Why Spirituality 'Doesn’t Work' For Many People: The Role Of Lifestyle And Psychological Maturity

These days many people are turning to spirituality, but after some time, they all complain that it is not working. Why is that?

One of the main reasons is that they don't recognise that spirituality is a lifestyle—it's a way of living. You can't just do some meditation or some new-age practice for half an hour, morning and evening, live a hedonistic lifestyle, and expect spiritual growth.

Just like you can't go to the gym three days a week and expect good health and a fit body when you're not getting enough sleep or rest, your lifestyle is sedentary, and the diet involves a lot of junk food, so, too, with spirituality. If you are not living with some ethical values and psychological growth, how do you expect the spiritual practices to work?

The Foundation: Psychological Maturity

Psychological growth is important. If I have lost someone near and dear and I have not managed that grief, I can't expect a spiritual practice to heal me from that grief. The spiritual practice will work only if I have done some basic psychological work.

Psychological maturity is the basis for spiritual growth. So if the foundation is weak, the edifice of spirituality cannot be built over time. Most people have grief, guilt, stress or some emotional issues, and they expect some practice to take care of it. Some temporary stress relief is possible.

But if 18 hours a day you are stressed out, how do you expect a half-hour practice to completely remove the effects of those 18 hours? One has to align with the right attitudes and a moderate lifestyle to handle stress on a regular basis. Only then will the spiritual practices work.

To sum it up: spiritual growth can happen only if I am a mature being. That is, if I can think clearly, feel deeply, and act decisively. This competency and growth can be enhanced with my spiritual disciplines and practices. But if the base is not there, no amount of practice will work.

The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya Foundation. You can write to him at aarshavidyaf@gmail.com