Weather-Proof Spirituality

This past weekend felt life autumn in Connecticut with cool mornings and warm, sunny days in the 70's. Even though astronomical fall arrives on Wednesday, fall weather often comes earlier here.

Taking advantage of this excellent weather, I did two hikes over the weekend. Hiking in fair weather is a soul-nourishing experience. You don't have to continually wipe sweat out of your eyes or brush away mosquitoes like you do in summer. Neither do you have to negotiate icy trails and cold temps like you do in winter. And you don't have to slog through mud as you often do in spring.

I wonder: Is good weather a precondition for finding one's spiritual connection? I hope not. I want a weather-proof spirituality. I want a spirituality that isn't dependent on the changing conditions of each day. I want to be able to discover a spiritual connection in stormy times as well as calm times.

Adversity is the true test of the strength of our spiritual connection to God. It's easy to stay connected in times of ease and success. What challenges this connection are the difficult and trying times. "These are the times that try men's souls," wrote Thomas Paine during the revolutionary war. When our souls are put to the test, how will we respond?

So, I'm going to do what feeds my soul (hiking) in all weather conditions (except dangerous conditions). For, there is beauty in every season of life, even in times of adversity.

The Gift of Exercise

Have you ever thought of exercise as a gift? Many of us, me included, view exercise as a daily chore to perform. It's a means to the end of controlling weight and becoming more healthy. It falls into the category of "shoulds" rather than "wants."

However, if we see exercise as drudgery, how many of us will do it regularly? In today's New York Times there is an article by Jane Brody titled, "To Keep Moving, Look Beyond the Physical." In this article she explores the non-physcial benefits of exercise.

Dr. Michelle Segar, a motivational psychologist, is quoted saying, "We've made exercise feel like a chore to most people, not like a gift we give ourselves." She advocates looking at the rewards of exercise: feeling better psychologically and spiritually.

When you exercise with others, there is a feeling of camaraderie and social fellowship. As I've said before, when I row with others, I work harder and show up more consistently. When we exercise daily, we reduce stress and sleep better. Also, studies have shown that exercise can help reduce anxiety and depression

There are spiritual benefits to exercise as well. For example, when we walk mindfully, walking becomes a form of meditation. I know many persons who have found a deep spiritual connection in activities the rest of us consider exercise: skiing, running, rowing and playing sports.

The greatest benefits of exercise come when we can enjoy it as a form of play. When exercise becomes play, it is fun and joyful. As play, exercise can nourish body, mind and spirit.

Spirituality For Active Souls

I've been working on developing a spirituality for those who find their spiritual connection through motion and movement. Because the field of spirituality is overwhelmingly tilted toward practices that involve being still and outwardly inactive, active souls can easily feel left out or, worse, marginalized. The inability to sit passively while meditating, contemplating or praying, can lead to the feeling that we are outsiders to the spiritual life. Most spirituality books focus on being rather than doing. Therefore, they are biased toward passivity and stillness.

But who’s to say that our inner life can’t be nurtured and fed by active spiritual practices? The great religious traditions of the world include spiritual disciplines that involve movement.

All of the major world’s religions not only acknowledge but affirm active souls. In Hinduism, the spiritual path of Raja yoga involves physical movement. Some of these yoga positions are so physically demanding that they are viewed by many as exercise. Certain Buddhist spiritual practices involve chanting and beating drums while walking. There are the Whirling Dervishes of Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam, who connect with Allah through a ritual circular dance. In Taoism, Tai Chi Chung is a practice of intense, yet controlled, movement that enables one to align one’s individual Tao with the Universal Tao.

In the Hebrew scriptures of Judaism, the motif of the journey is paramount. There is the journey of Abraham and Sarah from Mesopotamia to Canaan, the collective journey of the Hebrews during the Exodus, and the journey to and from Babylon during the Exile. These journeys were in response to a Divine call and were, at their core, deeply spiritual. Israel’s greatest King, David, is portrayed as dancing in joy before the Lord.

My own religious tradition, Christianity, was founded by two active souls. Jesus was constantly on the move teaching, preaching and healing. At one point he said, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head.” Yes, Jesus withdrew to be alone, but even the act of withdrawal involves movement.

The Poster Boy for active spirituality is the apostle Paul. He was in constant motion as he spread the gospel throughout the Mediterranean world. On his four missionary journeys, he covered around 10,000 miles. He never stayed anywhere for very long, except when he was imprisoned. Paul was a man on a mission. Even when he remained in a town for a while, he was in perpetual motion as he preached and taught in synagogues and in the street. When he wasn’t engaged in preaching and teaching, he was earning a living by leatherworking.

Why couldn’t Paul sit still? I believe that it was his nature to be in perpetual motion. He harnessed his active nature in the service of a religious mission. It is obvious to me that his soul was fed by fulfilling this mission with energy, enthusiasm and even exuberance. Because of Paul, Christianity spread beyond its Jewish roots into the wider world. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Since I find my deepest spiritual connection through active practices, I recommend you try some, even if you enjoy more "passive" practices like prayer, meditation and contemplation. The key is discovering what feeds your soul?

Filling Your Tank

Lately, filling our gas tanks has become increasingly painful. Last summer, gas prices went above the $4/gallon level and prices are heading up again.

Yet, driving is unavoidable. Most of us need to drive to get to work or to shop for food. We might be able to cut down on our driving somewhat, but we still have to use gas if we’re going to drive anywhere.

Like our cars, we don’t have much choice when it comes to draining our human tanks. Do you know what saps your energy? My list includes: paying bills, doing chores, dealing with conflict, getting contractors to show up at home to do their jobs, and worrying about those I love.

Spiritually, we need to fill our tanks lest we run out of zest and energy. If our tanks keep getting drained without being refilled, we’ll run out of gas. When that happens, we find ourselves exhausted, discouraged or even depressed. We might experience burn-out or, worse, an emotional breakdown.

Each of us needs to discover what fills our tanks. At a recent seminar, I had to make a list of those things that fulfill me spiritually. My list included: hiking in beautiful scenery, rowing, leisurely dinners with my wife, traveling to new places, and having a daily time of meditation/reflection.

After I made my list I realized that, except for rowing, I didn’t intentionally schedule the things that recharge me. So I’ve resolved to schedule the things that fill my tank by writing them on my calendar. That way, they don’t become “things I do only after everything else gets done.”

To determine what fills your tank, ask yourself these questions when you feel energized: (1) Who am I with? (2) What am I doing? (3) Where am I doing it?

These questions challenge you to pay attention to your life and listen to your deepest self. Doing this helps us discover what is life-giving and soul-feeding.

What Is "Active Spirituality"?

While there is no religious or spiritual tradition called “active spirituality,” it’s not difficult to grasp what this term means. The word “active” is the key. Active spirituality means finding your spiritual connection through motion or movement.

One way to understand this term is to look at its opposite. “Passive spirituality” involves spiritual practices that involve little or no movement. Such practices as prayer, meditation and contemplation are usually done while sitting still. The idea here is that outer stillness leads to inner peace. “Passive spirituality” is a good description of the vast majority of traditional spiritual practices.

For many of us, we need to be in motion to find our spiritual connection and to feed our souls. Active souls are persons for whom traditional spiritual disciplines like contemplation, meditation and prayer need to happen while in motion. These are persons who find it difficult, if not impossible, to sit still for minutes (let alone for hours) to pray. They connect with the Holy and Sacred dimension of life while walking, running, hiking, biking, dancing, driving, skiing, sailing, fly fishing cooking, gardening or rowing. Motion and movement nourishes their souls. I know this type of person well because I am one of them.

Because the field of spirituality is overwhelmingly tilted toward practices that involve being still and outwardly inactive, active souls can easily feel left out or, worse, marginalized. The inability to sit passively while meditating, contemplating or praying, can lead to the feeling that we are outsiders to the spiritual life.

This blog will focus on active spiritual practices that are already part of our daily lives. Stay tuned...