I'm not one to walk around wearing my spirituality on my sleeve, as so many self-proclaimed "spiritual" people do. Soul and spirituality are intensely private matters to me. While no one can articulate a definitive definition or theory of soul, I think we know it best when we experience it in fleeting moments of solitary awareness.

The times I've experienced the apprehension of soul have occurred on my own or with a close and quiet companion in nature. My most poignant experience occurred in the Toggenburg Valley in Switzerland one summer. I took a leisurely hike through and out of Wildhaus to a cavernous waterfall in a gully, Unterwasser.

I could hear the waterfall as I descended. The temperature became increasing cooler the further down I went. The air was perfectly calm, soothingly cool, and still, yet felt kinetic. I followed the trail to the cave behind the waterfall. I felt more serene and centered than I think I ever have. Everything was silent except for the churning water falling against rocks into a pool of water. I could actually hear my breath.

It was an effort to leave and make my way back to the hotel. I can't explain exactly what caused me to have that experience. I can only explain how it felt, that it was meaningful, and I still carry it with me.

You can take classes, workshops, meditate, yoga-fy yourself, but for me, spirituality is found in the simplicity of nature on my own or with a trusted companion who understands the importance of silence.