Spirituality is a way of thinking and acting that can help people feel happy, content, and purposeful in life. Many people who consider themselves spiritual also say that they have a strong sense of connection with other human beings and nature. In some ways, spirituality is like religion, but it is not restricted by rules and tends to feel a lot more free.
Spiritual people often see the world around them as sacred and important, especially in their relationships with others. They usually have a positive attitude toward life and find meaning in experiences that would otherwise be mundane, such as walking through a beautiful park or cooking a meal.
Depending on their culture and their own beliefs, they may also view certain activities as spiritual practices, such as meditation, prayer, fasting, or studying scripture. These beliefs and actions can be associated with various religious traditions, such as Hinduism (living in harmony with the universe), Buddhism (achieving enlightenment or nirvana), Christianity (surrendering to God), Judaism (seeking signs of the divine in the everyday), or Islam (finding inspiration from a tetragrammaton on a postage stamp or a cow).
Many cultures believe that a person’s soul is connected to everything in the world. The goddess religions invest the earth and the body with spiritual value, the Native Americans look for spirits in nature, the Jews seek God in everyday objects, and gurus in the Yoga tradition guide their followers to experience a union with one’s true Self.