If you’re interested in growing spiritually, one of the fastest, most effective ways to do that is by embracing Tej Steiner’s Five Ways of Being. Fully embodying them will provide you with a roadmap for living a deeply satisfying life.
Many people hide behind a pseudo-heart-centered spirituality, proclaiming to live from their hearts. They know everything there is to know about compassion, forgiveness, and love. They OM, chant, go to healing circles and sit in the front row of their yoga or meditation class. They send you their love, healing, and compassion. They even tell you how deeply loved you are.
They pride themselves as superior and more evolved because they follow a spiritual path or view themselves as heart-centered. In their perfect world, there’s no room for negative energy or vibes. Feelings of shame, anger, guilt, or regret are not allowed because they lower your vibration. As a result, they avoid confrontation at all costs.
I used to be one of these people. And to a certain extent, I still am.The bigger difference these days is that I’m part of a community of friends, students, and clients who have consciously chosen to be heart-directed by embodying Tej Steiner’s Five Ways of Being.
According to Tej, the Five Ways of Being don’t prescribe a long list of things to do or actions to take. Instead, it is a self-inquiry process that provides you with answers no spiritual teacher, ascended master, or guru can. They are “living questions” everyone can live by regardless of age, gender, nationality, or religious belief.They provide a roadmap for living an emotionally and spiritually satisfying life.
The Five Ways of Being
Here’s how Tej defines them in his book, Waking Up with Everyone Around Us:
Being Clear
Being Clear about our purpose in Life: inquiring into who/what are we and why we are here and aligning what we do on any given day with our greater purpose. i.e., living more purposefully.
- What is my life purpose? How does what I do in everyday life support it?
- Am I clear about my purpose, passion, gifts, values, and intention?
- How are my current job, career, and projects aligned with my purpose?
Being Present
Being Present from moment to moment: watching our thoughts rather than being caught in thought and balancing constant ‘forward motion’ with slowing down and being more still/aware.
- Can I stop my constant thinking and come into the stillness of my heart?
- Am I increasing in connection to my heart and my feelings of love, peace, appreciation, and compassion?
- Is my connection to myself empowering me to be present in the Now?
Being Real
Being Real with ourselves and others: communicating authentically so that how we present ourselves to others and ourselves matches what we are experiencing.
- Am I aware of what I’m feeling right now?
- Am I authentically expressing my true feelings and needs?
- Am I real with myself and others?
Being Connected
Being Connected: being freed from the ‘terrible myth of separation’ in which our only reality is that we are individuated beings and bodies disconnected from the greater whole, from awareness, from Love, from God.
- Am I experiencing love and connection right now?
- Can I connect with others beyond the filters of my evaluation and judgment?
- Do I listen deeply and with empathy?
Being Heart-Directed
Being Heart-Directed: being able to follow our inner guidance and creative longings in daily life rather than follow our social conditioning that primarily encourages the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain.
- Am I following what I truly want or what I’ve been conditioned to want?
- Is my life direction in alignment with the best expression of my true self?
- Is my current path heart directed?
In a culture that encourages separation, disconnection, staying busy, and hiding our feelings, holding these questions in our daily awareness can be a challenging task. It takes willingness, commitment, and determination to remain fully present to the bigger truth inside our hearts and what we intuitively feel called to do. Yet we must do it if our intention is to live fully from our hearts.
From my heart to yours,
