Week 6

A Year of Mindfulness: 52 Weeks of Focus

Follow the link anytime to join. It’s never too late to be mindful.

This week’s focus for #mindful52 is practice. After a week of pondering, questioning . . . and finally un-sticking my stagnant thoughts about creativity, I’m ready to  move on to the mundane-ness of practice.

Practice. Boring. Or is it?

We do it all the time. Or do we?

Have you ever given practice that much thought? Our Year of Mindfulness is just that. The mundane-ness of practice, day in and day out, reminding ourselves over and over to stay with and sit in WHAT IS.

If we look at practice as something we have to do, we miss the point. While practice helps us get better at whatever we are practicing, it also makes up the majority of our days. In many instances, we practice to get ready for an event of some sort – a minute, hour, day in our life for which we are preparing.

We practice the instrument to make lovely melodies in the concert.

We practice running to finish – or win – the race.

We practice softball to beat the other team.

Which is more important . . . the practice, or the event?

Look back on your past to recall the concerts, races and games in which you participated. How many can you recall? Now think about practicing for those events. Any moments, lessons, thoughts come to mind?

Life IS practice and practice IS life. Yogis (hopefully) get this. We step onto our mats not only to improve asana, but to notice and be present on the mat – and subsequently in life. We do it to show up for life in a more meaningful way. Writers (hopefully) practice for those very same reasons.

Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras describes practice as abhyasa, which is practice over a long period of time. Abhyasa is having an attitude of persistent effort to attain and maintain a state of stable tranquility (1.13). Isn’t practice a place – THE place – of transformation? Slow, steady change – asana to asana, stillpoint to stillpoint, breath by breath.

This week like all others, I will practice. I will find joy in the practice, knowing it’s possibly the most sacred of places. I hope you’ll do the same. Please share your thoughts – either with a comment or a tweet (using #mindful52).

In closing, here are two synchronicities (this ALWAYS happens!) that arose in my reading yesterday as I was preparing for this post . . .

“Practice isn’t about being a good writer or a bad writer; it’s about being present with the writing, surrendering to the process, and trusting the pen.”

from A Writer’s Book of Days by Judy Reeves

“Practice is uncovering the resistance.”

from A Year of Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater

Have a blessed, mindful week of glorious practice!