Lamar Greene is a passionate full-spectrum doula, spiritual life coach, and budding community herbalist with a meaningful background in reproductive health advocacy both in the U.S. and globally. They are the founder of Doula Alchemist Healing, a Black and Queer-owned healing practice centered around reproductive justice and spirituality.
Do you ever feel disconnected from yourself? Do you long to create more meaning in your life? If so, you are not alone. The truth is that many of us are living life on autopilot. We work jobs, chase life milestones, and show up as versions of ourselves based on societal expectations or what others believe we should be.
Underneath all that programming lies the most authentic and highest version of yourself, your spirit. In this article, you will find six practical tips to create a spiritual wellness routine that strengthens your connection to your spirit and helps you become the best version of yourself.
Spirituality vs. religion
At its core, spirituality is an individualized journey of finding meaning in life and connecting to a force greater than oneself. Some people may call this greater force God, the Universe, Source, Creator, or something else of their choosing. In this sense, spirituality offers flexibility, freedom, and personal choice.
This contrasts with religion, which is a structured practice with set principles. Religion is a truth-seeking path often rooted in teachings and institutions, with followers coming together for services. Still, there is some overlap between spirituality and religion. Some people even incorporate religious practices into their personalized spiritual path.
What is spiritual wellness?
To understand spiritual wellness, it is important to combine this understanding of spirituality as meaning-making with the definition of wellness. According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness is "the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health."
In this holistic view of health, the Global Wellness Institute also notes that wellness is multidimensional, consisting of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental aspects. Therefore, spiritual wellness involves the activities and choices that help us create meaning from our life experiences and connect to source energy.
Spiritual wellness is a crucial part of achieving holistic health because, while each dimension of wellness is distinct, they are all deeply interconnected.
Spiritual wellness as a practice
Spiritual wellness is a practice that must be ingrained into your lifestyle for it to be effective in sustainably achieving results. Just as you would work out at a gym to gain muscle mass or do puzzles to train your mind, you must also find activities and tools tailored to you that strengthen your spiritual muscles.
Spiritual self-care is an important and necessary practice because we live in a society that has long taught us that diet and exercise are the primary focuses for achieving optimal health. With this limited biomedical framework, it has been easy for our spiritual needs to go unaddressed.
Luckily, there has been a resurgence of interest in spirituality and holistic wellness, and recent research has shown that spirituality is linked to better health outcomes. So, whether you are creating or revamping a spiritual wellness routine, these six tips should help you.
Related: 3 Tips to Make Healthy Habits Stick
6 tips for creating a spiritual wellness routine
1. Set your intention(s)
When it comes to spirituality, remember that we do nothing without intention. Setting your intention or intentions is the starting point. Sit with yourself, take the time to reflect, and determine your goals for your spiritual wellness journey.
Whether you want to show up more authentically in relationships, find work and hobbies that feed your soul, or simply experience more peace and alignment in your life, it is crucial to know your "why." Knowing and understanding your "why" will give you the motivation to keep going on your spiritual path, even on days when life circumstances feel incredibly daunting.
Once you identify your intention, make sure to write it down and post it around your space so you are constantly reminded of it. This will also help tremendously with self-accountability in staying persistent in creating the life you want and deserve.
2. Start simple
Your spiritual wellness routine should not be a chore or another item to check off your to-do list. Instead, it should be an enjoyable space you create for yourself to feel elevated. To avoid feeling overwhelmed and to establish a routine that is both flexible and long-lasting, start simple.
Give yourself permission to take your time. When getting started, the foundation of your spiritual wellness routine can be an activity you engage in upon waking up and right before bed. This can be as simple as a morning meditation and a nightly prayer. Over time, you will identify other spiritual wellness tools to add to your routine if you haven’t already.
Starting simply allows you to build a solid foundation from which you can develop healthier habits and discover more about yourself.
3. Consistency is key
As with any other health and wellness regimen, consistency is key to achieving the spiritual wellness results you want. This is another reason why starting simple is recommended, it makes it easier to stay consistent.
Another helpful strategy for maintaining consistency is engaging in your practice at or around the same time every day. Research shows that performing an action at the same time and place daily over a period of time is essential in forming a new habit.
Additionally, setting alarms and calendar reminders can assist with self-accountability and help keep you consistent. Treating your spiritual self-care with the same importance as any other part of your day by scheduling it in your calendar reinforces that you are prioritizing yourself and your practice.
4. Make spiritual self-care a priority
Some of the biggest excuses for neglecting self-care and prioritizing our needs are a lack of time or money. Many of us lead extremely busy lives, juggling work, household responsibilities, finances, families, social lives, and more. However, taking care of yourself should also be a priority because neglecting it will eventually lead to burnout and breakdowns. Seeing beyond these limitations is possible. You do not need to meditate for an hour every day or spend thousands of dollars on classes and services you may not be able to afford to practice spiritual wellness. While you are welcome to do those things, ultimately, you should do what works for you.
Take time during your lunch break or set aside two to five minutes during your workday to meditate, chant, or breathe deeply. The act of sitting still and meditating is not for everyone. You can also incorporate meditation into activities or tasks you already engage in. Preparing dinner can be a calming experience when done in an environment with aromatherapy from a diffuser and chakra music playing from your smartphone. Your morning walk can become even more intentional by paying attention to your senses, acknowledging your surroundings, and being present in the moment. It may require creativity and planning, but remember, your spiritual wellness must be prioritized.
5. Allow for flexibility
The only constant in life is change. Knowing this, assume that your intentions and desired manifestations will evolve over the weeks, months, and years. This is perfectly fine and expected.
Your spiritual wellness routine is not something set in stone. You have a foundation for it, but ultimately, it should be a flexible practice that adapts to your changing needs as you evolve on your spiritual journey. It is important to leave room for reflection, both in your spiritual wellness routine and in your life generally, so that you can recognize when changes are needed and have time to adapt.
Remember to give yourself the freedom to explore, be creative, and have fun with your approach to spiritual self-care.
6. Be gentle with yourself
There is no way for any of us to predict everything that will happen on any given day. Life events may disrupt your spiritual wellness routine from time to time, and that is okay. Additionally, not everything will go according to plan, no matter how well thought out it is.
If, for any reason, you miss a day or a session of your practice, try to refrain from letting fear or panic derail your progress. However, allow yourself the space to process and make peace with any emotions that arise. Healing and spiritual self-care are not always linear; they often work best in stages, phases, and cycles.
A helpful reframe for being gentle with yourself is to view each day as a new opportunity to resume your spiritual wellness routine. This mindset allows you to step into each day without the weight of the past and be fully present in the moment.
To break it down even further, within any given day, you can see each moment as an opportunity to tend to your spiritual self. Being gentle with yourself also means not comparing your spiritual wellness journey to anyone else's. We are all on different paths with unique needs. Honor your intuition and remember that you are always exactly where you are meant to be.
Let’s help you connect with your higher self
Are you ready to evolve and fully commit to becoming the highest and most authentic version of yourself? Whether you are seeking personalized guidance in creating a spiritual wellness routine tailored to your needs or simply desire to cultivate more harmony and alignment in your life, I am here to assist you in crafting your spiritual wellness toolkit and making spiritual self-care a priority for long-lasting change.
Check out my service offerings and book a free 30-minute consultation call to take the first steps toward a journey of transformation and renewal. Your higher self already thanks you!
Read more from Lamar Greene
Lamar Greene, Full-Spectrum Doula and Spiritual Coach
Lamar Greene is a passionate reproductive justice advocate who has answered their calling as a healer. Greene is a full-spectrum doula, spiritual life coach, and budding community herbalist motivated by their mother’s birthing narrative and their own life’s journey. They earned their Full Spectrum Doula Certification with Birthing Advocacy Doula Training and completed their Spiritual Life Coach Certification with Transformation Academy™. Their interest in spirituality was sparked in 2017 by a summer study abroad trip, where they lived and learned amongst Tibetan monastic communities in India. They are the founder of Doula Alchemist Healing, a Black and Queer-owned healing practice centered around reproductive justice and spirituality.
