Nothing and no one can make us spiritual because we already are, writes Nicole Bordeleau in her new book, Find the essentials. This sentence summarizes the questioning about spirituality which is at the source of this inspiring book, well anchored in the present and in our current concerns. Moving from darkness to light, from passivity to action, from the defeatist “what’s the point…” to commitment to oneself, to others, to the planet. Because there is an emergency.
Nicole Bordeleau, an international reference in personal development, but also a generous and resilient, patient woman, always finds perfect images to induce a good dose of calm, optimism and comfort in darker times.
“Whether a room has been in darkness for months, years or decades, all it takes is a single flame to transform it from darkness to light. This flame is our spiritual essence.”
At a time when ecoanxiety, economic and social problems, crises, wars, emergencies and artificial intelligence are taking up a lot of space, she brings everything back to basics.
An important quest
In an interview, Nicole Bordeleau recalls the importance of thinking about different ways of being engaged, both towards yourself, others, and the planet. Can we propose spirituality as a possible solution for various contemporary issues?
“For me, it resonates so much! I have been meeting people on retreats for around ten years and paying much more attention to what they are looking for, what they are asking, what they are questioning,” she noted.
“For the past ten years, people have been searching for meaning. There is truly a desire to give their lives a richer and deeper meaning. Very often, they don’t know where to start.”
“When we suggest opening the conversation about spirituality, it’s astonishing. No one ever says: oh no, I’m not interested. People are curious to know what I mean by spirituality, how we explore it, what it can provide as a tool, as a path of exploration.”
Nicole Bordeleau adds that this subject is a slightly different proposition from what she tackled in her other books. “I had a lot of joy writing this book and I am happy to offer it.”
A secular approach
She specifies that spirituality is secular and is not linked to a religious movement. “What we forget, what we are not taught, is that it is written in the DNA of the human being. The human being is a spiritual being. We come to the spiritual world. We forget it. There are lots of things we are taught that take us away from it.”
In his opinion, the rise of individualism, materialism and capitalism have meant that we have really focused on our external lives. “I have nothing against that: it takes a balance. But we have lost this balance. And it’s all about appearances right now.”
“That’s why people are looking, through the movements of coaching personal, personal growth and development, answers. But it remains external because no one teaches us how to take these tools and work with them, shape them in our internal world so that it makes a difference.
Broader vision
Spirituality offers something else, she says. “It offers a vision that goes beyond the self, my personal development, my personal growth, to open onto something broader that unfolds, like the common good, humanity. That’s what spirituality is: this vision which is so much broader. I think it can really help us in the years to come. In any case, that’s the sense I have.”
Find the essentials
Nicole Bordeleau
Éditions Édito
208 pages
▶ In bookstores October 25.
- Nicole Bordeleau is a yoga master, meditation teacher, best-selling author and sought-after speaker.
- It is recognized as one of the main references in wellness in Quebec and abroad.
- All of his books are bestsellers, including Inner Healing, Everything Passes, The Art of Reinventing Yourself, Returning to the World, Breathe.
- She also wrote a novel, Loving Yourself, Despite Everything.
“How can a spiritual life enrich our
existence ? By allowing us to change the perception
of what we are. Often we feel
to be our thoughts, our states of mind, our impulses and our
existential anxieties. But this is a false perception.
Through the development of an inner life, we
learn to see yourself in a new light.”
-Nicole Bordeleau, Find the essentials, Éditions Édito
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