Ever read a book that promises the moon and the stars, and you’re feeling all excited the whole time you read it? Yes, yes, this is what I want! This writer is nailing it! I can’t wait – this must have been written just for me. Then . . . the end of the book comes, and along with it, the let down. You’ve read the last sentence, you’re exactly the same. You have not, by some miracle, achieved what they were promising, and worse than that, they haven’t told you how to get it. They’ve told you absolutely, in glorious detail, exactly where and how you long to be, but you are no further along than when you began the book, besides your enormous frustration.

Maybe there’s a piece of information that is being under emphasized in our quick-fix society, and it’s not all that romantic or seemingly desirable, so it can often be overshadowed by the glitzy promise of instant improvement. But that isn’t how growth works. There are no overnight fixes; creating new habits, even super nourishing and wonderful habits that make you feel terrific, requires one very important thing:

P R A C T I C E

The truth that I am proposing is that you already have within you everything that is needed in order to feel and to be your best, in order to live your most content life. But we were never taught to create our own experience of wellness. That’s why when we read these books, we get so excited that perhaps we are finally going to be given the information that will help us to move beyond where we have been for so long. Getting help is wonderful, but at the end of the day, there is no quick fix, and only you are able to do the work, only you are able to incorporate what you might be learning from the guidance you are receiving. And the only way to do that is through practice.

Having been through the wringer with anxiety and the resulting physical stuff, I now consider my practices to be necessary non-negotiables in my life. The fact is – I came to my practices by way of desperation – . I started each practice because of and despite feeling uncomfortable, trusting that if I showed up and stuck with it, the discomfort would slowly fade away to be replaced by wellness or growth. This has been my experience, and it’s not easy, but it is absolutely worth it.

“Spiritual practice is not just sitting and meditating. Practice is looking, thinking, touching, drinking, eating and talking. Every act, every breath, and every step can be practice and can help us to become more ourselves.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

Some of the practices that will be presented here are beautiful contemplative practices that people have been doing for ages, some have been developed and shared by wise people I have trusted during my journey, and some are mostly just common sense things that help me in my everyday life to be more conscious of the choices I’m making that affect how I feel emotionally and physically. When committed to, these practices have the power to be life changing.

 
I strongly believe in the value of practice-based living and will continue to add to these practices and to create an assortment of ways to create and embrace transformational practices into your own life to support you on your journey.