~ An Inspired Daily Practice ~

Work. Keep digging your well.

Don't think about getting off from work.

Water is there somewhere.

Submit to daily practice.

Your loyalty to that

Is a ring at the door.

Keep knocking, and the joy inside

Will eventually open a window

and look out to see who's there. 

~RUMI

For awhile I attempted to stick to the same exact spiritual practice every day, thinking this would be the best way to support and nurture my growth and evolution. While I felt the physical and emotional benefits of this method, I began to notice a part of me that felt ignored and repressed. Curiously, I turned my attention to this inner voice, and I found a need that wasn't being met by my strictly monotonous way of coming home to myself. A need for creativity, a need for space, a need for gentle awareness.

As I looked deeper, I began to see that I would hold frustration or anger towards myself when I did not have the same consistent amount of energy every morning to complete my preplanned practice of yoga, qigong, and meditation. I burst out in laughter when the bright light of clarity came streaming into my consciousness like warm sunshine... I was holding my practice, which was originally intended to be an act of self-care and spiritual devotion, in this harsh, disembodied, abusive energy. My practice had become just another thing I could beat myself up about instead of a time to really drop in and nurture loving acceptance for myself.

I started to notice and honor the changes in my energy levels each morning. Sometimes I wake up and am full of bright, active energy. Sometimes I wake up and feel darker and more restful. Sometimes I wake up and feel somewhere in between. Each experience is beautifully and effortlessly okay, none being better or worse than another. However, I began to clearly see my bias towards the mornings when I felt productive and energized, and I noticed how the mornings when I felt slower and more tired triggered feelings of inadequacy for me.

Having a practice that only held space for the times when I awoke feeling ready and full of energy left me in a very narrow, constricted place, and I became inspired to switch it up and experiment. I dropped all expectations or plans of what was going to arise each morning, and I allowed myself to sit in the present moment and simply listen. I would wake up and check in with my body... asking it, sweet body, how are you really? What would feel most healing for you on this particular morning? Not surprisingly, each morning was completely different and unique and new. I danced, I spent time moving slowly on the ground, I sang, I wrote, I did headstands, I sat in stillness listening to my breath. Each morning was original and authentic... mirroring the way I feel each moment is unique and special. The moment cannot be planned for or packaged into a tight, secure box. It is wild, free, and always changing. My needs for creativity, fluidity, and space began to be met as I continued this experiment with my practice.

In giving myself the freedom to play with my practice instead of taking it so seriously, I stumbled into insights that transformed my approach. I found that literally anything could become a part of my spiritual practice, and my perception of what a spiritual practice was expanded greatly. I am practicing mindfulness and presence when I do yoga and qigong, but I am also practicing when I brush my teeth or wash the dishes or make my breakfast. In describing the sacred path of the warrior Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche says that it is important to realize that you are never off duty, and I began to resonate with this as my attitude towards my spiritual practice became wider in scope. Every moment is included in my practice not just the hour or two hours I dedicate to it in the morning.

That being said, I have found it incredibly helpful and healing to establish and maintain a morning practice. A practice that is rooted in balance and holds space for both discipline and fluidity. In establishing a daily routine, I intend for there to be harmony between the energies of Earth and of Water. Structure and flow. Repetition and spontaneity. I have consistent rituals that I perform each morning, but I now allow for the space to really meet and be present with my needs each morning as well. I do my best to accept whatever rises and to greet it with recognition and love. While the physical manifestations of my practice vary and transform, my focus and direction seem to stay consistent... My practice is an intentional, quiet time of the day. A time to drop in and enjoy the silence and stillness of mind body connection. A time to center and ground and check in.

It feels so good to me to wake up and take care of myself in this way. It feels so good to start my day with respect, honor, and ritual. I feel that it sets a powerful energetic vibration that ripples out and fills the rest of my day with light and peace. 

An ocean of Love,

Grace