Committing to practices is different from making resolutions. The latter are prescribed: something to do or something not to do. Practices are distinct from routines; routines are focused on schedules and close-mindedness.
A practice has a larger intention. It unfolds the wrinkles in our thinking, unhitches the crimps in our soul, releases the catch in our throats, and gives us permission to pronounce ourselves ready for the real work of the day.
A practice has a larger intention. It unfolds the wrinkles in our thinking, unhitches the crimps in our soul, releases the catch in our throats, and gives us permission to pronounce ourselves ready for the real work of the day.
For me, practices are about process; they are about engaging life as it happens. Sometimes my practice is stronger, while other times circumstances make practicing more of a challenge. But there is no failure in practice. In fact, sometimes practice does not entail doing something, but rather just being: being in the moment, being in solitude, being still, being aware, being in our emotions, being in a state of inaction, being contemplative.
A practice is something we move into, over and over again, with a rhythm that echoes off walls, gets the chimes tingling, resounds through all time. Like our breath, practices cycle us in and out: studying our inner landscape so that we can move more freely in the outer one. It brings us back to the core of who we are as human beings on this planet Earth. We practice something not to become "better" at it but so that it comes more naturally to us when we really need it.
Into what practice will you breathe during 2016?
Many blessings to you and yours for a beautiful new year.
Into what practice will you breathe during 2016?
Many blessings to you and yours for a beautiful new year.
All blog images created & photographed by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: "©2016 JenniferJWilhoit/TEALarbor stories. AllRightsReserved."
