Spirituality means different things to different people. It has a very broad spectrum.
Each of us has a spiritual side, some of us are more in tune with it and some of us do not give it much importance knowingly and sometimes unknowingly.
I honestly have never delved into it very deeply. While growing up, I did have my share of philosophical moments where I questioned myself on my purpose of life etc. But never lingered much on the questions, instead preferred to carry on with my daily routine. I have always been a believer of ‘Karma’ though, and have practised “what goes around comes around”.
My spiritual side got a big uplifting or rather awakening from lying dormant after I started attending the Shivani classes conducted by our Dhanuka Sir at Millennium Mams’.
Before joining the Shivani classes, I used to listen to episodes of Sister Shivani on my own , but I did not have any fixed routine for it, and didn’t follow it religiously.
But thanks to the classes I started listening to the teachings in a structured way and also discovered that discussing the points mentioned by Sister Shivani with everyone during the class made me understand and retain it much better. It was also extremely heartwarming to hear the members and our sir share their own experiences and how things were changing for the better for them once they had started applying the simple teachings of Sister Shivani in their lives.
Before I share how I have started taking baby steps on my path of spiritual strengthening, I would like to stress on the importance of firstly having full faith on who ever your spiritual Guru is. It goes a long way in making it easy for you to imbibe the teachings.
Secondly, any kind of learning can transform you only if it is implemented whether it’s a diet tip or a spiritual teaching, unless one actively practices it or at the least tries to bring it into one’s system, it is of no use. So once you are convinced about something do shake yourself out of any apprehensions and start actively practicing it!
The teachings are too vast to discuss in a small piece of blog, so I am just sharing a few teachings that really worked for me
Whenever I am sad/ upset about anything, I check my thoughts and explain to myself that whatever has happened is over, and then ask myself how long is the “moping program” going to last for? And how unhappy do I want to feel? As being upset just puts me in a downward spiral, where I end up being unpleasant to others and things become worse. Time-frame for wallowing in self-pity and pain can be years, months, days, hours or minutes, that is completely in our control! So when I check myself I automatically see the pointlessness of staying in the melancholic mood and snap out of it sooner instead of dwelling on the same pain for longer period of time! This awareness has honestly really helped me snap out of situations quicker and left less room to be shrouded in negativity.
Majority of us have this deep rooted belief system that we are in pain due to others behavior towards us. But the reality is just the opposite, now I’m trying to change my old belief system and becoming aware that a person can do any action/say something nasty to us etc, which we cannot control, but what in-fact is in our control, is how we react and respond to it. So instead of being hurt over what someone has said to me I choose to let it go by trying to see the person with compassion and try to see things from their perspective. Changing this deep rooted belief system is still a work in process for me…. But I’m hoping to have a better progress here as this belief system will truly be a game changer.
I have changed the way I deal with my son, thanks to sister Shivani’s teachings. I have become aware of the importance of using right words for him as words are so powerful, I mindfully try and make my words a blessing for him rather than saying negative things about him. For example, instead of saying negative things like “My child does not eat properly”, I have altered my saying to “my son eats in a healthy way.” These positive affirmations send the right energy to him and I have been noticing a positive shift in my relationship with my child which is adding more stability to our joyous relationship.
Sister Shivani explained beautifully that just like a mobile phone needs to be charged to function properly all day long, same way our minds needs to be charged through meditation to keep us stable throughout the day. My only form of meditation earlier came from my religious side, where I would chant “Om Nama Shivay” for few minutes and that was it, but now I mindfully try and spend some time doing some guided meditations in the morning and it really does rejuvenate me and gives my day a great beginning powered with a whole lot of positivity.
I can go on and on about all the different teachings of the Bramha Kumari’s and how it’s implementation has improved my life, but then it would become a book instead of a blog! For all those who cannot be a part of our classes, do try and watch the different series of sister Shivani available online, it surely will awaken your spiritual side and be a life-changer for you!
