daily devotion graphic with flower in background

Cultivating a daily devotional practice and making space to honour yourself

If you follow me on Instagram you might have noticed that I have been sharing reflections on my daily devotional practice. Each year I set an intention word and this year’s was devotion. When we engage with counselling, meditation, spiritual practices it can be with an expectation of getting something back, or obtaining a set outcome. This has been true for me in the past. A lot of my practices have been driven by managing my mental health, by a desire to ‘find’ something that I was missing or, if I’m honest, by my own ego.

My intention for my daily devotional practice is to meet myself where I am that day, to give without expectation of receiving, to love without fear, to be in service without ego, to connect with gratitude, and to honour my needs. This might sound like a lot but actually really simple. It's all about being intentional.

My daily devotion practices vary but include meditation, yoga, going to therapy, reflecting on and processing my experiences, honouring my body’s needs (especially when it comes to rest), being in service to community, gratitude, spiritual practice, and spending time in connection with nature. These are all things I do anyway but my devotion practice means a commitment to one of more of them every day with intention.

My daily devotion practice means a daily commitment to do one thing with intention

Having a daily devotional practice over the past two months has really deepened my relationship with my 'self'. It feels like something tangible that I can come back to over and over again. Being intentional about the way I show up each day, for at least one part of my day, brings peace, spaciousness and grounding. Today I wanted to share some more detailed examples of what a daily devotional practice could look like and how you can integrate it into your life.

Daily devotional practice as a tool for enrichment, rather than a 'should' that makes you feel like you're not doing enough

The first thing to say is that setting an intention to have a daily devotional practice is about enriching your life, rather than giving you more to do. This is especially important if you already feel overwhelmed. This is about creating space for you to be with yourself, not adding more items to your to do list. If you're tired or burned out your devotional practices might focus on rest and that is absolutely legitimate. Devotion to your physical needs is really important.

A great place to start is making a list of the ways you already have devotion practices. Maybe you meditate each morning, maybe you do work in the community, maybe you do a daily walk? Perhaps you check in with yourself each day to see how you're feeling physically or emotionally? Maybe you go to an exercise class or yoga or make space once a week for a really lovely nap. All of these things, to me, are devotional.

Once you have your list, you can use that as a basis for daily devotion. I'm also offering some suggestions below for practices that you can add to your list.

Meditation as a daily devotion practice

Meditation is one of the most powerful tools for cultivating a daily devotional practice. It's also something that can be used in other aspects of your life, whether you're trying to work through an issue or just want to relax after a long day.

Meditation has been shown to have many positive effects on our minds and bodies: it reduces stress and anxiety; improves focus; boosts our immune systems; slows down aging by reducing inflammation in the body; helps us sleep better at night. From an emotional and spiritual perspective, meditation helps us to cultivate self-awareness, understand our thoughts, emotions, and inner experiences, and develop more compassion and empathy for ourselves and others.

You'll find free, guided meditation practices on my blog, including this Loving Kindness meditation. I also offer 121 meditation instruction. Get in touch here if you'd like to work with me.

A daily check in as a devotion practice

Checking in with yourself regularly is a great way of slowing down and connecting with where you are.

How to check in:

Take a mindful breath. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Ask yourself “what can I feel in my body in this moment?”

Ask yourself “what emotions can I feel in this moment?”

Ask yourself “what do I need in this moment?”

You could also do a daily check in with a friend and share your experiences with each other.

Breath work or other breathing exercises as a devotion practice

Working with the breath is an amazing way to calm your nervous system, which can help to manage stress and anxiety. A simple breathing excercise that has a powerful effect on your nervous system and activates your 'rest and digest' response, which is the counterpoint to the 'fight or flight' response, is simply making your out-breath longer than your in-breath. You might breathe in for 4 and out for 6, for example.

It's worth mentioning that some people who have experienced trauma find working with the breath difficult. If you feel uncomfortable at any time during breathing exercises, you can stop at any time. Get up, exit the room, and give yourself whatever you feel you need.

Read more about how to practice other forms of breathwork here. I also send out a monthly breathwork playlist in my newsletter. Sign up here.

Slowing down and honouring nature's cycles as a devotion practice

Changing the pace of the activities we do can really change our experience. You might set an intention to drink your morning coffee slowly and intentionally, while looking out of a window. You might undertake to eat one meal per day slowly and in silence. You might choose to do some slow walking, out in nature. Slow down intentionally and see what happens.

Connecting with the cycles of nature can really help us to slow down and to feel more grounded. Our ancestors understood this and their lives probably revolved around seasonal cycles; their survival depended on knowledge of nature. If we look to nature as our guide, it may help us find a sense of balance between yang and yin, outward and inward, active and passive--creating while resting as we move through the seasons.

Making your daily devotion practice your own

As you begin to cultivate your daily devotional practice, it's important to remember that there is no one right way. You can set your own intentions and define what devotion means to you. Devotion to self, devotion to others, devotion to the Earth and devotion to a higher power (if you connect with that idea) are all places to start. You get to choose practices that feel natural or appropriate for you at any given moment in time. Most importantly, a daily devotional practice is about honouring yourself.