A friend of mine loves to step onto the training mats of her dojo. At the end of a long hard day at work, she describes it as feeling the stress just melt away.

For her, the practice of karate-do has its spiritual aspects. And she makes her practice a priority. There are three classes a week, and she has attended these classes regularly for the past seven years. The only times she misses a class is when she has to be out of the city for work reasons.

Developing a spiritual practice is a very satisfying experience. The key, though, isn’t whether you should develop a spiritual practice - it’s whether you make your spiritual practice a priority in your life.

In the book Inner Peace for Busy Women, Joan Borysenko writes:

“Spiritual practices are meant to bring you into the experience of the Now - your centered, best self. Whether your spiritual practice is starting the day with a walk in nature, prayer, meditation, yoga, qigong, or inspirational reading, making it your first priority helps you stay balanced and at ease, whatever the rest of your day may bring.”

While Joan talks about starting your day off with your spiritual practice, I believe that having a special time every day for your practice can work just as well. Some of us, after all, aren’t morning people. Finding the extra time in the morning may make the whole process more grueling than satisfying.

But decide on a “when” - and then stick to it. Mark it into your datebook if that helps. It’s a truly special and magical appiontment, and deserves to have priority in your life.