Self-Coaching Tip: Use Elements of Your Spiritual Practice Throughout the Day

Chances are if you're reading this, you have a spiritual practice. It might be meditation or prayer or yoga or painting or walking. But, within that spiritual practice you'll find clues to help you learn how to coach your self.

You'll find these clues by deconstructing, or breaking down, your spiritual practice. The movement associated with your spiritual practice is a form of self-coaching. Every spiritual practice includes some kind of ritual movement: a repetitive movement that allows you to connect in with Source. This repetitive movement brings your body into a sense of well-being and deep relaxation that allows you to tap into the higher brain processes necessary for connecting to Source. In short, you're coaching your Self into the body-emotion-thought patterns needed for Spiritual Connection.

The movement might be whole-body movement like that found in yoga or T'ai Chi, or it might be a subtle movement like deep breathing. Whatever your ritual movement is, you automatically move into your body, which brings you into the present moment.

When I began looking at the amount of movement during my day, I discovered just how sedentary my life was. As a writer, I sit in front of a computer all day long. The longer I sit, the shallower my breathing becomes and the harder I have to work to even think, let alone stay in the present moment. Interruptions late in the day annoyed me and I reacted to them in not-so-loving ways.

At first, I thought I needed to add more exercise to my day, but that really didn't help me stay present and relaxed throughout the whole day. So, I looked at my spiritual practice more closely. The amount of movement I needed to stay present and connected to Source didn't require 30-minutes of aerobic activity. To move into that place of connectedness, all I needed to do was move my body and change my posture. This movement changed my breathing, relaxed my body and stilled my mind.

I began incorporating one-minute movement breaks into my day. Using a kitchen timer, I stopped whatever I was working on every hour. I moved my whole body for 1-2 minutes (for movement break suggestions, see "Take 1-2 minute Movement Breaks).

The results were amazing! At the end of the day, I felt more energized, more creative and more connected to Source. I slept better at night and throughout the day I stayed in a more loving place, quietly welcoming interruptions as just another opportunity for movement that kept me connected to my Spiritual Nature.