Making Positive Changes
There are a few changes that I have made that are impacting my life in very positive ways. The two I think of immediately are adding meditation and yoga to my (nearly) daily routine. Now I want to add in a spiritual practice from Eckankar to my daily routine as well. It involves reading and doing a spiritual exercise.
Some of the obstacles that I will face in trying to make this change, becoming more spiritual, are in my own mind. My anxiety, depression, and OCD have all been getting in the way of me starting the simple daily reading and exercise. It is so simple, yet it is so hard to start. I could combine the daily reading with when I meditate. Meaning, I can meditate and while still sitting I can read after my meditation is over. Or, I could add it to my yoga practice. Do the yoga and then do the reading and exercise. They are short practices that can be added on at any point in the day, but it feels like I am more likely to do it if I add it into something I am already doing. This will help my brain from getting me out of doing it because it will just be an extension of an existing practice. I think, for that reason just mentioned, adding the reading and exercise to my meditation would make the best use of my time and headspace.
Instead of focusing on my reading of another book, I can change my 30-day tracker to have the Spiritual Reading and Exercise in place of my generic “read a book, damn it” so that I have a clearer goal with positive outcomes. Right now it feels like I am just trying to force myself to read. I think by reading something that has a goal and a focus, I will be more likely to do it each day as well. I could also ask my Ohio buddy to keep me in line and make sure I do it, but he needs another person to look after like he needs another hole in his head. Not only that, but I need to take responsibility and add this to my regular routine and use the 30-day tracker to see my success. The reward will be something like getting a new piece for the altar that I am building. Maybe a picture for it of the Eck Masters. That is affordable and a great motivation, in my mind.
I also need to remember this is a spiritual path, not religious dogma. If I view it as dogmatic or feel that I am being forced to do something I will avoid it like the plague. So, I am going to go do my spiritual reading for the day and the exercise. I will post my completed trackers as they hit 30 days, they hang on my fridge with my workout schedule that I paused to do a 30-day yoga challenge, and my safety plan because of my suicidal ideation. It’s an important part of the house and having it all there keeps me accountable.
