REAL SPIRITUALITY IS NOT EASY: THERE ARE BOTH, PRACTICAL AND INNER DIMENSIONS OF SPIRITUAL LIFE

Spirituality is often imagined as a peaceful, blissful path that leads one towards enlightenment, liberation, or higher consciousness.

- SHIVI DUA

Many are drawn to it with expectations of comfort, ease, and instant relief from life's suffering. However, those who walk this path sincerely realize, by and by, that real spirituality is neither glamorous nor smooth as it was expected to be. It demands courage, discipline, introspection, and the willingness to face one's deepest fears, attachments, and wounds. Real spirituality is not easy-not because it is unattainable, but because it strips away illusion and requires one to flow with transformation in the manner it comes up, which can be very different from the desired change.

One of the biggest misconceptions about spirituality is that it offers an escape from life's hardships. Some are attracted to meditation because they seek an instant respite from anxiety, grief, or uncertainty. However, spirituality does not promise avoidance—it encourages engagement. Real spirituality is not about living in an illusionary world where life moves the way one wants it to. But it can assist in owning up our experiences and dealing with emotions. It compels us to address the turbulence within: regret, guilt, anger, jealousy, pride, fear, grief, expectations! These are various forms of attachment to the past - to what has gone by, and are the roots to misery. Real spiritual practice asks us to sit with discomfort, not flee from it. This facing self, or confrontation with self is often the most challenging aspect of the journey.