Spiritual Practices List

Learn profound spiritual practices that will enable you to still the mind and draw closer to the divine. The list of spiritual practices is followed by a description of each practice.

List of Spiritual Practices



SpaceTransitioningBeing the ObserverFocusing on the Energetic BodyImmersing Yourself in NatureMeditationTraining the MindFocusing on the BreathStanding and Walking MeditationConsciously Experiencing UnityIntegrating Meditation into Your PathChoosing a Meditation Technique and TeacherMantrasOm MantraThis MomentBeing What You Already AreSelf-EnquirySurrenderPrayerAligning with Daily Energetic ShiftsVisiting Holy PlacesSelfless Service



DESCRIPTION OF EACH SPIRITUAL PRACTICE



Space

Space is a way of describing the universal consciousness
that sustains creation. It is everywhere. Yet while under the ego’s influence,
people are unaware of it.

In the external world, they focus on objects and not the
space in which the objects exist. Internally, their attention is consumed by
thoughts. They are oblivious to the space (or consciousness) that enables them
to perceive reality.

Space can act as an opening into the formless. Focus on the
space you perceive in the external world or that you feel within. Your thoughts
will gradually subside as you become immersed in an all-pervading stillness.

Transitioning



Dalai Lama teaches the importance being conscious while transitioning between various life experiences

Your internal and external reality is constantly changing.
There are always new forms, whether they are thoughts or external objects, to
capture your attention.

Between different experiences there is a brief interval between
one thing ending and a new one beginning. When one thought ends, there is a
moment before the next thought begins. When you stop looking at one object,
there is a pause before your attention rests on another object. When you
complete a task, there is a break before you start something else.

Within the intervals, your attention is no longer captivated
by the world of form. But the intervals are so fleeting that they are usually
overlooked. By intentionally focusing on them, you can connect with Source.

After you learn how to connect, discipline yourself to
maintain that state throughout the day, regardless of what is happening in your
internal and external reality. Do not allow the ego to lose itself in one thing
after another. Instead, transition from one moment to the next while staying in
touch with the deeper truth.

Know the pure state, your own real nature, by keenly observing the interval between two thoughts.
— Muruganar

Being the Observer

God is simultaneously each of the life forms within creation,
immersed in their own reality, and the infinite awareness that observes and
guides creation. Be the observer. Withdraw your attention from your life
experiences so that you can align with your own infinite nature.

Take a mental and energetic step back from what is
happening within and around you. Notice thoughts arising in your mind without
allowing them to grab your attention. Watch and listen to the external world
without mentally describing what you perceive. Be there as the witness of your
life instead of being caught up in what is happening in your life.

Focusing on the Energetic Body

The energetic body gives life to the physical body. Focusing
on it moves your attention inward and gradually stills your mind, so you can perceive
the formless unity.

Start by sitting quietly. Place your attention on different
parts of your body. What you feel when you are not moving is the energy that
sustains your physical form. Then expand your awareness to include the entire
energetic body. Hold your attention there and eventually the formless level of
reality will reveal itself.

There are meditation practices that move energy through
different parts of the energetic body, such as the chakras and meridians. These
practices can lead to unexpected shifts in your energetic form that adversely
affect you, both physically and psychologically. Learn meditation and energy movement
practices from an enlightened

teacher, so you don’t become unnecessarily delayed in your spiritual
development.

Immersing Yourself in Nature

Nature exists in harmony with the divine. Trees, plants,
and animals don’t have fully-developed egos to impede their connection with Source.

Through nature, many seekers are able to perceive the
deeper reality for the first time. Take a walk in the woods, in a field, or by
the ocean. Allow yourself to be enveloped by your surroundings, and you will
discover the formless that is hiding just below the surface of every form.

Civilization is a physical expression of the ego. Try to go
somewhere each day that is free of human influence and the countless distractions
of modern technology. Go to a place where the simplicity of nature frees you from
the thinking mind.

Meditation



Lahiri Mahasaya taught the meditation practice of kriya yoga

Meditation is a popular practice for gradually
stilling the mind and connecting with Source. Seekers have varying degrees of
success with meditation, depending on the technique they use and their current
level of spiritual development.

There are many different meditation techniques taught by Hindus and Buddhists. For instance, you might want to try kriya yoga or self-enquiry, which I have discussed in other articles. In this section, I’ll describe what the various meditation practices have in common and how you can incorporate meditation into your spiritual path.

Training the Mind

For the beginning seeker, meditation is a tool for training
the undisciplined mind. When done correctly, meditation combines a heightened
state of awareness and tremendous relaxation. The mind remains balanced, less
inclined to be disturbed by arising thoughts.

Most meditation practices are based on concentration. By focusing
on a single thing, your mind is less inclined to jump from one thought to the
next and gradually quiets down. Then you can perceive the deeper truth.

Many seekers keep their eyes closed during meditation and
place their attention on an internal form. For instance, you may turn your gaze
to the sixth chakra, located just above the eyebrows, or silently repeat a mantra.

You may find it easier to keep your eyes open and concentrate
on an external object, such as a flower or the image of a saint. Focusing the eyes
gently, instead of staring intently, reduces the energy you project out into
the world and helps draw your attention inward.

Focusing on the Breath

Most of us are unaware of the air that is constantly
entering and exiting our bodies. By becoming conscious of your breath, you can
train your mind and come into alignment with the formless reality.

While meditating, feel the air entering your body on the
inhale breath and exiting your body on the exhale breath. When a thought arises
in the mind, return your attention to the breath, and allow the thought to fade
away.

The gap between breaths is an opening into Source.

Focus on the short cessation in breathing that occurs

between the end of the inhale and the beginning of the exhale, as well as between
the end of the exhale and the beginning of the inhale. As you do, you will be
drawn into the stillness.

Standing
and Walking Meditation

Meditation is most commonly practiced in a seated position.
Many seekers learn how to sit quietly in med­itation and connect with Source.
Then they regress into uncon­scious behavior while carrying out the duties of
daily life.

Through a standing or walking meditation practice, you
learn how to remain focused on the formless while also participating in the world
of form. You learn how to integrate your internal and external life and remain
conscious throughout the day.

At first, you may find it challenging to stay in touch with
the deeper reality while your attention is also on the external world. Try to
be the observer, and perceive external objects without describing them
internally. If you find your mind wandering from thought to thought, focus on
one thing in order to still your thoughts. For instance, you can repeat a mantra
or focus on an aspect of nature.

While walking and meditating, live in the moment. The ego
always feels the need to go somewhere in order to do something else that is
considered more important than what is happening now. Be aware of everything
that is occurring within and around you as you take each step in the present,
instead of focusing on where you are going in the future.

Consciously Experiencing Unity

Both dreamless sleep and deep meditation enable you to
access the state of unity. During sleep, your life force ceases its normal outward
projection caused by the senses and retreats into the seven energy centers (or
chakras) along the spinal column. In the dreamless sleep state, all thoughts cease,
and your individual identity disappears into the

infinite. This periodic return to the Source of life is needed in order to
sustain the human form, which is why you feel so much better when you awaken.

The whole point of the spiritual journey is for you, a soul
under the delusion of separateness, to consciously recognize your own infinite nature.
While meditating, you are aware of your life force being drawn inward. You feel
yourself being immersed in the deeper reality, like a rock slowly descending to
the bottom of the ocean. When all sense of separateness falls away, you are
conscious of your oneness with Source.

Integrating Meditation into Your Path

Numerous enlightened teachers, such as Paramahansa
Yogananda and the Dalai Lama, consider seated meditation essential to attaining
liberation. Well-known enlightened teachings, such as the Bhagavad Gita and the
Yoga Sutras, emphasize the importance of meditation for a sincere seeker of
God. As a result, many people begin their spiritual journey by meditating.

Yet meditation is not necessarily a simple practice. Some
people are well suited for it and take to it easily. Others begin meditating
before they are ready and get poor

results. If you try meditating and struggle with it, perhaps you should focus
on other practices, at least for now. For instance, by taking a walk in nature
or being in the presence of a saint, you can learn how to perceive the deeper
reality. Then when you return to meditation, you may discover that you are able
to connect deeply with Source.

Choosing a Meditation Technique and Teacher

Not all meditation teachers and techniques are equal. Without
proper training, you may remain stuck at your current level of spiritual
development, regardless of how much meditating you do. Some people meditate for
years without learning how to escape the ego’s influence and align with the formless.

Learn meditation from an enlightened teacher. His grace and
insights will help you overcome obstacles in your meditation practice and
progress quickly along the path.

There are different approaches to meditation taught by
different saints. Allow your intuition to guide you in choosing a practice and
teacher that feels right for you. For instance, you may try kriya yoga (taught
by Paramahansa

Yogananda) or self-enquiry (taught by Ramana Maharshi) and feel drawn to one
approach over the other.

Mantras

Just like everything else in the physical world, the words
and sounds that you perceive are created from energy. Some words are formed by
energy vibrating at the highest, subtlest levels. By repeating them, your
energetic body gradually attunes to their vibration, and you come into
alignment with the deeper reality.

In the beginning, you may find it useful to repeat a mantra
out loud. With practice, repeating it internally provides the same spiritual
benefit. Eventually, you can learn how to attune to the energy of the mantra and
allow it to resonate within your system, without the words appearing in your
mind.

A mantra can be used anytime. Synchronizing it with the
breath during seated meditation helps to still your mind and draw your
attention inward. Repeating a mantra throughout the day enables you to stay in
touch with your deeper nature.

Om Mantra

Om is the original vibration that gives rise to everything
in creation. By repeating Om, your system attunes to the universal consciousness
underlying the perceived reality.

Meditating on Om is a simple and powerful practice
for any seeker, at any spiritual level. The beginning seeker can learn how to
train the mind. The advanced seeker can enter the state of unity.

This Moment



Eckhart Tolle’s main teaching is the Zen practice of focusing on the present moment

All of creation exists only in this moment. Everything
that happens always takes place right now.

Past and future have no independent reality; they
only exist as thoughts in the mind. The false self separates this one moment
into countless moments and creates the illusion of time. When some event occurred
in the past, it did so in the present. Whatever ends up happening in the future
will occur in the present. When you reflect on the past or consider a possible
future, you do so in the present.

The false self sustains itself by thinking about
something other than what is happening right here, right now. A time in the
past or future is perceived as more important than this moment.

The false self is often trying to get to some
future point when its desires will be satisfied and things will be better than
they are now. Yet the future never arrives. To focus on some imagined future
and turn your attention away from



this moment is to be lost in the thinking mind. You ignore your entire life,
which takes place now.

While immersed in thought, you are trapped on the surface
of life. Focusing on this moment stills your mind and reveals the deeper truth.

To align with your true nature, within this moment, start
by paying attention to what is happening within and around you. You may be
walking from one place in your home to another, or taking a drink of water, or
simply sitting in a chair. Let the experience be what it is without interpreting
what is happening through your mind. Feel what is happening without using
thoughts to comment on what is happening.

As you become immersed in this moment, thoughts arise less
frequently. You enter a heightened sense of awareness in which you engage the
world directly, without any interference from the thinking mind.

The false self will constantly try to recapture your attention
with a thought and pull you out of this moment. When you notice yourself lost
in thought, return your attention to what is taking place now that is beyond mental
description.

Experience takes place only in the present, and beyond experience nothing exists.
— Ramana Maharshi

Being What You Already Are

Right now, in this moment, your true nature is one with the
divine. From this deeper perspective, there is nothing for you to learn or do
in order to be what you already are. Only from the perspective of the false self
do you travel a spiritual journey from separateness to unity that spans a
length of time.

Let go of all the ideas you have unconsciously accepted
about yourself. They help to sustain the false self and the illusion of
separateness. You are not the mind or the body. Your life story is nothing but
thoughts in your mind. Your true nature exists independently of any ideas you
have about yourself.

Some saints emphasize the importance of not doing
anything in order to align with your deeper nature—just be. According to them,
enlightenment is not something you need to attain. You are that which you are
looking for.

The state of being is where all spiritual practices lead.
Yet it can be difficult to achieve. The false self does not willingly relinquish
its control over you. Many seekers find it easier to “just be” while immersed
in the divine light, which happens when in the presence of a saint or reading
an enlightened teaching.

Self-Enquiry



Ramana Maharshi taught the meditation practice of self-enquiry

Few seekers are able to align with the deeper reality without
doing anything. They need some kind of spiritual practice in order to escape
the confines of the ego-controlled mind. For these seekers, Ramana Maharshi
taught self-enquiry.

The ego is sustained by thoughts. And all thoughts orig­inate
from the assumption that there is an “I” that experiences something. For
instance: “I am walking,” “I see a tree outside my window,” or “I live in this
house.” The “I” is the subject that always focuses on some object.

Self-enquiry is centered on the question “Who am I?” The
answer is not meant to be conceptual. Rather, the question is intended to move
your attention onto the source of the “I,” which can be felt within as your
inner awareness. Ask the question, “Who am I?” and allow the answer to appear
as a feeling deep within you. By remaining focused on this inner feeling, the
thoughts of “I” experiencing something gradually disappear. Then you can align
with the formless unity.

You can practice self-enquiry throughout the day. When a
thought arises in your mind, you might ask the question, “From whom does this
thought arise?” The answer would be, “From me.” Then ask, “Who am I?” And your
attention will be drawn away from thought and onto the feeling of “I” within.

After learning how to intuitively feel your inner awareness,
you don’t need to start with the question “Who am I?” Instead, simply focus on
the feeling of “I” within, which will gradually still your mind and enable you
to come into alignment. When the ego reasserts itself and you become lost in
thought, just return your attention to the feeling of “I.”

Self-enquiry is different from practices that
focus on some object as a way of stilling the mind. Instead, you hold your
attention on the subject, the “I” that perceives. Ramana Maharshi viewed
self-enquiry as superior to other practices, such as meditation or repeating a
mantra. They keep the “I” active and eventually lead a person to the same place
as self-enquiry, which he viewed as a more direct path.

In the beginning stages of self-enquiry, it can be challenging
to feel your inner sense of “I.” As with all practices, the grace of an
enlightened teacher will help you. Immerse yourself in the teachings of Ramana Maharshi,
and you will discover your inner awareness.

Then hold your attention on the “I” at every opportu­nity.
Your past conditioning will dissolve. And eventually the “I” will disappear into
the formless.

Surrender

Surrender is the practice of offering up all that you are
and all that you experience to the divine. It is one of the most effective means
of dissolving the illusion of separateness.

Surrender is part of the bhakti spiritual path, which also
includes devotion and love. Through devotion, you constantly turn your
attention to the divine, either in its formless state or in the form of a saint.
Through love, you open your heart to God. People of all different religions are


bhakti yogis.

To cross the vast gulf between separateness and unity, a person
must let go of everything. Nothing can be held back for the ego to cling to and
claim for its own. Identify the aspects of yourself that you are hoping to
preserve through the spiritual journey, and allow them to be burned away by the
divine light.

Complete surrender eventually brings liberation and an end
to the false self, which can be frightening. Each of us has identified with the
false self for countless lifetimes. We are subconsciously convinced that its
death will bring an end to our existence. The fear is so intense that surrender
usually happens in increments, as our past conditioning gradually dissolves.

When you reach an advanced stage of the path, there is a
growing longing to merge with the divine. You recognize that the end of the
false self enables you to be who you truly are.

God will wait patiently until you decide to surrender everything.
And once you do, you can be free.

Prayer



The world savior Jesus Christ

Through prayer you attract grace into your life. Some
people pray directly to the divine, although many find it easier to pray to an
enlightened master who is associated with their religion. For instance, a Christian
may pray to Jesus, Mother Mary, or one of the Christian saints.

Your prayers to an enlightened master are most effective
when you have created a strong internal connection with them. However, many
people don’t put forth the effort to form such a connection. They only pray
when they need help or want something.

Prayer is not always answered in the way that you want. An
unpleasant situation in your life is usually the result of karma created in the
past. The karma may have ripened to the point that the situation cannot be avoided.
Grace can then enable you to deal with it in the best possible way.

Sometimes prayers go unanswered for your own benefit. What you
initially view as a bad thing may, in the long term, lead to a positive
outcome. For instance, a temporary setback enables something greater to
manifest in your personal life, or it weakens the ego and turns your attention
to the divine.

Take advantage of God’s mercy and love. Pray for happiness and to be relieved of personal difficulties. Most important, pray that you will be guided on the path and quickly attain liberation.

Aligning with Daily Energetic Shifts

There is a rhythm to nature. During certain times
of the day, the infinite is easier to access using any spiritual practice.

Between midnight and sunrise, the stillness of
nature comes to the forefront, which draws your life force inward. Many seekers
prefer to meditate in the early morning when their energetic system is in
balance and the mind is less active.

In the hour before and after sunset, the formless reveals
itself. Take advantage of the opportunity and align with it.

Visiting Holy Places



Arunachala mountain in Tiruvannamalai, India is a manifestation of Shiva, the universal consciousness

A holy place is a location on Earth that is saturated with
the light of Source. The energy of the place vibrates at the highest, subtlest
levels. While there, you can more easily access the higher planes of reality.

Some places have been considered holy for millennia, as if
they were part of the design of creation. For instance, Arunachala Mountain in
Tiruvannamalai, India, is consid­ered to be a manifestation of Shiva.

Other locations have become holy through the grace of an
enlightened master. For instance, the awakened presence of Paramahansa Yogananda
can still be felt at his former residence in Encinitas, California. And at
Meher Baba’s burial site in Meherabad, India, you are immersed in his grace and
love.

Selfless Service

Selfless service is the spiritual practice of helping
people. As an expression of love, you think of others ahead of your own needs
and wants.

Helping people is spiritually beneficial when you are able
to remain detached from the consequences of your good deeds. You serve others
without any desire to be recognized as a “good” person. Ideally, you don’t even
identify yourself as the doer of good deeds. As long as you perceive a difference
between yourself and those who are being helped, you are still identifying with
the ego. Focus on what is shared between you and others, the infinite awareness
that exists within all things.

This article is excerpted from the book Into the Formless by Brian D. Stephens.

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