One of the main categories on my blog is “spiritual growth”.
Obviously I think it is an important topic.
I have written numerous articles on the topic and in the podcast section I have meditations designed to help in that area.
I thought I would take this post and explore a number of websites that offer exercises to help with spiritual growth.
What Other Blogs are Saying
One approach to spiritual growth is through the age old tradition of Yoga. There are many styles of Yoga and each claim to be the way.
As with all paths there are many ways and the reason there are many different schools is because the world is filled with many different personalities. We chose a path based in large part on whether it fits our personality or not.
That being said, Yoga schools generally follow the broad outline of the Eight Fold Path.
The following website offers a good summary of the basic principals behind the Yogic exercises for spiritual growth.
Lifestyle: Exercises – “Sivananda” « YOGI LONDON
yogilondon.com11/9/11
Swami Vishnudevananda condensed the essence of the yoga teachings into five principles for physical and mental health as well as spiritual growth. These are the core teachings of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and …
In terms of a very simple breathing exercise the following article covers all the bases. The exercise is very easy to do and can form the basis of an advanced breathing routine. Besides the explanation in the article there is a nice question and answer section at the end.
The Importance Of Breathing Exercises
www.mazzastick.com8/22/11
Don't forget, breathing air is free and doesn't cost a dime. I even taught my son to use breathing exercises when he get's frazzled. Justin | Spiritual Growth recently posted..Some Spiritual Aspects Of Being Human My Profile …
Another exercise for spiritual growth is a retreat. Retreats can take on many forms and are based on spiritual practices whether religious or sectarian.
One form of retreat that is popular is a retreat into silence and meditation and prayer. The following article has a religious foundation but is a nice introduction to a retreat into silence.
Spiritual Exercises (1) | Schola Affectus
sjsa.wordpress.com10/19/11
“The Exercises are the fountain of your spirituality….. but they are also a gift that the Spirit of the Lord has made to the entire Church: it is for you to continue to make it a precious and efficacious instrument for spiritual growth …
The above sites are just a small sampling of what can be found. You do not have to join a cult or follow a guru or join a religious order to move along the path of spiritual growth.
The exercises are simple to do. But difficult to do consistently over time.
The goal of all of these exercises is to be able to look for “the kingdom of heaven within”. And then to be able to bring that knowledge back out into your life in the world.