5 tips for spiritual wellness
Train your mind to be consistently present.
Training your mind to being consistently in the present moment and ‘letting go of all the shit’ can take some time, so Wanderlust yoga teacher and studio owner Rhyanna Van Leeuwarden shares her best insights to embracing your spiritual self this year.
1. Practise mindful breaths – Use the four parts of the breath to bring you into the present. Inhale and bring everything in, then at the top of the breath with full lungs, consciously accept that it’s there. Then, as you exhale, let it all go until your lungs are completely empty of air. Before your next inhale, take a second to enjoy that everything is okay and you’re still you, regardless of what’s happening. The breath is very powerful in helping us think about what we’re taking in and what we’ll let go of.
2. Be in nature – Being outdoors and in nature is one of the best ways to help you see the bigger picture. If you take time to stare at the vastness of the ocean or up at the sky, it’ll take you out of that small mindset and away from the shit that’s irrelevant.
3. Pay attention – Our only role in this world is to be awake. Consciously do things to bring yourself into the moment. If you’re with someone and not paying attention, stop and zone in on that person and be with them fully. Start to eliminate background noises and sights until it’s just you and them. If this is difficult, while you’re alone, practise removing other senses so you begin to focus on one thing. Close your eyes for a minute and focus on a single noise or cover your ears and look at a single object.
4. Practise yoga or exercise that allows your mind to be still – When I’m fully present with my body and how it’s feeling, and being aware of my breath, I can bring myself into a form of meditation. While yoga is perfect for that, it can be any movement where you can connect your consciousness with your body and breath. Incorporate that in some capacity every day.
5. Follow your dreams, but hold them lightly – Make goals from the fire in your belly, because you’ll find your purpose when you make a decision from your heart’s centre. You’ll be driven without any external pushing if you find something you truly believe in. All your goals will be hit this way, but maybe not exactly in the way you first envisioned because you’ll learn more about yourself and what the universe has in store for you along the way.
