Beyond the Meditation Cushion: How to Live a Spiritual Life
What does it mean to live a spiritual life? For many, the path began with a feeling—maybe a quiet longing for something deeper, or a realization that life as we knew it wasn’t enough. Spirituality isn’t just a concept, but a profoundly experiential journey. It’s woven into the way we show up for ourselves, for others, and for life itself.
Our community is guided by four core values that bring spirituality into our daily lives:
🌿 Share Teachings That Awaken – We use structured programs to share esoteric teachings from different lineages, guiding individuals to become aware of their true nature. These can take the form of weekly meditation classes or monthly Sangha gatherings where senior members share their personal wisdom and insights, bringing a teaching to life in a meaningful and relatable way. In addition to formal teachings, insights can arise in some of the most ordinary and unexpected places, if we’re willing to listen. They can come from a flower, a moment in meditation, or even a difficult conversation that opens our awareness in a new way.
💛 Practice Elevating Conduct – Our actions shape the people and world around us. Sharing the values of harmlessness, compassion, and selflessness cultivates a space where everyone feels safe and inspired to grow. It’s OK to make mistakes—they’re signs of growth, learning, and stepping into something new. Within this community, space is held for missteps, fostering an environment of support and encouragement. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about making choices that reflect kindness and integrity.
🔥 Create Spiritual Growth Through Action – Spirituality goes beyond understanding interesting concepts—it’s about experiencing and living them. It might be easy to feel peaceful in meditation, but an important aspect of growth happens off the meditation cushion when you bring that peace into a challenging situation. Teachings are continuously tested and integrated through daily life, whether in careers, relationships, or community projects. Since meditation isn’t an all-day practice, mindfulness serves as a foundational practice. Combined with meditation, it transforms experiences like work into opportunities for empowerment. A difficult interaction with a coworker or boss, for example, can be met with a deep breath, a centered presence, and the recognition that this person may be struggling. Rather than reacting, it becomes possible to respond with compassion—whether by offering support or simply conserving energy to stay focused on what matters.
😊 Find Joy in Community – The spiritual path isn’t always easy, but we walk it together. Some days are filled with clarity and light; others, we stumble. But through it all, we have each other and the joy and strength of the community. From going on diving or desert adventures to caring for members who are feeling down, we foster camaraderie, humor, and exploration, creating a meaningful journey along the way.
Living these values isn’t about following rigid rules—it’s about opening up to the possibility of something greater. It’s about showing up with sincerity, embracing both the messiness and magic of being human, and revealing the light within yourself and others. This can look like practicing patience in traffic by taking a deep breath instead of reacting with frustration, turning an inconvenience into a moment of mindfulness, or coming together to set up a community event with care and presence. By transforming simple tasks into acts of service and connection, each moment is a chance to embody our values. Through these small, intentional actions, spirituality becomes integrated into daily life.
If this speaks to you, take a moment to reflect: what values light your path? How do they show up in your daily life? In the end, wisdom isn’t just something to know—it’s something to live.
