A major part of my coaching approach is spiritually based. It’s one of the hardest things for me to explain to clients or prospective clients initially because when most people hear the word ‘spirituality’ they tend to think ‘religion’. And at that point, they either feel that they have a faith and are part of a faith community and are all set or they don’t practice in any religious grouping and don’t feel it is something they need or want. Either way, it’s not typically something for which people think they’re looking for support!
But Spirituality is completely different to religion and on my upcoming Radical Wellbeing programme I include a whole week (one of four) on Spiritual Wellbeing. So let’s clear up what that means and why it is something that makes a huge difference to how you successfully create results in all areas of your life.
One of the fundamental shifts that enhances our lives is to find our way to a much larger context for who we are and why we’re here. Knowing that we’re not alone in our endeavours and that there is an Intelligence at work in the Universe is, in my opinion, life giving and reassuring. As I’ve grown in my own spiritual awareness and understanding of the laws that govern how the world works, it has has become my passion, both for my own growth and for teaching these Universal Truths to clients.
You already know that there is an Infinite Intelligence at work in the world and have had an experience of it! You might not be thinking of it as a spiritual experience though, so let’s look at the myriad of ways we can experience this insight or awareness.
For some it is an experience of awe in nature, maybe being at the top of a mountain or on the ocean or gazing at the night sky. It can be experienced when we’re engaging with a beautiful piece of art or craft or it might be felt when being transported by music. Some of us experience it when we’re in a flow moment, totally absorbed and in harmony with our surroundings as we engage in exercise or sports or in a creative pursuit. It might be felt looking into the eyes of a new born baby or even a new born animal. For some of us, it’s in a light bulb moment when everything falls into place and makes sense. In any and all of these moments you are having a spiritual experience.
Many of you know I took a trip to Canada last autumn. The country is vast and the nature and scenery was spectacular. I had some of those beautiful spiritual awakening moments at dawn one morning seeing a fawn tip toe through the snow across the front of my cabin. I felt it looking at the dark expanse of the night sky, full of stars and with very little light pollution. I experienced it by the waterfalls in the Rocky mountains and the sheer power of the water cutting its way through rock. I felt it in the kindness of the people I met and the friendships that were kindled. Those experiences cause me to know and remember the Infinite Intelligence at work in our lives and I feel connected in such moments.
You and I can nurture our relationship with this Infinite Intelligence, God (the grand overall designer) Spirit, Source, Life, Love, however you conceive it to be. We don’t have to wait for special moments of awe and connection. As Teilhard de Chardin put it, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We can live that!
In this three-dimensional world, we tend to rely on the physical and the five senses to navigate the human side of our nature and it is easy for us to forget our spiritual core. But we can restore the balance here. Each of us individually has that choice available to us. We are constantly being communicated with and guided by Spirit. Today, for those of you who want to come on this journey together, I want to share with you some of the ways that you can nurture that awareness and deepen your connection.
The Infinite speaks to us through our bodies, and does it in a way that’s really easy for us to engage with when you’ve been taught how it works! What we need to pay attention to is whether we’re feeling expansive or contractive. And we want to do more of whatever leads to expansion and less of what creates contraction! And that’s it!
So let’s unpack that together a little. What do I mean when I talk about feeling expansion or contraction?
Expansion feels like this:
- Open, warm all over
- Heart & stomach expand
- Feelings like joy, hope, possibility, love, gratitude
Contraction feels like this:
- Tight, closed off
- Constricted stomach, chest contracts
- Feelings like doubt, fear, worry, shame, distrust
This feedback system is always working. Whether you are on or off track in terms of your Spiritual wellbeing and living in ways that serve your higher purpose at any given moment, you can feel it in your body.
So the core skill to learn here, to enhance your spiritual wellbeing in general and to build your relationship with Spirit and the guidance that is always there for you, is to build your noticing capabilities.
You can’t change anything you’re not aware of! But when you notice what you are noticing, and can feel when you are contracted or expansive, you have tapped into the divine guidance system that is always available to you.
I encourage you to spend some time in the coming week growing your awareness of expansion and contraction and how it shows up in you.
Make a list of the people, places, experiences, thoughts, ideas that cause you to feel expansion. Some of the things on my list include: Coffee! Being fully engaged with my clients in a coaching moment; family meals around our kitchen table; wrapped up warm in bed (I love my bed!); being outdoors in nature on a beautiful day.
And make a list of the people, places, experiences, thoughts and ideas that cause you to feel contracted. For me some of these things include: when all around me are on devices and nobody’s connecting with each other; if I feel nobody is responding to my request for help; thinking ‘I’m not enough’ in some way; feeling lack of time or money.
Welcome to your connection with Spirit in you!
Enjoy building this relationship, knowing that like all relationships it needs to be nurtured. You’ve built great connection with the loved ones in your life by spending time together and getting to know each other. Building your relationship with Spirit, Life, Love, God, Infinite Intelligence is the same. The big difference, compared to most human relationships, is that Spirit it is always on your side, always working for you and is communicating as loudly as your willingness to listen!
If you’d like to continue this journey and further enhance your Spiritual Wellbeing, join me for Radical Wellbeing, commencing this coming Thursday, 28 April at 10am, live on zoom. Bookings and details here