The Daily Practice of Spiritual Hygiene
I have come to see spiritual work as a kind of daily care, the same way we look after anything important. It can be like tending a garden, where every day you water the seeds you want to grow and pull the weeds before they take over. It can be like cleaning a messy room or detailing a car, clearing out the dust and clutter so the space feels fresh again.
We all know what happens when these things are ignored. A garden becomes overgrown. A car starts to feel grimy. A room that was once clean begins to collect piles in the corners. We brush our teeth and take showers every day because we know that without that maintenance, things start to break down. The same applies to the inner state.
For me, tending to that space starts with my breath. I notice the inhale and the exhale. I breathe out the emotions I do not need. I breathe in the emotional qualities I want to cultivate. Each breath is a way of watering the seeds of peace, love, and clarity, and pulling the weeds of fear, doubt, and heaviness.
The best time to do this is in the morning, right after waking up, before reaching for the phone or jumping into the day. I take a moment to notice my breath and choose what I want to let go of, along with what I want to access for the day. What emotional quality do I want to embody today?
It can also be stacked onto daily routines, just like James Clear talks about in Atomic Habits. While showering, brushing teeth, eating, exercising, or even doing the dishes, I use the time to connect with my breath. Instead of letting my mind drift into distraction, I turn those moments into a check-in with myself. Tasks that used to feel like chores become meditative, and everyday routines turn into a spiritual practice.
Even my runs have become a space for this. For example, on my run today, instead of focusing on problems, plans, or random thoughts, I connected with my breath and noticed the beauty around me. I let gratitude fill the space. Every person I passed, I greeted with a “good morning.” That simple shift turned a workout into a way of cultivating spiritual awareness.
The more I am consciously aware of this, the more that feeling carries through my day. Anytime I feel disconnected from it, I take a moment to pause, connect with my breath, and intentionally tap back into the same feeling again.
I choose how I want to feel, no matter what is happening around me.
It does not matter what happens to me. What matters is how I respond to what happens to me.
I hope this helps you develop your own spiritual hygiene and your own inner practice.
