“There is force in the universe, which, if we permit it, will flow through us and produce miraculous results.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

 

In today’s world, relaxation is often associated with such activities as going on vacation, watching a movie, having a beer with friends, listening to music, etc. True, these may turn your attention away from stressors in your life and get you physically (and mentally) in a different space, but they are stimulating. They stimulate your senses, and they do not really get you to a place of relaxing in a deep, meaningful way.

I would like to share with you a different perspective on relaxation–relaxation in a spiritual sense; relaxation in terms of regaining control of you own attention and energy, and as part of spiritual development. Relaxation in terms of taking a break from your physical identity and all the comes with that (thinking about how things are and how they should be) and deeply allowing yourself to truly experience not only the sense of freedom but the belief that you are a divine being and part of all that is.

For the most part, most of our waking lives our attention (and energy) is directed outwards–through what we see, what we hear, what we say, what we do, etc. to the world around us. And it’s attracted (and sometimes distracted) by other sounds, people and energies, which are all competing for our attention. This creates a lot of noise and sometimes before we know it we can’t differentiate the noise from the signal.

We may experience this by feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, tired, stressed or unfocused and think by taking that physical and mental break–turning it off for a bit by doing things which we have been conditioned to believe help us relax–will help. And maybe for a short while it does. But what is missing is the deep relaxation that quiets our minds and re-connects us to our spirituality, our higher Selves and to the Universe.

So what is spirituality? Spirituality can have many definitions and one can think about  spirituality as something that gives your life context and meaning, and arises from your connection with yourself, with others and with the universe.

Cultivating your spirituality through relaxation can be done in many ways, such as meditation, working with techniques to calm emotions and quiet your mind as well as visualization, among others. It can also be nurtured by “relaxing” into life and daily situations by approaching life embracing your spirituality and knowing that you are part of a greater whole; to be confident in your soul’s journey and believing that you are being taken care of by the universe. Never are you left alone for one moment and everything is happening according to divine order and divine timing.

So I encourage you to think about relaxation is a different way–in a way that connects you with your spirituality, your higher Self and to the wonders of the Universe. Now your turn–please share how you practice spiritual relaxation.