It’s funny to me that I’m writing this blog because if I spoke to the Emma of 10 years ago, she would’ve cringed about the idea of spirituality, and of life coaching for that matter. I’d have felt a lot of shame about having these interests. Putting my head above the parapet and being who I authentically was, wasn’t something I felt comfortable with. I just didn’t have a lot of practice in it.
Thankfully, those days are long gone. This is a testament to the amount of both life coaching and spirituality I have engaged with over the years. Through uncomfortably exploring things that I’d judged, I realised that I was projecting what I was judging within myself; a need for more aliveness and connection, being okay with uncertainty and not always having all the answers. This wasn’t a strong game plan for authentic living, joy, or decent mental wellbeing.
So, I want to write about how spirituality is used in life coaching, how it can help and what it can help with. Firstly, I think it is helpful to define ‘spirituality’.
What is spirituality?
That’s a big question. I’ll answer the best I can from my point of view. To me, spirituality is a belief or set of beliefs that go beyond the ‘reality’ of what exists in front of us. The belief or set of beliefs usually nod to the fact that there is something more than what meets the eye. As a result of these beliefs, people can derive a deeper sense of purpose, meaning and connection with the world around them. The beliefs give evidence that you’re part of something bigger than yourself.
At least, that is how I define that word for me. Those beliefs will look different from person to person. For me, my spiritual beliefs are, at present:
- We are all one energy source, but all with our distinct vibrations, our own frequencies and we feel most aligned when we are sharing our unique frequency.
- If I keep my eyes open, there are signs from the universe all around me.
- Deep wisdom and meaning can be derived from nature.
- Synchronicities are very much on purpose, the universe is always letting me know I’m on the ‘right’ path, my job is to notice it.
- Humans are so much more than their thoughts and feelings, they are the observer of them and from sitting in the seat of consciousness, there is great peace to be found within.
- Everything is happening right now. Past, present, future. Now is all we have.
- Where I put my focus and energy determines what manifests in my life.
These have changed over time, and I expect they will continue to evolve as I do. There is also probably a lot more to add too.
Like I say, everyone will have their own ideas about spirituality and what it means for them, if anything at all.
For me, it is a very fun part of my life, I enjoy believing in magic.
I enjoy playing with the idea that we get to believe whatever we like, especially if it makes you feel good or feel whimsy and supported. What’s not to love?
What is the point of spirituality?
I can only speak for myself, but for me, it is a huge part of my wellbeing. For my body, I take her to the gym and for walks. For my mind, I have satisfying work and friendships for great stimulating conversation. For my soul, I have spirituality.
For me, spirituality gives a sense of connection to self, as well as to everything beyond self. It also gives a sense of perspective when I might otherwise lose it to the human mind doing her thing.
Spirituality is one of the many tools that can centre me and bring me back home to myself when I feel lost or stuck. As long as I have my breath, there is a possibility to find peace within.
“People try to get away from it all – to the country, to the beach, to the mountains. You always wish that you could too. Which is idiotic: you can get away from it anytime you like. By going within.” Marcus Aurelius (Meditations)
How do I like to practice spirituality?
I am sure there are as many spiritual practices as there are spiritual beliefs and spiritual coaches. Even if I just think of the women who practice spirituality in my immediate friendship circle, the first few things that pop into my head are; yoga, timeline jumping and quantum leaping, sage cleansing, kundalini, breath work, crystals, tarot and reiki.
I personally enjoy:
- Oracle cards – in the moments when I am feeling a bit lost or stuck, the oracle decks always offer me a point of mindful self-reflection.
- Signs – I love asking the universe for a specific sign and waiting for it to appear, it affirms to me that I am supported more deeply that I could ever know.
- Creativity – there is something special for me in creating something that is entirely from my own being. Right now, I’m working on a Bee themed oracle deck and all the messages that derive to us from nature, from bees.
- Yoga – I’m not going to pretend I’m a huge yogi, but I do love to practice slowing down and noticing what’s going on with my mind and body and taking some time on my mat.
- Meditation and journalling – Both of these practices support me in detaching from a busy mind and remind me that I am not my thoughts, but the observer of them.
- Nature – I love to stare up at the sky, especially at night and think about how it doesn’t stop, that the sky just keeps on going, forever. Nothing else gives me perspective like that.
- Learning – I love reading books and engaging in different theories and perspectives, like ‘A New Earth’ by Eckhart Tolle, ‘The Untethered Soul’ by Michael Singer and ‘The Four Agreements’ by Don Miguel Ruiz. I also love learning parables from the Buddhist tradition, such as ‘second arrow suffering’.
In my opinion, the cool thing about spirituality is, you get to have fun with it. I really believe that none of us actually KNOW what is real or not, so I love the idea of believing what you want to believe. Choosing what feels good to you.
I wonder how you define and experience spirituality? (For real, if you read this blog and want to share, please drop me an e-mail because I am ALWAYS curious to hear other people’s perspectives).
How is spirituality used in life coaching?
There are a couple of answers to this.
The first is: as with anything, this is going to depend entirely on the client.
Some of the women I work with never mention spirituality, and so it’s not something that explicitly comes into the sessions. Others do say it’s something important to them and so, it joins us in the sessions. This could look like pulling an oracle card during or after the session to support reflection or choosing a ritual to take away (e.g. burning an old journal as a form of letting go).
There are some coaches that have practices revolving around a particular spiritual approach or methods, such as energy or spirit guides. I think if you’re particularly into a certain spiritual practice, that would be a really cool coach to work with.
The second is: If we look at spirituality, not as a practice or ritual, but as a concept, for me, I think spirituality comes into every life coaching session.
I say that because a lot of the work we do together is about connecting you with your inner wisdom. We speak a lot about purpose. I am supporting women to come home to their truth. This in and of itself feels spiritual to me.
In practice, this could look like a practice to identify feelings in the body and making space for them to share what they need to share. It could look like practicing non-dominant handwriting or actions to align yourself to your higher purpose. Particularly if we are using dynamic hypnotherapy in sessions, it might be that we are having direct conversation with your subconscious or soul. Much of the work I do through therapeutic coaching is about observing yourself. Working to understand we are not our thoughts, but in fact the “I” that can watch them. Through the sessions there is an emphasis on transcending your limits and exploring more of your truth. Which feels inherently spiritual to acknowledge that there is more to you than what meets the eye.
What can spiritual life coaching help with?
Spiritual life coaching can help with any area of your life. I think particularly if you’re feeling stuck repeating old patterns of behaviour, a sense of ‘there has to be more to life than this’ or if you’re generally in need of support with understanding your emotions and life trajectory, then it can help.
Below are just a few examples of what this might look like:
- Strengthening connection to yourself and so the world around you – the more you understand yourself and the deeper you meet yourself, the more you understand and can meet the world around you.
- Releasing stagnant energy and emotions to allow you to let go of old patterns of behaviour that are keeping you stuck in your life.
- Healing work with your inner child to enable you to feel more inner coherence and oneness.
If you’ve been thinking about spiritual life coaching – I hope this blog helps.
The main thing I would say about choosing to work with anyone, is to choose someone you feel you can resonate with. If you want to learn more about how I work as a therapeutic coach, I offer free, no pressure 20-minute discovery calls and would be happy to chat!