How To Stay Spiritual Without Religion

There are a wide-range of definitions when talking about spirituality. Overall, these definitions come down to the same thing, it is the connection we feel to something bigger than ourselves. Whether you feel this connection with a God, the Earth, or even your own spirit, you are spiritual. Here are 6 ways to help you connect with it and the positivity they can bring.

1. Healing Crystals

Crystals are most people’s first step into spirituality. While healing crystals aren’t tied down to any religion, they have been used in a few different religious ceremonies, rituals, and even medicine for many centuries. Each stone differs, but they all have one goal, to make the quality of your life, mindset and environment so much better. When you keep a healing crystal close it connects you to the earth.

How do they work? Each crystal communicates through vibrational energy. These vibrations are transformed the same way human vibrations are. Putting the two (human emotions and healing crystals) together, creates a connection; the Earth (the crystal) to our spirits (ourselves). And if you look up the history of the clear quartz, it’s almost impossible to argue its power.

Since all crystals serve a different purpose, it can be hard to choose which one is right for you. The next time you go to a spirit or crystal shop just look and feel for what you need. Most shops have descriptions of each crystal, so the more emotionally intelligent and spiritually connected you are, the easier it will be to pick what you need. Here are a few of my favorites and their healing properties.

Angel Quartz: purifying & balancing

Orange Calcite: helps creativity & sexuality

Amethyst: removes negative energy & certain physical pains

Blue Obsidian: helps communication & aids divination

2. Aromatherapy

Like crystals, aromatherapy is also a beginner’s first step into spirituality. Using smell instead of vibrations, the smoke/steam that comes from an incense or essential oil fill the body and soul with different healing properties.

From ancient times, different assortments of herbs and resins have been burned for many reasons, the connection between all of them being healing the spirit. Certain smells create a stimulation in our smell receptors, depending on what scent you’re using, a specific message is sent through our nervous system to the part of the brain that controls our emotions. These calming properties make it easier for us to feel spiritual and connected to the world. Something as simple as breathing in these smells and feeling better makes you feel more connected to yourself and the world that created such magical solutions.

Some versions of aromatherapy don’t even need to get burned, there are products like lotions, body wash and perfumes that are filled with essential oils. Here are some of my favorite aromatherapies.

Lavender Essential Oils: using an oil diffuser, the smell of lavender promotes sleep and works as an anxiety repellent.

Peppermint Incense Sticks: burning this stick helps with digestion and boosting your energy.

Bath and Body Work’s “Comfort”: comes in room spray, body wash, hand soap and lotion; with Vanilla and Patchouli scents, the feeling of relaxation and harmony take over.

Sage: a big one when it comes to spirituality; it’s another form of incense that has been burned during many rituals, especially those of the Native Americans; there are different types of Sage but they all work towards the same goal, banishing negativity.

3. Meditation/Yoga

Taking a different approach, physically moving your body in specific ways can cause different reactions. A majority of these reactions being relaxation, connection, and interconnectedness. Meditation/yoga can create deep relaxation, during this time meditators tend to feel a sense of connection to the world, this is due to just how calm and open we begin to feel.

The secret to a good spiritual meditation/yoga session starts with just sitting in lotus position. As you let your thoughts free and your body fall, you’ll begin to focus more. Going into a session with something specific in mind that you want to take out of it helps the experience so much more. This gives you something to work towards while making you more connected to spirituality in the process. This will become your mantra.

Most people use “Om” as their mantra, and chanting it three times before a yoga/meditation session is scientifically proven to have an effect on the brain. Saying Om, like crystals, creates vibrations. These vibrations go to the part of your brain that is meant to treat issues like depression. Doing this takes your connection one step further. Taking it another step, add some incense and crystals to your meditation room. These are my top favorite poses that help me become more spiritual.

Mountain Pose: becoming spiritual takes some work, this pose will get you just energized enough to do it.

Downward Dog: calms your brain and reduces tension in you shoulders and legs, making relaxation easier to find.

Childs Pose: also calms the brain and reduces cramps/any pain that might be distracting you.

My Experience In Therapy As A College Student

Savasana: soothes the nervous system while giving your entire body and mind a rest while still awake and connecting to your spirituality.

4. Guided Meditation

If focusing your mind yourself has proven difficult, this is an easy, extremely helpful substitution. Guided meditations aren’t just for beginners though many experienced spiritual people use these to go further into their connectedness.

There are many different guided meditation videos and audio recordings that serve different purposes, and if you meditate right, all of them work. As a reader guides you calmly through space and time and different locations you calmly begin to sleep the magic of your mind. Being told you’re walking through a field of lavender while being in a deep state of relaxation, will you bring you the effects of actually walking though that field.

The point of these types of meditation is to guide the listener to a heightened awareness and tranquility, offering healing and a sneak peak at the universe. Guided meditations can be found on YouTube.

5. Writing

Sometimes we feel things but with such busy days, it’s hard to remember. Starting a journal to track your spirituality is a great way to keep moving forward. Writing down daily thoughts about why you want more spirituality in your life, and how you plan on achieving that, puts you in the mindset to achieve that.

Spirituality is believing in the universe, so by putting things into the universe, you’ll be receiving them and becoming more spiritual in the process.

6. Changing Your Mindset

My final step into spirituality. Yeah, you can say you’re spiritual, or even trying to become that, but do you really believe it? Take a day to try all of these steps and see if it makes a change within you. These are the last few steps you need to take to assure you’re getting the most out of what you’re doing.

Know what you’re looking for: What do you need the most in your life, what would make you feel whole?

Actually allow yourself to relax: Meditating won’t work if you’re just using it as a workout or sleep aid. The point of it is to find your inner-self.

Believe it can happen: Trust your gut, trust the same thing that got you thinking about spirituality in the first place.

Discovering your spirituality is not easy, and it’s not something you can chase. Spirituality will become a part of your life when you are fully ready and fully accepting. What steps do you take to become more spiritual? Let us know in the comments!