Flowing white robes, elaborate altars, midnight full moon ceremonies…the image of spirituality these days has become almost performative. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with spending dedicated time in ritual and practice. There are certainly occasions that warrant extra attention and celebration and it can take our experience to much deeper levels. For all the in-between times though, how do we stay connected to our spiritual practice while balancing it with the rest of our busy lives?

A spiritual practice doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be easy to judge ourselves as not living our practice deeply enough when we see so many images on media of what other people are doing. It’s important to keep in mind that though we may see a thousand images of people sitting in lotus under a tree for 10 days, or even someone documenting their daily 5 am meditation practice, our spiritual practice is deeply personal and personalized to us individually.

It takes nothing more than a moment to have a spiritual experience. One breath, one second of gratitude or joy, a spark of a laugh, the willingness to be open and receive…all of these things can take us to higher levels of consciousness. Awareness comes simply from being aware. The extras – candles, yoga, music, etc. – can be nice and can amplify an experience or deepen an intention, but they are definitely not necessary. All our spirits require from us is for us to witness the moment.

This means we can be delving into our spiritual practice while checking our emails. We can be gaining deeper insights about our lives while loading the dishwasher. We can be unblocking trapped energies while taking out the recycling.

This is how an integrated spiritual practice begins, by simply noticing the infinite opportunities to connect with spirit at any time. After a while, it starts to become second nature. We no longer have to remember to do our spiritual practice because we are living it all of the time. Although this kind of practice isn’t as easy to photograph or document, it can elevate us into a new understanding of what spirituality can look like on an embodied level. It doesn’t always come with a big epiphany, but all those little seeds of wisdom that we cultivate are nourished by our continued practice. Before we know it, we have sowed a garden of such abundance, we find ourselves living in a perpetual state of awe.

Your spiritual practice doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. It doesn’t have be to lavish. All it requires is a connection to your heart. Ultimately, this is the goal. Simple spirituality imbued into every aspect of our lives.