by Geraldine Moorkens Byrne

Created on: May 12, 2009

Introducing spirituality into your daily routine

There is a tendency to think of spirituality as a separate entity in our lives, something distinct and apart. Many people follow a religion but have no room in their lives for spirituality; they pay lip service to ideals of charity and morality but reserve the right to live selfishly. For many others the clamour and rush of life fill every waking minute and spirituality seems an unattainable ideal, only accessible if you have time. And for even more the word has only a vague meaning at best.

Yet introducing spirituality into your daily life is simple; it doesn't require a special time set aside or a ritual or a sacred space. It just requires a change of outlook. In truth, to live a spiritually fulfilling life, every action should reflect it and our lives should be resonant with it. Spirituality is not the same as religion, although it is a necessary part of it. Nor do you have to be religious to be spiritual. It does not even require belief in a god.

Spirituality is the acknowledgement of the importance of the human spirit above material and purely biological concerns. It is the belief that regardless of any material value attributed to us we have worth; it can also include belief in deities and in a spiritual world or a spiritual dimension to this world but fundamentally it simply requires a faith in the fact that humanity cannot be explained in purely material terms.

So how to express this in daily life?

The most important first step is to be aware; aware of what you do each day, and how you do it. There is no point seeking spirituality in your life while routinely abusing coworkers or treating family badly. You cannot claim a spiritual dimension to your life while being unaware of the demands you make on the world and the resources you squander every day. No one is perfect and no one expects you to become a joyless prig who is afraid to move for fear of leaving a carbon footprint. However, you should be aware of how you live and the affect you have on everything around you.

The next step is to make each action count. The most mundane task is a spiritual exercise if approached correctly. Look at how you perform each task, explore what feelings it provokes in you. Evaluate what effect it has, what meaning or value, for your life. Consider removing those routines from your life that provide no real spiritual value. Try to find the spiritual worth in everyday work.
Some examples are

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