thoughts in a notebook and try to improve them daily.
Regulate Your Food, Sleep and other Physical Appetite
Food, s*x and sleep are essential, but if we want a good spiritual life, we need to regulate them all.
We should not indulge too much in such habits because the enjoyment of material things is an obstacle in Spiritual life.
Meditation Practice
After a few months of practice I’ve mentioned above, you start feeling optimistic, having fewer thoughts in your mind and proper spiritual quest; now you’re ready for the next level of your spiritual journey.
Meditation practice is essential in spirituality, which we must adopt with great patience.
For comfort, practice sitting for extended periods in a single meditation posture like padmasana, sukhasana, or Vajrayana.
The thought-free state, total stillness and complete awareness are just the beginning of meditation. When we stay longer in this state, we feel mindfully awake, full of love and desire less.
When we go deeper in meditation, we can unfold different levels of awareness and consciousnesses. It would be best to practice this under a meditation practitioner’s guidance only.
Until you find any master, practice mindfulness and stillness meditation only by observing your thoughts or focusing on your breaths. Only this practice can improve your spiritual and physical life 10 times better.
Read Spiritual Books or Master’s Biographies
Gather information about Great Spiritual Masters in your spare time.
Try to understand how they achieved enlightenment. Which practices they did, and what their philosophies are.
On the other hand, you can read some spiritual books published by enlightened masters or other spiritual practitioners.
These Practices Will Strengthen the Roots of Your Spiritual Quest.
Self-less or Desire Less Action
Work for your desires, but do not expect any results because desiring less work and actions gives us peace of mind.
When we do something with expectations and if we do not get results as we want, then we are prone to depression, anxiety and frustration, which disturb our peace and spiritual life.
Connect with Nature
Take time out every day to connect with nature.
Go for a walk in the park, sit near any quiet river or lake. Feel the sunlight, listen to the sound of birds.
When we connect with nature, we become calm and free.
Present Moment
Life is in the present moment. Even an authentic spiritual life is also connected to the present moment.
Every meditation goal is to bring us to the present moment. If you drift into the future or past, withdraw yourself and return to the present moment.
Wherever you are, be there totally. Every cell of the body should be focused on the present moment only.
When you eat, only eat. Do not talk or wander in thoughts.
When you are working, focus only on work.
When walking on the road, listen to what is happening around you.
Practice Detachment, Acceptance and Contentment
Suppose yoga and meditation do not suit you. In that case, practising detachment can significantly help you in your spiritual journey.
Learn to detach yourself from ego, greed, envy, hate, negative thoughts and emotions.
Be happy with whatever you have.
Accept Everything as it is
Try to make spirituality simple.
Refrain from making yourself so serious about your spirituality that you forget the responsibility of your physical life.
Spend your time with family and friends. Go on a long, peaceful vacation.
Balance everything, and remember your spiritual quest!
Don’t Force Spirituality
Don’t try forced meditation or yoga; let it happen naturally.
If your body or mind does not allow you, then do not try. Forceful efforts can lead us to new troubles.
Look for a Spiritual Guru
If you cannot do any of the steps mentioned above and still want to start your spiritual journey, try to find a spiritual master for yourself who will give you complete guidance.
I never found such a master I could learn from. That’s why I started my spiritual journey on my own some time ago.
I hope that someday in the future, I will definitely meet my master.
Total Surrender To God
Surrender is another aspect of having an authentic spiritual life.
I’ve completely surrendered to my spiritual journey. Now, there is no regret for the past, no worry about the future. Just doing my work without expectation.
And believe me, all is well in my life.
Now, I read more spiritual books and study new yoga poses, like the company of spiritual people.
Now, I only prefer peace over chaos.
GOD exists in limitless peace where no ego or physical limitations disturb us. It is called Pure Consciousness.
Are you also ready to completely surrender to the GOD? Let us share our journey.
I Wish You All The Best in Your Spiritual Journey.
Love and Peace!