7 things that are attracting Millennials and GenZs to spirituality

Spirituality, manifestation, affirmations, visualisation, and whatnot have become buzzwords today. Be it millennials hitting their 30s or the Gen-Z crowd that people expect to see partying in clubs, everyone is getting attracted to spirituality instead. Be it temple hopping (instead of cafe hopping) or spiritual tourism, both millennials and Gen-Zs are taking the lead in it all, exploring the temples of India, honouring the traditions of Hinduism, and visiting places of spiritual importance. From the Ghats of Banaras to the tents in Mahakumbh, one can clearly see a growing number of young Indians in these places.
And so, here we mention 7 things that could be attracting Millennials and GenZs to spirituality.

Life today is overwhelming! There is academic pressure, peer pressure, social pressure, job stress, family stress, financial and economic issues, and so on and so forth. And where will a person go to relieve this stress? Now, to spirituality. As the millennials and Gen-Zs juggle through stressors and responsibilities, they see spirituality as a quiet escape from the things that stress them. A few moments of meditation here and there, and a few days of ‘Ghat hopping’ in Banaras is just what people need to relax and rejuvenate.

Spirituality is giving people the moments of peace that they now long for. Since time immemorial, humans have craved a peaceful space where they can sit in quiet, have a moment or two to themselves, and just unwind and relax. As the notifications have become endless and each day at the office is more stressful that the one before, a few minutes of meditation and visualisation is helping people keep their mind sane. It calms the mental chatter, the monkey mind, and when people put their phones on DND, life starts to feel a bit more relaxed.

Not just in India, but rather all over the world there has been a rise in spiritual consciousness. People are now focusing not just on the material riches and the 9-9 grind, but also on self-care, healing, shedding the cycles of trauma and much more. And between it all, spirituality is encouraging people to think outside the box of money and profits that some have created. Both millennials and Gen-Z’s are now aiming to be more compassionate, live more holistically, save themselves, the environment, the future generations, and much more.

The appeal of spirituality for young people is also a result of the truly intellectual and relatable spiritual saints who have come up in the past few years. Be it Premanand Maharaj, or Sadhguru, or Guruji Nirmal Singh Maharaj, or Neem Karoli Baba, the teachings of these saints and teacher figures have really influenced the generation and the way they talk and influence people to walk on the right paths, choose the right lifestyles, and getting rid of the evils, has made an impact on the younger generations. There are people who have joined Sadhguru’s campaigns, men and women who make it a point to visit Premananda Maharaj atleast once a month, and to so many, it just feels better to walk on this path now.

Spirituality gives people a chance to heal themselves internally. While the scratches and injuries on the outside heal and vanish soon enough, there are certain internal struggles that wound people so deeply that they have trouble forgetting them. These internal struggles and wounds also make them unhappy individuals who are constantly stressed, seeking validation from everyone around, do not love themselves enough, cannot maintain steady relationships, and more. And for people who struggle like this, spirituality is a path to heal themselves. Be it inert traumas, generational patterns of anger and abuse, or even something bigger, spirituality has helped many to release it all.

Probably one of the biggest reasons why millennials and Gen-Zs are so into spirituality is because of some inspiration. And these inspirations are people like Abhey Singh and Gauranga Das Prabhu, both IITians who left the path of material competition and submitted themselves to the divine. When people got to know that Abhay Singh studied in IIT Bombay and holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering they could not help but wonder “if a man this accomplished could leave it all for the divine, where do we stand in the rat race?”Similarly, when people talk about Gauranga Das Prabhu and his education from IIT Bombay and then shifting to ISKCON, the pull towards being spiritual intensifies.

One of the most sad reasons that many (not all!) are walking on the path of pseudo-spirituality is Instagram fame. Being a spiritual influencer is all the rage right now and even if you know two shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita, you will be hailed as an all-knowing and will garner millions of views quickly. And as sad as it might sound, for many people today, spirituality is turning into nothing but an Instagram trend to become famous.