{"id":416,"date":"2024-04-10T16:53:53","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T22:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/?p=416"},"modified":"2024-04-10T18:22:26","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T00:22:26","slug":"the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Workplace as a Spiritual Practice\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I imagine I\u2019m not alone in the feeling that I spend too much time at work.<\/span> The trussell between our work and personal life is unavoidable in today\u2019s modern world. And because many of us spend up to 90% of our day at the office, it\u2019s critical to use some of this time for other important aspects of our lives, such as our spiritual development. Instead of viewing the workplace as a competitive bloodsport, embracing it as a spiritual practice could transform everyday work challenges into opportunities for personal growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most insidious philosophies that have arisen in the West is the idea that business isn\u2019t personal. This crafty little trope allows a person to behave badly while maintaining a clear conscience. In my career as a public relations executive I\u2019ve seen genuinely good people do awful things while proudly proclaiming that \u201cit\u2019s not personal, it\u2019s business.\u201d What, I wonder, should be more personal than the workplace? After all, a person choosing to spend the majority of their day at work so they can provide for their family is most definitely personal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Source Pixel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unlike our social lives, we can\u2019t choose our colleagues or bosses. And even within companies with the best corporate cultures, you\u2019ll never avoid the one or two jerks you\u2019ll have to deal with on a daily basis. So, instead of positioning or plotting against that person in a Darwinian way, we could instead use the office to develop our patience and kindness. If we actually adopted this as a spiritual practice, the jerk at work could help you advance spiritually much faster than spending time with those you\u2019re already friendly with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking of corporate environments, Employee Resource Groups <\/span>(ERGs) are becoming commonplace. ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that foster a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with organizational mission. Spirituality is quickly becoming a main-stay in ERG groups. In fact, I have a client that makes an app called <\/span>Skylight<\/span><\/a> which is designed for corporate environments and contains spiritual practices that are non-denominational and non-sectarian, such as meditation, affirmations and contemplative prayer. The Skylight app has seen an enormous amount of adoption with <\/span>younger generations <\/span><\/a>(GenZennials) who make up about <\/span>38%<\/span><\/a> of the current workforce and are opting out of formal religious practices\/attendance to embrace <\/span>practices<\/span><\/a> such as those found on Skylight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source Pixel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of my favorite Buddhist<\/a> teachers, <\/span>David Nichtern<\/span><\/a>, has written extensively about <\/span>integrating spiritual practice within the workplace. His teachings involve applying mindfulness and compassion in our interactions and tasks, seeing each challenge as an opportunity to practice patience, empathy, and ethical conduct. Nichtern encourages us to find a deeper sense of fulfillment in our work, turning professional endeavors into meaningful contributions to our inner growth and the well-being of others.<\/span><\/p>\n

This reflective approach can lead to greater creativity and innovation as employees feel more connected to their colleagues and motivated to contribute positively. Encouraging spirituality in the workplace will not only support collaboration and productivity, but more importantly, will provide individuals with a sense of calm and resilience needed to face the ever-increasing stresses and challenges of the workplace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I imagine I\u2019m not alone in the feeling that I spend too much time at work. The trussell between our work and personal life is unavoidable in today\u2019s modern world. And because many of us spend up to 90% of our day at the office, it\u2019s critical to use some of this time for other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5408,"featured_media":422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,137],"tags":[146,143],"class_list":["post-416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buddhism","category-spirituality-of-work","tag-spirituality-in-the-workplace","tag-work-stress"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Workplace as a Spiritual Practice\u00a0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Instead of viewing the workplace as a competitive bloodsport, embracing it as a spiritual practice could transform everyday work challenges into opportunities for personal growth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Workplace as a Spiritual Practice\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Instead of viewing the workplace as a competitive bloodsport, embracing it as a spiritual practice could transform everyday work challenges into opportunities for personal growth.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sacred Kaleidoscope\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/1G7rQy2ypo\/?mibextid=wwXIfr\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-10T22:53:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-11T00:22:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/2123\/2024\/04\/Boyboxes-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alexander Koritz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alexander Koritz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/\",\"name\":\"The Workplace as a Spiritual Practice\u00a0\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-10T22:53:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-11T00:22:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/#\/schema\/person\/317bcfc0edfc406098b93da7e8fea91f\"},\"description\":\"Instead of viewing the workplace as a competitive bloodsport, embracing it as a spiritual practice could transform everyday work challenges into opportunities for personal growth.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Workplace as a Spiritual Practice\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/\",\"name\":\"Sacred Kaleidoscope\",\"description\":\"Sacred Kaleidoscope navigates the confluence of the world's spiritual traditions, showing that we all draw from the same spiritual well.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/#\/schema\/person\/317bcfc0edfc406098b93da7e8fea91f\",\"name\":\"Alexander Koritz\",\"description\":\"Alexander Koritz is a student of various esoteric traditions within Buddhism, Hinduism, Christian mysticism and Shamanism.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/1G7rQy2ypo\/?mibextid=wwXIfr\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alexkoritz\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/author\/akoritz\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Workplace as a Spiritual Practice\u00a0","description":"Instead of viewing the workplace as a competitive bloodsport, embracing it as a spiritual practice could transform everyday work challenges into opportunities for personal growth.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Workplace as a Spiritual Practice\u00a0","og_description":"Instead of viewing the workplace as a competitive bloodsport, embracing it as a spiritual practice could transform everyday work challenges into opportunities for personal growth.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/","og_site_name":"Sacred Kaleidoscope","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/1G7rQy2ypo\/?mibextid=wwXIfr","article_published_time":"2024-04-10T22:53:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-11T00:22:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1707,"height":2560,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/2123\/2024\/04\/Boyboxes-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alexander Koritz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alexander Koritz","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/","name":"The Workplace as a Spiritual Practice\u00a0","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-04-10T22:53:53+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-11T00:22:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/#\/schema\/person\/317bcfc0edfc406098b93da7e8fea91f"},"description":"Instead of viewing the workplace as a competitive bloodsport, embracing it as a spiritual practice could transform everyday work challenges into opportunities for personal growth.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/2024\/04\/the-workplace-as-a-spiritual-practice\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Workplace as a Spiritual Practice\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/","name":"Sacred Kaleidoscope","description":"Sacred Kaleidoscope navigates the confluence of the world's spiritual traditions, showing that we all draw from the same spiritual well.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/#\/schema\/person\/317bcfc0edfc406098b93da7e8fea91f","name":"Alexander Koritz","description":"Alexander Koritz is a student of various esoteric traditions within Buddhism, Hinduism, Christian mysticism and Shamanism.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/1G7rQy2ypo\/?mibextid=wwXIfr","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alexkoritz"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/author\/akoritz\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5408"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/sacredkaleidoscope\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}