When Spiritual Practices Become Another Distraction

A regular practice framework can be a lifesaver because it is the only way we can function or navigate as a better version of ourselves through life. However, if we continue to stay rigid in our beliefs and rituals we become stuck in another way. 
Many times I have witnessed the most committed, disciplined practitioners of meditation and yoga who are stuck in their life. Yes they feel better in their mind and body than they did, but they are unable to move forward with practical living and the positive manifestation of comfort and healthy relationships.

How often have you criticised yourself for wanting more because it is not spiritual to desire, or because you think that only what you deserve or that you have because it is your karma? The framework has then become another unquestioned belief, that does not set you free but stops you becoming your potential. Have you become indoctrinated into another limiting belief system.

The other aspect of a ridged practice is that it can mask our deep hurts and our addictive cycles. It numbs the pain and lulls us into a different kind of illusion. It is another hiding place from the things we really need to work on. Rather than listening to ourselves and feeling empowered to what is right for us we can become confined. 
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To truly grow and heal we also need to take stock of the negative aspects of ourselves; the things that trigger, irritate or cause us to act in a way that does not create positive outcomes. By noticing these aspects of ourselves and fearlessly facing them, by admitting our wrongs we can start to forgive. Only then can we accept and start to love ourselves.

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