our soulful journey

7/31/2019 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



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

[email protected]

Twitter: @_soulfuljourney


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http://ourspiritualjourney.com/





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