Women's circles
Spiritual well-being?has lately become a huge and impactful wellness trend. But what is it? And how do we get spiritually healthy?
Spiritual well-being relates to our sense of life meaning and purpose.
Spirituality?involves the recognition that there is something greater than ourselves, something more to our sensory experience, something that goes beyond our biological needs that drive selfishness and competitiveness. It means knowing that we are a significant part of a greater whole which is cosmic or divine in nature.
Spirituality is not to be confused with religion, even if the two can overlap for someone. While spirituality is “a sense of connection to the universe and to a higher power” religion can be defined as “an organized system of worship that gives a framework to the relationship we have with the universe and with a higher power.”
Spirituality involves exploring themes such as love, compassion, altruism, generosity, life after death, wisdom, trust, and truth.
Gabor Mate’ a Canadian physician and author, specializing in addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship between stress and illness, discusses trauma and spiritual awakening with A.H. Almaas. Author, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Diamond Approach, a spiritual path that integrates contemporary psychology with spirituality.?They agree; when trauma?is not treated, is on the?way to spiritual development.
The spiritual journey involves first healing. When we work on healing our trauma, small and/or big, we give ourselves the possibility to experience positive states. We are less constrained by ego defenses and able to develop secure self-esteem, belief in self-worth, and a capacity for love and compassion.
The development of spirituality generally requires practice and discipline in order to make ‘progress’.
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Traditional Yoga practices?such as postures, meditation, breathing exercises, chanting, connection with sacred texts, ceremonies, and rituals?are spiritual practices.
A beautiful way for women to do healing and spiritual work together is through women’s circles.
These are spaces for women to sit together in a circle, to practice, talk and listen. It is not therapy, other women don’t offer advice or pass judgment. It is simply a safe space to show up fully as themselves. A place to feel held, seen, heard, and witnessed.?A space where to take a break from the demands of the outside world, free of judgment, competition, expectation, pressure, or noise. A space to go inwards and reconnect. A non-judgmental space to share or not, anything that might be rising. A non-hierarchical place, where all the participants are teachers and students, learning from each other.
When women sit in circle, they connect to the universe so that they?reinstill faith and nourishment in their journeys and the power of the feminine?which is in ourselves but often forgotten.
When women sit together they don’t simply create space for their own healing, spiritual growth, and overall well-being.?They hold the space for the spiritual growth of their children, families, and?society. A healthy society where the feminine aspect of life (music, art, aesthetics, love, joy, creativity..) is as important as economics, science, technology, rationality, and achievements… Where the useful and beautiful are equally valued?and all women and men can harmoniously tap into these dualities.
Dr Lisa Miller,?a professor, researcher, and clinical psychologist, best known as a research scholar on spirituality in psychology, found that “when mother and child were both high in spirituality, the child was 80% protected against depression, compared with mothers and children who were not concordant for spirituality, or mothers and children who were not high in spirituality. In other words,?a child was 5x less likely to be depressed when spiritual life was shared with a mother“.?Her research shows that spirituality not only was a huge protective factor, but it was the biggest protective factor over the course of an entire lifetime.
When we practice spirituality we enhance our?mental health, immune function, and longevity. We take greater care of ourselves, our children, families, society, and the world at large.?