My practices have become, by necessity, my way of life. Over the course of many years of attempting to heal, so much confusion, trial and error and trying to avoid being who I am, I finally admitted that the most detrimental thing I can do for my well-Being is abandon my practices.

When I do my practices, I’m okay. Capable of being Well. When I don’t do them, I’m not. When I feel Connected, I am me. When I don’t, I am adrift. But even once I was pretty sure I knew the practices I need in order to be Well, in order to feel Connected, it took me a long time to accept it, and I fought it and avoided it pretty hard. I looked around and saw that other people didn’t need to do practices all the time to feel okay, I’d improve a little and then try to push through again, try to be “normal.” But alas, I’d be brought back to a place where I simply had no choice but to resume my commitment to my self-tending practices. And then start feeling better once again.

I have come to love my practices. I have come to trust them. I have come to feel as though when I am consistently sticking with my practices, THEY are taking care of ME. And I love feeling the relief of being supported and nurtured in this way.

I 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 well-Being or growth. This has been my experience, and it has not been easy. And it has not been a straight line. But learning to show up for my practices is what makes it possible for me to feel well AND to feel Connected in a way that nourishes my spirit.

“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 presented here are 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. Some I do daily, and some I pull out when I know I need it, because I’ve done it so often before that I trust that it will help me. I trust it and know how it helps me because . . . I have practiced it.

 
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 in your own life.