In today’s world, there’s a lot of dialogue around religion and the belief systems that our religious connections provide to us as individuals and as a culture. Now the dialogue seems to be intentionally shifting to include concepts and beliefs about spirituality. Just look at the recent interest in The Secret since the book – and the concept – were featured on the Oprah Winfrey show. Most people connect The Secret with creating a sense of spirituality or spiritual connection in their lives.

Spiritual wellness is just as important to our health as physical, emotional or mental wellness. It’s part of the human experience, and Canyon Ranch’s intention is to help individuals understand the depth and breadth of that fact. The Ranch offers many opportunities for you to explore how spirituality can make a difference in your daily experience. I will be posting my experiences as I visit these opportunities, but today wanted to share with you some reflections on spiritual wellness that I gained recently during a conversation with Spiritual Programs Manager Jonathan Ellerby, Ph.D.

There is much more inside of us than just a busy mind. Spirituality is what brings all of the pieces of ourselves together; it connects us. I think that most people feel the practice of spirituality is only about quiet moments of meditation, yoga, tai chi or reading the latest book by Gary Zukav or Wayne Dyer. What I learned from Jonathan is that those are the “soft sides” of spirituality and that they’re essential pieces because they speak to you as an individual. However, spirituality also has a “hard side,” and that is the everyday practice of becoming a spiritual being. (This does not necessarily mean becoming a religious being.) This “hard side” has steps, phases, structure and a path to mature spirituality.

Canyon Ranch is very intentional in providing you with various formats (in the forms of services, workshops, lectures and individual sessions) of this “hard side” and matching them with some of those “softer” elements. The key thing that I learned is that spirituality is as much an experience for someone as going for a run. The same principles hold true when you are first exploring spirituality as when you go for that first run. It takes energy, patience and understanding that spiritual wellness is an evolving experience.

I would like to offer you a few reflections to consider. We will explore these in future posts, as I share with you my lessons in spiritual wellness.

When you think of spiritual wellness, what do you feel it may reveal for you?

What do the words unity and love mean to you?

As you consider practices of spirituality in your life, what do you believe they allow us to experience?