Beyond Muscles and Meals: Why September Needs Something More

So far this week we’ve spoken a lot about the body how training shapes strength, how nutrition feeds energy, how both ripple into your mood and mental health. All of that matters. A lot. But there’s a missing piece if we stop there.

The missing ingredient is spirituality.

When some hear that term they feel warm, others feel tense and even more probably roll their eyes, so let’s clear something up. Spirituality is one of those words that can sound like it belongs on a mountaintop or wrapped up in incense smoke. Some think “crystals, afterlife, chanting, special diets.” And yes, it can be that.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Spirituality, at its simplest, is human. You’ve already felt it. That quiet awe watching the sunrise, or holding your child and suddenly crying without knowing why, even standing barefoot at the edge of the ocean.

It isn’t belief. It’s attention.

My Own Stumbles Toward It

Spirituality isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about becoming more you. More honest, more available & more alive. You don’t need to sign up for a doctrine or be baptised to experience this (again, you can be, but it’s not needed). More and more, people are exploring what’s being called secular spirituality. This is focused on inner peace, human connectedness, and ethical presence without the need for religious beliefs. For many, yoga fulfils this need without them even knowing it - a sense of meaning, compassion, and belonging that doesn’t depend on labels. In a world where cynicism runs high, this is abit of a rebellion, showing up open, curious, and rooted.

I don’t live in a monastery. I live a messy, modern life that’s both chaotic and blessed. There are plenty of days I forget these simple acts, days I want to avoid meditation or yoga, and days I convince myself it needs to be something more complicated than what it is. Yet, whenever I simply things, I find that connection and everything feels right. Recently, I have found it in morning walks to the studio without my earphones distracting me. Just walking and listening and feelings. It’s been a game changer for me.

Try This Today

Here’s an invitation for you. Find thirty minutes in your diary today, (not next week) and claim it. No phone. No podcast. No music.

Go for a walk outside. Don’t plan your to-do list as you step and don’t scroll. Leave the phone at home or the office.

Instead, listen to the birds, feel the breeze and if you’re feeling wild, take your shoes off and walk on the grass or the stone, even the mud. Notice how your mind wants to judge or resist, and let it go. I think cynicism is one of the great plagues of our time & openness is our greatest gift. For just one walk, be that version of you.

Before you go, click the video I’ve linked for inspiration. If you haven’t seen this guy before, it’s Neil deGrass Tyson, an astrophysicist - not a “yogi” or a spiritual seeker. No incense or mandala tattoos (yep I have those), and no harem pants (yes I have those too). But he gets it - he gets spirituality. And so will you on that walk.

Enjoy today,

Stuart