Borrowing this title from a famous Jules Verne novel, I aim to bring a certain element of awe to the discovery of your true self. Imagine readers from the 19th century eagerly awaiting the next chapter of a Verne novel in the newspaper to find out his latest creation. Would it be a submarine or a flying machine or a brand new adventure? That is the kind of excitement that I envision in the quest to find one’s true self.
Spiritual strength
A human is born spiritual and is always spiritual. People often connect spirituality with religion. My understanding of religion is very simple. Human beings created religion to follow some norms for ease in living. Life should be lead on the path of dharm (meaning following prescribed rules of life without deviation). People go against religion or do not follow it due to its strict dictating norms because they understand religion in its conventional format.
Spirituality essentially has nothing to do with religion but it can definitely explain religion to you in better terms.
Residents of a cosmopolitan city, such as Mumbai, are well-aware of all religions, languages, cultures and festivals. I have imbibed a lot of learning by witnessing this. I learnt this because my base was spirituality.
Finding your true self
My parents are not at all religious. They believe in one supreme power or a creator who has made us all. That’s why when I stepped into the world of spirituality, there was very little that I had to unlearn.
Spirituality is way of life, wherein we follow a routine that nourishes our soul, keeps our mind stable and body in balance. This is my understanding. So, can a normal way of life be a problem in the practice of spirituality? It shouldn’t be so, right? But it is. We have deviated so much from our original nature as human beings and as spiritual beings that going back to a spiritual way of life seems new to us.
Becoming a spiritual being
Meditation is often regarded as the first step that you need to master on your spiritual path. Meditation is not concentration. If you are concentrating, you are not meditating. It is simply being with your soul and resting. It is a state of absolute nothingness. We are born as nothing, so meditation needs to come to us naturally. But we are conditioned to think too much and pressurise our mind to follow certain things.
When you come back to yourself, you automatically start being connected with nature and imbibing energies from nature. You don’t feel like running away anywhere as you know the entire world is your home.
Practicing different techniques is necessary right now, in order to fine tune ourselves as we have deviated from our original nature. Pranayama, meditation, yoga, reciting mantras or any other practice that connects you to yourself and the divine energy is the right technique for you.
Remember, you are spiritual just like me; you can meditate just like me; and you can smile just like me.