Our Soulful Journey
Transcript of Our Soulful Journey
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Our Soulful Journey | Cultivating a Practice that Awakens Your Spirit by Jenysha
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Our Soulful
Journey Cultivating a Practice that Awakens Your Spirit
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Table of Contents:
The Spark (Remembering) ...................................................4-9
Beginning the Journey .....................................................10-14
Guru’s & Teachers ..............................................................15-18
Cultivating Your Spiritual Practice ....................................19-23
The Greatest Teacher .........................................................24-26
Your Continued Journey ....................................................27-28A Poem ................................................................................29-30
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Come in close..
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The Spark (Remembering)
Let me remind you that you are truly only to remember what you already know.
The wisdom is & was always within you. Those sparks of inspiration, insight or
“I’ve been here before” or “Somehow I already knew that” are not
coincidences. You really already knew! Inspiration means: to be in spirit. So
when you’re inspired, you’re simply returning or remember who you are!
What happens when you get inspiration? What happens when the spark
happens? The moment your whole life changes or you know it’s time for a
major shift. Most of the time, I know this is me, you’ll go in search of spiritual
books to reconnect or remind yourself of that feeling of being inspired. Being
inspired feels good, you feel a zing, a buzz, a “HOORAY for life!” & you feel it
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all in your bones. Just talking about it gets me all fired up because I love when
people are inspired. I love when you’re in spirit. It’s inspiring!
Before you move on to finding a book that calls you, I want you to sit with your
inspiration for a while. I want you to do some swimming around and figure out
what it was that sparked this. What did you do (or not do) that surged thisbuzzing through your cells? What did you hear? See? Taste? Smell?
Experience? Take some time to really melt into whatever it was that brought on
this inspiration.
Remembering who you are is a delightful experience because everyday will be
like an AHA moment. & that Mike Greenberg quote, “Life is a series of
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thousands of tiny miracles” will ring loud & true for you. You’ll bare witness to
miracles like rain falling from the sky.
When I say “remember who you are” what do you think of? What do you feel?
What does that mean to you?
You, my divine lovely one, are a spiritual being living out a human experience.
Now, this does not mean you are to renounce being human to only carry out a
spiritual existence. It’s actually impossible because you are in fact part human
being! Plus, why would you want to skip out on such a fantabulous ride?
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You may be thinking “trust me, I know what it’s like to be human” & I totally
hear you! But how is your experience thus far? What flavors of life have you
tasted? What fears have you busted through? What limitations have you
dissolved? How courageous have you been? Are you free? I pose these
questions because while it is true being human comes with actual limitations
you mostly limit yourself with your mind. You create limitations & believe inthem wholeheartedly & don’t try to go past them.
Some people live their whole lives in their own limitations.
Being a spiritual being & practicing spirituality is only a piece of the pie. The
more you dive into spirituality, the more your humanness will be challenged
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because everything you’ve programmed in your mind will be questioned.
Spirituality means choosing faith over & over again. Choosing faith over fear.
Through spirituality you will constantly be reminded that you are the only one
who is stopping you. You will be reminded how amazing you really are
because you yourself are a miracle. A living, breathing, singing, dancing,crying miracle!
So when that spark happens, when you feel jolted, inspired, all jazzed up or
resting in awe, in complete knowing of something, in awareness, you’re going
to want to discover more of that feeling. & when you open your eyes, you’ll
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realized that there are hundreds of people, thousands of books to support you
on this soulful journey.
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Beginning the Journey
Spiritual books are a fabulous place to start because there are so many and
they’ve all come from exactly where you are in the moment. From inspiration,
great insight & a jolt. So amazing people write books to share their insight with
the world & the book makes it all the way to you.
This is the very start of your journey. I remember when I first became divinely
inspired, I had just moved from California to New York City in search of myself.
I thought “NYC is where you go to find yourself!” Well, for the first few months
I’d never felt so lost but one day as I walked the business streets of Manhattan, I
felt an incredible calm wash over me. It was as if everyone was going in slow
motion, I couldn’t hear anything & it was just me treading through the streets,
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lightly & joyfully. When the inspiration passed through me, I realized I was
walking down the street with a HUGE smile on my face! I remember thinking
“so, this is life. Beautiful souls floating everywhere.” Honestly, at the time, I had
no idea what I was talking about!
I shared this story with someone I had met at a local coffee shop, someonewho became a graceful guide to me whom I’ve yet to find again, he told me
that I needed to read a book called ‘Conversations with God’ & that I should
read it very slowly. The next day I went to the book store, bought the book &
began reading it on the train ride home. My life changed forever.
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Everything in the book felt very familiar to me. It’s like I’d read those pages a
thousand times before. It’s as if I already knew. But at the time, I was learning it
all over again. I had jolts of inspiration & rockings of knowing with every page I
devoured. I read & re-read the pages, I took notes, I even slept with the book!
& I also use it for reference.
Anyways, not long after I began to bump into more spiritual guides & even
more spiritual & self-help books. I would & still do go out once a month & buy
new books to devour. I’m in love with others insight although I found most of
them (dare I say all) are pointing you towards the same thing. A remembrance.
A coming home. A being present. But regardless, I want to slurp the words like
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my favorite drink & let them lift me higher & settle me into myself. What I like to
call ‘the sweet spot.’
Your journey will not be the same as mine but if someone along the way you
begin reading soulful books like an addict, then you’re in the right place! It’s
not even a bad thing. I find it to be a rather marvelous thing because words arepowerful & they have the strength to move you into action, silence or tears.
They can lift you up, inspire you, ignite you or simply delight you.
Let the words from these books stir around in you for a while. I’m a fan of
allowing things to sit within for a while. So they can brew. Your body will give
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you the signal, particularly, your belly (gut intuition) will let you know what’s
true for you. I’ll be teaching you more about the belly later on.
The start of your journey is nothing short of exciting. Because you’re feeling it. I
mean really feeling something in places you didn’t even know existed. I’m sure
your heart is growing louder than your mind & believe me, I know how intense& scary this could be. Because all of a sudden what you’re feeling, reading &
remembering is different than what you’ve been shown or taught. It’s different
than what’s going on in your mind. & in the moment, your reality probably
doesn’t reflect this new found glory. This is when you’ll turn to a guru or
spiritual teacher. Mine was Deepak Chopra. So in love with this man! Seriously.
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Guru’s & Teachers
Now, my main man Deepak Chopra is ultra fabulous. I’m certain you know him.
I own about 30 of his books (& to think I’m not even close to owning them all) &
I’ve gone to his lectures, bought his audios, done meditation with him & has
always come up in a conversation.
This is because what he teaches resonates with me on a deep level. Every time
the man speaks, I’m like “yea! right on!” because I feel it within me. I know it & I
love it. So, I allowed him to be my guide in the beginning of my journey. I do
however understand that the purpose of a “guru” is not to be a “guru” at all but
to simple remind you that it’s all already within you.
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For the sake of this chapter I’m going to continue on telling you about the
individuals I made as guru’s. & you know what, you’ll most likely do this to in
the beginning. I loved having Deepak Chopra as my guide because it’s like he
was speaking directly to me.
Another guru was Gabrielle Bernstein. Being the power house, soul rocking,spirit junkie that she is was not only inspiring but empowering. I thought, “hey
now, look at this woman rocking the stage!” She’s a beautiful example of a
spiritual leader because like, Mr. Chopra, she acts as a mirror, reflecting you
back to you.
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Who are some of your guru’s? Who are the people you look up to? Who is
currently acting as your guide on this soulful journey? Like so many of you, I’ve
had many guru’s, famous & not famous. But what spiritual figures are attached
to the books that you read? It could even be religious reads. Think of those
individuals & allow yourself to sit with how they make you feel. What do they
mean to you?
For me, Gabrielle Bernstein is a sign of strength because of her remarkable
story that has lead her to where she is now. Go girl! & also shows me that
spirituality can be hip & cool & fashionable. That it’s non restricting.
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As you begin this journey just stay open to many teachers coming into your life
because they’ve all got something to share with you, teach you & ultimately
remind you of. It’s an incredible thing. Some of my teachers came from coffee
shops, my job, people on the subway & not-so-random encounters with
people at the park. There was always someone there to show me something,
recommend a book or class or lecture or event. I allowed myself to explore thisdifferent options as I wanted to keep momentum on my soulful journey.
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Cultivating Your Spiritual Practice
In this stage of my journey, I reached something I like to call, spiritual
overwhelm. This happened to me after reading countless books, following
countless teachers, going to countless lectures & beyond. The wealth of
information that these lovely people are putting out can become too much.
Now, I’ve read hundreds (literally) of spiritual & self help books & have
gathered great information on all of them. I’ve mixed them & played with them,
concocting something that feels as simple as breathing to me. I realized that
you can read all the sock stirring books in world, but if you don’t apply them to
your life don’t waste you time reading them.
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Over the course of 3 years as I’ve read & practiced & practiced some more, I
began to realized a shift happening in my life. My compassion expanded, my
passion catapulted, my love of life & all the magnificent people in it deepened,
gratitude flooded me & my sense of being heightened. I’ve never felt so.. here.
Not long after friends & family began to notice this shift & started asking me“how am I always so happy?” “how did you become so strong?” “How are you
so courageous & honest & nice!?” I can’t help but hold a huge cheesy grin on
my face right now. It makes me smile. It makes me feel good. But most of all it
makes me WANT it for you too. Because all I am doing is practicing things I’ve
learned in books, being who I am & breathing. I’m showing up. I’m saying
hello. Saying thank you for it all.
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Your spiritual practice is who you become everyday. It’s what you do that lights
you up, fires up your spirit or calms you soul. Your practice gently reminds you
who you are & why you’re here & where you are going. Your practice kisses
you & makes you laugh & opens you up to possibilities & witness everyday
miracles. Your practice is what rings true for you. Deep within.
Cultivating a spiritual practice is 100% unique to you. Even it is practicing your
religion, practice it. Don’t just read the words before you. Close the book & go
out into the world. You must commit to experiencing.
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My spiritual practice looks like this:
Morning: Express gratitude for breathing through the night. Then I have some
warm lemon water to take care of my health. I read some poetry, most of the
time by Hafiz. I dance to whatever tune is playing in my head. There’s always a
tune! Then I get to work.
Afternoon: I pause & B R E A T H E. I dance. I eat.
Evening: I bookend my day at around 3pm. I go to the gym, do yoga or biking.
I play with my dog. I connect with friends & family. I read some fiction. Have
dinner. & do whatever else I want to do or not do.
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As of now I don’t meditate often. I go with what I am feeling called to.
Breathing helps me come back to the present moment & go in the direction I
am feeling called to. You’ll begin to pick this up to the more you practice.
Your spiritual practice is meant to be absolutely freeing to you. What feelsgood to you. What you’re being pulled to practice. What I demonstrated
above has merely been my practice for the past couple of weeks. Before I used
to do yoga & write every morning first thing. But it changes often. & that’s ok!
Go with the feeling. The more you tune into your body the more you’ll will
naturally be guided from within.
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Your Greatest Teacher
Your greatest teacher is life & your guru, is you. It is all here for you. So this is
your invitation to dive into life. Through cultivating your spiritual practice &
dipping into it everyday, life will open up to you in ways unimaginable.
Being the lovely human that you are, you get to experience all the wonders
that show up for you. You get to explore your curiosities. You get to be insanely
happy. You get to love yourself over the moon. You get to have hutzpah & zest
& flavor. & you know what? The entire world gets that too.
Having a spiritual practice will bring you much strength in times where you are
challenged. Maybe it’s in a relationship or with a sick relative. Maybe it’s with a
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business that’s not doing so good or unhappy parents. Maybe it’s not being
able at the moment to up & leave or maybe it’s fighting to stay. The more you
put yourself out there to experience, the more you, well, experience.
So while I practice breathing & yoga & dancing, I also practice patience &
forgiveness & kindness & love. I practice honesty & courage & compassion. Ipractice empathy & care & listening. There is so much that is within us to
cultivate in our everyday lives. This means not yelling when someone cuts you
off on the freeway & thinking “maybe they didn’t see me or I’ve done that
before too” It’s understanding.
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This is our soulful journey. We’re all on one together. The more you read, the
more you gather & then you’re left to sort through what you’ve gathered &
settle into what feels right to you. Life will always be here to teach you. How do
you allow her to teach you? Are you open? What is going on for you right now?
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Your Continued Journey
We’re traveling together, encountering one another & sharing beautiful space.
You are never alone. Over the years, as I’ve read & practiced, I’ve attracted
some of the most insanely awesome people. The more you feel into it, the
more good you offer life, the more good life offers you. I’m surrounded by a
community of people that continuously lift me up. That continuously believe in
me. A community that I can share with & grow with. It’s phenomenal & I’m
continually blown away!
I know that at the start you might feel like this is not in your reach or maybe it
just hasn’t happened yet, but dear friend, I’m letting you know that you need to
cultivate it. It’s already there. The people you want, the community you long
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for, the places you want to go, are there. The happiness & love are there. So
on your continued journey you will fall into community. You will fall into the
arms of divine love. You will turn into joy. You will be held & supported on your
soulful journey & it’s going to be down right delicious!
Keep reading. Keep shining. Keep being exactly who you are.
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A Poem
Honeyed
When God lays His head against me
My whole world lights up
Everything appears to be glimmering
Mountains flashing me with their drop-dead
Beauty
It heats my body; most desirable.
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I’ve never seen the world so
Honeyed
& I don’t mind it one bit.
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Thank you for reading :) I hope you found inspiration & that something is
stirring round n round in the depths of your belly. MMM mm! I encourage you
to follow that feeling. Cultivate a practice that bursts you open.
So much love to you!
Jenysha
http://oursoulfuljourney.com
Twitter: @_soulfuljourney
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