There are times when our practice is strong, and times when it’s not so strong. For me a strong practice begins with a foundation of some very simple, small things I can do every day. If I’m sitting in meditation every morning, even if only for 10-15 minutes, my practice tends to be a lot stronger. Other things naturally fall into place: yoga multiple times a week (if not every day), prayer, writing, walking and mindful eating. If I don’t do that 10-15 minutes, the rest of my practices are sporadic at best: yoga when I can find time for it, eating healthy sometimes, praying/writing non-formally and in a non-focused way. The small things really add up and give us the foundation for real progress.
Yoga practice, for example, can vary so much day to day, season to season and by what we need/what the fuck is going on in our lives. Yes, a dedicated physical practice will bring many benefits, but time is an issue as well as many other factors. If you’re tired because you have a million kids it can be hard to set aside an hour to do yoga asana. Meditation, on the other hand, only needs to take 10 or 15 minutes, and we can do it no matter what the fuck else is going on. Broke your arm? Sit and meditate. Tired? Sit and meditate. This is a practice that requires so little of our time, it just asks that we show up every day. I’ll be the first to admit that I fall out of this habit, and I’m also the first to notice how quickly the rest of my practices suffer because of it. When I need to reset, I need only go back to the foundation of my practice: sitting and breathing. It’s not a fancy practice, doesn’t look super cool on instagram, but it does the fucking trick. Today I recommit to sitting. I invite you to do the same. Right before or after your morning shit, take 10-15 minutes to do nothing but sit.
xo,
M