Your Spiritual Awakening Is Not About YOU
How your healing becomes a gift to everyone around you
What if your spiritual awakening isn't about you at all? What if every yoga class, meditation session, therapy appointment, journal entry, and moment of self-discovery is preparing you to be of greater service to the people around you? The longer I walk this path, the more convinced I become that our healing is never just our own. Every bit of light we uncover within ourselves becomes light we can share with others.
I think many of us begin spiritual practices because we are suffering in some way. We want relief from stress, anxiety, grief, confusion, or a feeling that something is missing. We start because we want to feel better. But somewhere along the way, the focus begins to shift. As we heal ourselves, we naturally become more patient, compassionate, present, and loving. The work that started as personal growth becomes something bigger. It becomes a way of contributing to the collective healing of humanity.
My spiritual awakening has never been about me. For the longest time I thought it was, but now I know it is for every single person that I come in contact with: friends, family, acquaintances, even strangers on the internet. If that makes me delulu, so be it. I do it because not everyone is cut out to do this work. Not everyone is dedicated to waking up at 5 am to ensure the practices that support awakening happen, nor does everyone have the interest in said practices. Anyone could do what I do, but it’s not their passion like it is mine.
Because of these practices I feel more connected to Spirit, which makes me happier, gives me a better sense of coherence and purpose, and it’s easier to be present among so many other things.
When I look back to the time I was first drawn to yoga, I realize I started for the stretching but I stayed because of the connection I felt to my own divinity. The physical postures were never that interesting to me. Sure, it was fun to learn how to stand on my head, and it increased my awareness, too, but that’s not what kept me going back for more. It was the mystical encounters, the deep coherence I felt during savasana, and the realization that there was so much more to uncover and experience.
And now, I practice in order to stay in the right headspace, and the right frequency to help others. Every blog I write, every class I teach, and every conversation I have about Spirit is a chance to help someone. I like to think that I plant seeds and open up new ways of being in this human world. And for those interested, I hope I also inspire a personal spiritual journey.
I’ve said before that spiritual practices are no longer an option. The more of us who do the work, the better. We are forging a new way of being on this planet, a New Earth. We haven’t even begun to awaken yet. We are simply laying the foundation of what’s to come.
How can each of us do our part to lay the foundation? Through our own soul’s evolution. We have to face our shadows, dig through the heavily bound soil that holds past emotions, and bring shoved-down events to light. This can be done through the physical practice of yoga, but also through therapy, art, crying, or a myriad of other ways.
If you’ve been chosen to do the work, there’s nothing you can do to avoid it. Every time you shove it down, it returns stronger. Notice when you are masking and numbing. These are telltale signs of your ego trying to keep you safe from doing the difficult work of healing.
Appease the ego by entering the healing process slowly and with nervous system regulation. What that looks like is different for each person, but it rarely involves modern technology. The nervous system regulates when our activities make space for it to happen, whether it’s staring at a tree, or taking a long, quiet bath. And how do you know what you need? That comes through training your intuitive guidance. More on that next week.