As MC Hammer said, you’ve got to Pray
By Kavita Patel. Posted on .
As I write this, there are flurries outside in NYC, and winter just gets me. I don’t know about you, but winter just leaves me curling up in bed with lots of blankets, cranking up the heat, and sipping tea. It is a time that is cozy, comfortable, and reflective.
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The other day I woke up and I just felt down. I couldn’t explain it or even put it into words; I just wasn’t feeling that great. I usually wake up feeling pretty good about a brand new day that I have to create whatever it is I want.
But this particular day, I was dragging, as my dad calls it.
I realized that my practice of waking up in the morning and praying had fallen off significantly. The religion I grew up in is Jain, and I have to admit it is more of a philosophy. If you haven’t heard of the Jain dharma, the main tenant of it is compassion for all living beings.
Some of my most profound memories from my childhood that have shaped who I am today have come from going to summer camp at various ashrams. We would learn mantras, yoga and the roots to leading a happy life. This was all taught to us by Guru’s- the real deal kind that dress in white and meditate in the mountains in India.
Being spiritual is my way to really connect back into me. In the Jain dharma, we believe that every single soul has the ability to be god-like. There isn’t just one supreme being, but everyone has the divine within them. By believing this, I inherently have a deep respect for myself. This is what has helped me to be so grounded my entire life and really push through the fears and hardships that life can sometimes spring on you.
Back to the dragging day…I said to myself, “Kavita you know what will help you, so just do it!” So I got up, lit a candle, sat down and prayed. I simply asked for one thing and one thing only: the strength to stay on the path to evolving. I, like you, fall into the idea that I need to measure my life and my worth by what I have accomplished:
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Have I made a certain amount of money?
Do I have the penthouse apartment in NYC?
Do I have the bag that is going receive compliments from friends making me feel like I am someone?
As I sat down and prayed, I was reminded of my true reason for being on this planet. It is to take the steps in my life that get me closer to who I really am, which is love and light (my soul).
It was amazing! I had felt it so many times before, but I guess because I hadn’t really sat down and prayed for so long the effects were distinctly tangible. I got up from just even 10 minutes of prayer and felt like a brand new person.
Now I am getting intimate with you about my spirituality not so that you have to believe what I believe. I am revealing this because without you feeling connected to something BIGGER life will FEEL hard.
It will feel like it is all on your shoulders: finding love, making money, making mistakes, celebrating accomplishments. It will feel like you have to make it happen, you are to blame, you are the one that gets credit, and you will have no peace.
When you can tap into the idea of something bigger (aka FAITH), whatever that is for you, it does a couple of things for you.
