Essence of Ramadan

We have just started the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar.  During this month, Muslims believe that the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammad (may the peace and blessings of God be upon him).  Most people know about Ramadan for the not eating or drinking anything from sun-up to sundown but few really understand the essence of this time period. 

As a person who loves spirituality, ceremony, learning and participating in every religion and group, I often times find myself “celebrating” spiritual days for other religions and soaking up the benefits of them as I know a group of people around the world are doing the same.  Whether it is chanting from the Baghavad Gita in the woods of Florida; doing a native American sweat in a tent of a friend’s backyard; creating miracles in my life during Hanukkah about how I can experience the oil lasting for 12 days; or celebrating the Epiphany with my own, I have always loved a good spiritual practice. Because each of those events have hundreds of thousands or millions of people celebrating around the world and being in that juicy energy with that many people holding a positive intention is the perfect place for me to be!

With that in mind, I thought, how would I invite my non-Muslim, spiritual-loving friends to celebrate Ramadan with me?  When I was younger, my friends used to try fasting for a day with me and while an interesting life experience, any Muslim can tell you fasting for a day is torture but by the time you do 4 or 5 in a row, it becomes a lot easier (though, still hard).  But Ramadan is not about the fasting.  Fasting is a vehicle for the deep spiritual work.  And, just as I do not necessarily go to Jewish services in Hanukkah to get the benefit of the spiritual work, you do not have to fast to get the spiritual benefit of Ramadan.  Here are the 5 spiritual practices that you can bring into your life for the next 30 days to experience the essence of Ramadan.

1. Compassion – Muslims fast from sunup to sundown and while doing so think of all of those that never have enough to eat or clean water to drink. Unicef reports that 4,500 children die each day from a lack of clean drinking water. But you don’t have to go too far outside of your neighborhood to know that there are people who are living on rice and beans, and those that regularly that go without any food at all.14% of Americans live in Food Insecure homes (41.1 million Americans) and that is in the richest nation of the world. My practice during Ramadan was to give the money I would spend on lunch away to someone who could not afford to eat. You can do this by soup kitchen donations or by handing out food gift cards (grocery stores, fast food, etc) to people on the street. Or, you can make donations to organizations such as like water.org (Matt Damon’s charity) among the millions of others. But, you don’t have to donate anything, you could just be more compassionate. I talk about this often. Let someone merge into traffic in front of you, smile at your neighbors, when you ask someone how they are, stop and listen to the answer, support someone who is going through something you went through- like offer to watch someone’s young kids for a few hours so they can have a break, visit a hospital or nursing home. The possibilities to be compassionate are endless.
2. Connecting to God (Source) – During Ramadan, Muslims spend their day reading the Quran and going to extra prayer services each evening. Since you are not taking a lunch break, they either work shorter days leaving early to go home and engage in spiritual practice or using their lunch break to read or listen to something spiritually uplifting. During this month, add a daily spiritual practice (even if it is just five minutes) to your day. This could be a daily five minute meditation, listening to uplifting talk on the way to work each day, taking a walk at lunch to connect with nature, daily prayer, or any other connection activity that helps you connect to your higher self.
3. Detox – I am a coffee addict – a proud one. My the end of Ramadan, I am not. One thing you learn quickly from fasting each day is how little your body really needs to survive and how your body really craves healthy foods to survive. Ramadan is a great time for me to kick the coffee and sugar habits. The first few days are rough, but by after mid-month, I just want water and in large quantities. What is one food you can detox from for this month? Maybe you don’t give it up completely, but you cut down. You can do a Ramadan/Lent combination on this one!
4. Kick or Add a Habit - I normally choose a habit to kick or add during the month. I may choose to be impeccable with my word.Every time I feel a hunger pang, I use it as a reminder of what words I am using and am I being impeccable with what I am saying. One Ramadan, I decided to become super aware of what I say yes and no to and if I say yes, to ensure I deliver on my yes. Choose a habit that you will either create or let go of during this month and practice each day. Some habits are easier to kick cold turkey and others are better to ween off of. Remember to reward yourself for whatever you do, even if it is a little bit in the right direction! That is why they call it a practice! And, science has shown anything you do for 30 days becomes a habit.
5. Community Connection – The best part of Ramadan is opening your fast at dinners with friends or at the Mosque. Going to the Mosque is fun because there are always tons of people there praying, reading or just hanging out. It is a time for community and connection. A time to come together. This Ramadan, take a moment to reach out to someone you have not talked to in a long time and check in. Go to a local group or meet up and spend time with like minded people. Bake cookies for your neighbor and drop them off to create a better neighborhood community. (I did this over the holidays but did not leave a note, and I am pretty sure they threw them away because they had no idea who it was from! Oh well, it is the thought that counts!) There are new studies every day that are showing how in our internet and digital connected era, most people feel lonely and disconnected. The smallest act of reaching out can have a huge impact on someone else!
   

These are the five practices I will be adopting this month and I hope you will join me in practicing the essence of Ramadan… fasting optional ;)