One day in Professor Jack Miller's class, Spirituality in Education, he asked us to eat 2 raisins, each with different mindsets. First, we ate it quickly without much thought, like how we usually eat. With the next one, he taught us how to eat it mindfully:
"This time, hold the raisin in your hand. Look at it, and feel the texture and small weight of it. Consider where this raisin has been. First, it was a seed. Someone planted this seed, and it grew with its roots in the soil. Over time, it was nourished by the sun and water, and it grew taller. One day, someone hand picked a grape from the plant that has grown so tall, and eventually the fruit was dried in the sun. Someone put the raisins in the box, and it has traveled a distance to be in your hand. Now, eat the raisin, and think about all of this as you eat. Chew slowly, considering the taste, its sweetness."
Mindfulness is a spiritual practice that allows you to live in the moment. It is to be consciously present in a point of time. When you are mindful, you are being observant, allowing all your senses to come alive. When we ate the raisin mindfully, we really paid attention to it and focused on its taste alone, instead of thinking of all the things we need to do in our busy lives. From this exercise, everyone said that the raisin tasted better the second time, even for people who normally do not like raisins. That is because we ate it mindfully the second time around and were able to appreciate it more.
"This time, hold the raisin in your hand. Look at it, and feel the texture and small weight of it. Consider where this raisin has been. First, it was a seed. Someone planted this seed, and it grew with its roots in the soil. Over time, it was nourished by the sun and water, and it grew taller. One day, someone hand picked a grape from the plant that has grown so tall, and eventually the fruit was dried in the sun. Someone put the raisins in the box, and it has traveled a distance to be in your hand. Now, eat the raisin, and think about all of this as you eat. Chew slowly, considering the taste, its sweetness."
Mindfulness is a spiritual practice that allows you to live in the moment. It is to be consciously present in a point of time. When you are mindful, you are being observant, allowing all your senses to come alive. When we ate the raisin mindfully, we really paid attention to it and focused on its taste alone, instead of thinking of all the things we need to do in our busy lives. From this exercise, everyone said that the raisin tasted better the second time, even for people who normally do not like raisins. That is because we ate it mindfully the second time around and were able to appreciate it more.
Why Mindfulness?
Professor Miller had a list of spiritual practices we got to choose to practice. I needed to take on a practice that easily fit into my current lifestyle. For me, this needed to be feasible if I were to enjoy it and continue with it after the course. I decided to start with washing the dishes in a mindful way. This was not too difficult, since I had the sound of the water and scrubbing motion to help me stay in the moment. I thought only about each plate I held, the way I was washing and rinsing it. After 10 minutes, I felt incredibly calm. I eventually moved on to doing other things mindfully, such as sweeping the floor, folding the laundry, and showering. I have always been a careful person, so I always did these chores properly. However, while I did these chores I always thought about the next thing I needed to do, or make a list of groceries to buy. I had a distracted, hectic mind. Now, I practice mindfulness and feel refreshed after these chores. By incorporating spirituality into my chores, I did not need to change my schedule around or make time for the practice. I simply changed my mindset while doing the things I always did, which made a big difference.
I don't believe that taking on a spiritual or soulful lifestyle means you need to completely change your existing lifestyle; this was definitely not the case for me. Unless you are very unhappy with the way you are living now, you should be able to find a practice that works for you, where you can easily adapt it into your everyday routine. Mindfulness worked for me, but if you are interested in something else that will allow you to better nurture your soul, there are many more experiences out there.
I don't believe that taking on a spiritual or soulful lifestyle means you need to completely change your existing lifestyle; this was definitely not the case for me. Unless you are very unhappy with the way you are living now, you should be able to find a practice that works for you, where you can easily adapt it into your everyday routine. Mindfulness worked for me, but if you are interested in something else that will allow you to better nurture your soul, there are many more experiences out there.
Other Spiritual Practices
There are many experiences out there that allow you to be more soulful and find inner peace. A lot of people I know stray from spirituality because they think it means you need to be religious. For many, religion has offered much tranquility and peace, and has many unique, spiritual experiences. However, being spiritual does not require you to be affiliated with a religion, as you will see from the practices below, as well from my own practice of mindfulness. Some of these practices may work better for you, and some are more well suited for others. Everyone is different, but there is something that will suit anyone.
Click on a holistic practice to learn more about it:
Meditation - A quiet, still mental exercise that often concentrates on breathing, or reciting a mantra, for spiritual awareness.
Yoga - A spiritual practice that includes breathing control, meditation and posturing the body to promote good health and relaxation.
Reiki - A natural healing technique that reduces stress and promotes relaxation. It is based on the transferring of energy from the healer to the patient.
Tai Chi - A form of martial arts that involves meditation while the body is in motion. Tai Chi relieves stress and anxiety, while promoting inner peace.
Qi Gong - A physical, internal training exercise to develop good health and tranquility.
There are many more spiritual practices that can be be done on an everyday basis, including gratitude, taking care of someone sick, going on a quiet walk, and being generous and kind. Many of these soulful practices can be adopted on your own, and does not require you to attend professional classes. It is enriching though, to connect with others who are spiritual, or share your experiences with people who are unfamiliar with a holistic life lens.
Living a holistic life did not come suddenly to me. I have had many mentors and inspiring people help me pave my path.
Click on a holistic practice to learn more about it:
Meditation - A quiet, still mental exercise that often concentrates on breathing, or reciting a mantra, for spiritual awareness.
Yoga - A spiritual practice that includes breathing control, meditation and posturing the body to promote good health and relaxation.
Reiki - A natural healing technique that reduces stress and promotes relaxation. It is based on the transferring of energy from the healer to the patient.
Tai Chi - A form of martial arts that involves meditation while the body is in motion. Tai Chi relieves stress and anxiety, while promoting inner peace.
Qi Gong - A physical, internal training exercise to develop good health and tranquility.
There are many more spiritual practices that can be be done on an everyday basis, including gratitude, taking care of someone sick, going on a quiet walk, and being generous and kind. Many of these soulful practices can be adopted on your own, and does not require you to attend professional classes. It is enriching though, to connect with others who are spiritual, or share your experiences with people who are unfamiliar with a holistic life lens.
Living a holistic life did not come suddenly to me. I have had many mentors and inspiring people help me pave my path.