The Ebb and Flow of our Spiritual Connection

Yoga, the Moon & Me: One yogi's musings on travel, spirituality, the moon and life!

The Ebb and Flow of our Spiritual Connection

Hi guys, I was thinking as I was preparing for this podcast that this topic could be a wee bit “risky”.

I’m sure you have all experienced going to a party and there is always that one person that wants to talk about politics or religion and get everyone all fired up? You know, those moments when you don’t know where to look and you want to say something but you don’t want to offend anyone? Well, I’m ripping off the bandaid today and I’m going to talk about it!! Well I’ll only talk religion for a minute, then we will move onto spirituality!

Here’s my back story with religion:

I was born and raised a Christian. Protestant to be specific. (Sidebar…I was 52 years old when I realized the word “protest” is part of the religion I belong to). ~ Feels like another podcast!! I went to a small rural Ontario United church. So I suppose from birth really I had access to the notion of God or a higher power. In my early years, I was taught what it meant to be religious. How to be a good Christian, the 10 Commandments and so on.

Back then, as a kid, I think I went through all the typical feels. Sunday School was pretty fun. Learning, praying, hanging with friends. But we always had to go to both..Sunday School first, then another hour of church so that felt pretty long and the sermons felt over my head, dry…boring. I always thought it was ironic that I had to sit up and pay attention while the old boy behind me fell asleep every single week. Can you imagine being that poor minister, looking out at your crowd/congregation and seeing everyone nodding off? That’s gotta be tough.

I feel like my relationship with religion has changed over the years. Why don’t we define a few things first because in my mind, religion and spirituality are two separate things.

RELIGION ~ the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods ~ a particular system of faith and worship

• Religion is organized. There are rules and hierarchies and this is something that you do as a group.

SPIRITUALITY ~ the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things:

• Spirituality involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which we are part is cosmic or divine in nature.

My take on this…religion is worshipping as a group and spirituality is more of an independent endeavour.

In my 52 years on this earth, my belief in God, Source, Creator, has never wavered. I have always tried to live a life of faith rather than be guided by fear. I will say that as I have matured though, I have shifted from needing/wanting to be in an organized religion to someone that would rather explore my spirituality… independently free from rules and rights and wrongs that come with religion. I could never buy into the thought that if I didn't go to church on Sunday or if I didn’t make 10 pies for the church supper that I was somehow a sub par Christian. I have to believe there will still be love for me even if I choose to sit with God on a Tuesday afternoon on my back deck.

When I started teaching yoga 12 years ago, I was shocked when I encountered people that told me my yoga teachings were going against God and Religion. That it was the work of the devil. Really? The rationale was that in clearing the mind of constant repetitive thought through meditation I was allowing room for the devil to creep in…Oh boy…that is an example of living in FEAR definitely not faith.

First of all Yoga isn’t a religion. It is a philosophy and a way of life. And I have always stood firm in the belief that when I pray, I talk to God and when I meditate I allow space for God to talk to me.

If anything, I think that my yoga practice has deepened my connection to source. By meditating regularly and setting aside my thoughts and worries…getting out of my head, I have been able to feel that deeper connection with the divine. Taking time to see Creator in everything is something that I try to practice as often as I can. Right now, Autumn in Canada, well that is just so easy to do as we are all trying to spend as much time outdoors in nature surrounded by the magnificent colours and to me, being present with God’s creations is “being in spirit” . It feels amazing.

There are times though that life gets crazy and busy and in these moments when we are so firmly planted in the mundane aspects of this earth existence, our connection to spirit can feel quite distant. I think the reality is, we are the ones that are distant and disconnected…it’s not like God has left us in a lurch because we haven’t made the right pies. Creator is always present, there supporting us…it is us that are just too busy to notice.

A few weeks ago, a client of mine sent me a note that she was struggling with her connection to God, Source, Creator. And I think that is normal at times. Sometimes we feel glorious, cup completely full, radiating with God’s light and love and other times, we feel distant and disconnected. My advice to her was just to trust in the ebb and flow process and be okay with where she was in that moment. Experience has taught me that the more I fight against something, the more it will persist. If I am able to sit in the present moment and become the observer of what is taking up my attention, what is distracting me, then I am better able to move out of this place with ease rather than resistance.

Spirituality for me is listening to my soul self rather than fumbling along being guided by my ego. For example, my ego might tell me to be jealous when my neighbour gets a new expensive car, but my soul self guides me to be happy for them to celebrate their wins with them as if they were mine too because after all we are all connected.

Spirituality for me is feeling connected to my ancestors, even the ones that are no longer on this earth plane with me. Feeling their love and support long after they have taken their last breath in their physical body.

Spirituality for me is living in grace. Assigning value to friendships, relationships, experiences rather than stuff that honestly becomes unimportant the moment we attain it.

Spirituality for me is learning to love and accept myself as God would love and accept me.

So when these feelings leave me, I know I am in the ebb and flow process. Living in faith, I am always sure that my connection to spirit will return. It’s just a matter of time.

Final thought, I don’t know about you but I have places that I can go when I am feeling disconnected. It’s just like plugging your cell phone in when the battery is getting low. For example; I have a favourite big old pine tree not far from my house…just a short walk into the bush that I go sit under, beside, on and this tree somehow acts as my conduit to God. Maybe it’s just the act of walking mindfully into the forest, of mindfully taking time out of my busy day. Maybe the tree is truly magical? All I know is that when my spiritual battery is low, this tree helps me to fill it back up.