Was there ever a time someone asked you a question that changed your life?
Here’s one for me:
In 2014, my friend Amanda invited me to join her at a yoga and writing retreat in Guatemala, run by two of her college friends.
My heart said, “Go!”
My husband said, “Don’t!”
The retreat fell over Thanksgiving, and he didn’t like the idea of spending it apart. Also the money for such a trip—solo!—seemed indulgent to him.
But the pull in my heart was strong. Stronger than my codependence. Stronger than my fear of his disappointment.
I worked some magic. I landed an assignment from Yoga Journal to write about the venue. I got support from the Guatemala Tourism Bureau to cover my airfare.
I was going.
Each morning started with optional meditation practice.
I’d never meditated before, thought it always sounded like a good idea. So each morning, I got up early, wrapped myself in a blanket, and sat.
The teacher wasn’t some spiritual guru. She was a midwestern American the same age as me. Yet she seemed to know things I didn’t.
She played the harmonium. She emphasized the power of morning routines. She drank warm lemon water every day.
She led a yin yoga class and I felt more relaxed than I knew was even possible.
One day, near the end of our retreat, she asked the group a simple question that absolutely changed my life: What would it mean to have a spiritual path?
I had never considered this.
I was raised without religion. My father was a non-practicing secular Jew. My mother, an atheist with a PhD in chemistry.
My mom tells a story of when we visited a famous church on vacation. I embarrassed the heck out of her by asking loudly, “Mommy, is this where people go to watch movies?” I was three and had never been in a church.
A “spiritual path” felt like something for other people.
I was an achiever, grounded in the material world. Rational. Type A+.
And yet, the question seemed worth wondering about.
At the time, I had no idea what a spiritual path could look like for me.
But I enjoyed meditating, so I downloaded an app to help me continue at home. (I used Headspace. These days, I recommend The Way.)
I liked yoga and had free classes at my office, so I started going every day.
Nothing changed overnight. Yet I felt like my life was an ocean barge that had shifted its course a few degrees.
Given enough time, I’d end up in a completely different place than I’d been headed.
Within a year, I was working my way through a spiritual book the teacher had recommended. It made no sense to me, but I plowed ahead anyway.
Within about 14 months, I had joined a yoga teacher training. I started learning new maps of embodied wisdom.
Within two years, I completed my first silent meditation retreat.
Still, the shifts were slow and subtle for a while.
I felt a stronger sense of serendipity. More gratitude. A deeper connection to mystery. A growing interest in the unfathomable.
By 2018, I’d quit one job, found a coach, gotten divorced, quit another job, and gone on a vision quest.
Spiritual and personal growth started to take center stage.
I’ll spare you all the details, but by early 2024, I was preparing for a six-day retreat with a shaman and powerful plant medicine.
My list of intentions was long and ambitious. Just before sharing them with the group, I scribbled one more at the top: Know God.
Intentions are powerful, my friends.
That retreat kicked off a two-year cycle that’s just completing this week. I can now say, without a doubt, that my spiritual path has become my whole path.
Why am I telling you all this?
To spark something in you.
To plant a seed that might grow into a mighty tree.
To thank that yoga teacher for her impact.
But mostly, to offer you permission—and inspiration—to ask the question for yourself.
Gently, in the background. Or boldly, right now.
You’ll know.
So, my friends, I say it again: What would it mean for you to have a spiritual path?
I’d love to hear what that stirs in you.
With humility,
Rachel
PS – If you’re already on a spiritual path, I’d love to hear what led you there.
