Science And Spirituality Can Be Best Friends
Can a spiritual quest of welcoming a power that is somehow greater than oneself, be experienced as a practical blueprint for a better life? Advocates of the Science of Spirituality, a spiritually-focused and often meditation-led life journey, believe so, and find it empowering. This is because such an approach to living our lives can pave the way to experiencing a more positive existence.
Indeed, established business publication, Forbes, has considered the revival and mainstreaming of spirituality in recent years significant enough to devote an article to the appeal of the idea of going with the flow for next-gen “spirit junkies.”
Frank Van de Ven, in “‘Getting into the flow’: What does that even mean?” published on Medium, discusses riding the sensation of losing himself in a heightened state of energizied focus and positivity. If you recognize yourself in this state, he says, “you might be familiar with the concept of ‘getting into the flow’: achieving a state of mind in which everything seems possible and you’re just… rocking it.”
Riding the everyday concept of going with the flow to the spiritual realm
Going with the flow in a spiritual sense, as this Forbes article explains, is the idea that we can reach a higher level of consciousness and calm by welcoming the higher power, or a consciousness or energy into our lives.
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In order to do this, writer Alice G. Walton, questions a psychologist and a neuroscientist, both also equipped with a deep knowledge of assorted philosophies and religious practices, to grasp more about the relationship between science and the spiritual world.
Walton quotes Ben Michaelis, PhD, a clinical psychologist, and author, on what happens when we’re stressed and when we consciously rise above our worries and our “own way” to get into the flow.
Michaelis explains that when we’re very stressed, and our thinking gets compromised, we tend to look for patterns that don’t exist, which are physical manifestations of stress, and typically draw random conclusions. Conversely, the act of “surrendering” to a greater power outside ourselves, can actually feel really good, help relieve stress, and offer us a feeling of security.
Neuroscientist Judson Brewer, meanwhile, whom Walton credits with conducting some of the leading research on how meditation impacts the brain, has an interesting way of describing our usual way of being, which is, by definition, problematic for our stress levels.
He likens it to driving a car with one foot on the break, one foot on the gas. In this analogy, the gas is our brain’s natural function, and the break is the so-called “self-referential processing.” If we take our foot off the break, the brain works more effortlessly, which is when we get into the flow.
In his research, and talks like this TEDx one, Brewer has demonstrated that meditation calms the areas of the brain that are equivalent to the “brakes,” so helping us get into a flow state faster. For him, the notion of a “universal prompt,” or the idea of succumbing to something bigger, underlines all religious traditions. It involves an element of letting go of ourselves to be in tune with something greater in order to enhance an optimal, flowing brain state.
The uplifting teachings of Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj
The hope-filled and unifying worldview of spiritual teacher and author, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj, infuses the worldwide nonprofit he leads, Science of Spirituality. This global, spiritual organization, with 2,800 centres worldwide, as its website details, is dedicated to transforming the lives of people through his practical and powerful meditation method.
Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s technique is seen as a route to physical, mental and emotional health, as well as spiritual growth. It sees a journey of self discovery and inner spiritual experiences that lead the way to peace and happiness, and a realization of the human connection to the divine.
As the Science of Spirituality Facebook page details, all are welcome to tune in to his GLOBAL MEDITATION IN PLACE Sunday sessions, simultaneously translated into many languages. These sessions serve as “an online forum that convenes the global community to meditate together to uplift the spiritual consciousness of the planet.”
In his quest for service to humanity and to facilitate a world of peace and spiritual fulfilment, Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj’s books include the well-reviewed Meditation As Medication for the Soul.
The Science of Spirituality website shares that his work in the field of science and communication has given Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj the ability to adopt a scientific and importantly, a relatable approach to spirituality. As the website explains, “He makes the science of spirituality and meditation easy for people to understand and practice for themselves.”
