Comprehensive Airman Fitness: spiritual health

  • Published
  • By Jessica Banks
  • 6th Air Mobility Public Affairs
MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. --  Spiritual fitness can easily be a touchy subject, after all religion is a very personal matter, one in which many people are easily offended. CAF, is not here to tell you that one religion is better than another, or to even say you need to be religious. Spirituality has become a term synonymous with religion, but in all actuality, it's very much its own concept.

Spirituality can mean a number of different things. To one person it may mean going to church or the synagogue every week, praying, and confessing, to another it may be through meditation and breathing exercises, or perhaps it's simply a matter of self-reflection. Whatever your beliefs are, there is always a way in which you can still grow spiritually.

Without leaving any one person or group of people out, how can spirituality be discussed? As long as you acknowledge there is a difference between spirituality and religion, it's actually done quite easily.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines religion as "the service and worship of God or the supernatural." So, when speaking of religion we are referring to a set of beliefs, whether these are set personally or by an institution.

Spirituality, however, is a bit more ambiguous. Traditionally, spirituality was defined as an aspect of religion, today though; people have begun to interpret spirituality in a different manner. While, both religion and spirituality are essentially about the search for an absolute or a God, spirituality isn't necessarily tied to any religious practice. For instance, Christians can make the assertion that they are spiritual just as someone with secular beliefs can.

If you look at spirituality as a path that leads someone to either a higher state of awareness, perfection of one's being, wisdom, or a deeper communion with God or a creator it's easier to understand the concept of spirituality. Someone who simply believes in kindness, compassion, patience, tolerance, responsibility, forgiveness, etc., but doesn't necessarily believe in "a higher being," can still be spiritual.

As Maryl Celiz, a holistic lifestyle consultant, puts it, spirituality "is not religion or denomination, it is a way of living your life with awareness of who you are and where you're going, and a commitment to growth."

Some people may disagree, and that's alright, but to put it simply, CAF is dedicated to helping everyone on Macdill finding a set of beliefs that are important to each individual - beliefs that help each person to become the best possible version of themselves.

Spirituality can help people to make it through a difficult time such as a death in the family, a divorce, a fight, a heavy work load, or even just a bad day. Becoming a more spiritual person can not only help you to find yourself, but become yourself.

The next question this begs is how can you become more spiritual? This is an issue people have always dealt with differently. Some people might like the option of talking to a chaplain who could offer advice, listen to your problems or help you through a difficult time. Perhaps this isn't for you, in which case you could try something such as prayer, self-contemplation or meditation.

The Meditation Society of American describes that, "The difference between prayer and meditation can be understood by saying that during prayer, we ask God for something, and during meditation, God speaks to us."

The benefits of meditation/prayer are vast. Spiritually, meditation can provide you piece of mind, increased compassion, increased self-actualization, increased concentration, deeper understanding of yourself and others, and can help you learn forgiveness.

Prayer and meditation can also help on a mental and physical level though. It can reduced anxiety, increase blood flow, lower blood pressure, enhance the immune system and increase feelings of vitality. There are at least a hundred more benefits of prayer and meditation, and nearly every religion in the world uses some form of prayer or meditation. So whether you use one of these methods to get closer to God, or some sort of creator, or you are even just working to become the better you - there are many reasons to take time out of your day to focus on prayer or meditation.

Meditation doesn't even have to be intensive to show benefits, for example a study was conducted by scientists at the University of North Carolina where students were able to improve their cognitive skills after simply four days of meditation for only 20 minutes each day. After a challenging computer test that required sustained attention, it showed that the group who meditated for the past four days did 10 times better than the control group which did not. Meditation is to spirituality and brain activity, what training is to an athlete. Essentially, you can do a spiritual workout by taking time to sit in a quiet place, focus on your breathing, and patiently learn to clear and "settle" your mind.

There are far too many aspects of spirituality to cover in one small article, meditation and prayer, as well as seeking counsel are only a few of the options available. CAF encourages you to do your own research to find what works for you, while reminding you there are people all over the base who are willing to help you find what spirituality means to you.

If you take anything away from this though, realize your beliefs are important, they shape the person you are. Whether you are religious or just want to embark on a spiritual path to find a way to be your best, take the appropriate time and means to do so - you will be a much happier, healthier, more rounded person for doing so.

As the American writer and spiritual teacher Ernest Holmes puts it, "We can no more do without spirituality than we can do without food, shelter, or clothing."

As human beings, we have to believe in something, it's just a matter of finding what we believe in, learning to live it, and training ourselves everyday to be better than the day before. This requires commitment, but there is a payoff.

"Individuals can find keen insights within scriptures or other religious or holy literature on how tough it is to live by core values, but also how rewarding it can be to live without compromising those firmly held values," said Chaplain (Maj.) David Buttrick, 6th Air Mobility Wing chaplain. "If we take time daily to delve into uplifting, spiritual readings it will have a direct impact on our desire to live according to our value systems that we espouse in the Air Force and for ourselves - those of integrity, service and excellence."