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Spirituality can seem like a daunting thing to try to cultivate in our lives. Especially when we have grown so accustomed to focusing on everything else in our busy minds and days. Fortunately, becoming more spiritual doesn’t have to be complicated or confusing. That is why I brought on The Stress Less Show holistic health and lifestyle coach, Britta GreenViolet, to share her simple and gradual ways to start becoming more spiritual.
Britta’s journey with connecting to her spirituality first began in a place of her life when she was struggling to feel comfortable within her self and her voice. These days, she is a sound healer, vocal coach, and musician who is helping countless people reclaim their voice, reduce stress and optimize their energy. However, she stresses that this transition did not happen overnight.
“Lasting transformation takes time, which is something that I have to remind myself and clients of all the time… People want change now [but] the greatest gifts of transformation come in very surprising packages.”
Through slowly reconnecting with herself through nutrition, yoga, essential oils, and other practical applications of spirituality, Britta was able to connect to her spiritual side and feel at home in herself. She shared with me a few great tips for you to get started on this journey.
Tip #1: Ritualize it
Britta’s first tip is all about intention. When it comes to our daily routines in life, we often tend to act on autopilot. We disconnect from the actions we are taking with our bodies and go go go. That is why Britta suggests an easy way to start building a stronger sense of spirituality in our lives is to start by focus in on what we are already doing each day and turning routines into rituals.
“The difference between routine and ritual is just meaning and intention. I infuse it with spirit. I infuse it with a sense of the sacred.”
This can be as simple as just slowing down and shifting your focus to the actions you are taking instead of planning the next steps or drifting off into thoughts. Connecting to the present movements you are taking and being conscious in your actions can transform typical daily routines such as eating or washing dishes into positive and sacred self-care rituals.
Tip #2: Use your breath
If connecting with your routines is difficult for you and you find yourself constantly slipping into autopilot mode, a great tool to focus your attention on your intentional rituals is by simply using your breath. By focusing on the breath, we center ourselves on the present moment and slow ourselves down. The breath helps us avoid falling into worry over the future. Britta uses a great example of eating. So many of us eat quickly and without intention.
“We are living in the future, like planning our next bite, not even paying attention to the bite that's in our mouth.”
Slowing ourselves down and taking time to breathe is a great way to begin reconnecting with the physical sensations happening inside of our bodies so we can find harmony between body, mind and spirit.
Tip #3: Befriend the shadow
Finally, Britta’s final way to become more spiritual is to start to lean into what is uncomfortable. Many of us struggle with parts of ourselves that frustrate us. Many of us may try to avoid these areas of ourselves at all costs or we use these areas as weapons to punish ourselves with. However, Britta encourages us to befriend these parts of us so that we can approach them with a productive and positive spirit.
“If I demonized myself, if I make myself bad or wrong, that's just turning away right rather than [saying] ‘Okay. I've got work to do.’”
By approaching these areas with kindness and curiosity, we allow ourselves to feel empowered to change rather than ashamed to be seen. This attitude is vital in the expansion and growth of ourselves spiritually. According to Britta, it is in the moments of discomfort that we are able to become closer to we truly are spiritually.