Most of us are already practicing something every day – that’s how we form routines, and routines form habits.  Then, vice versa: habits – routines – practiced daily. This can be a healthy and virtuous cycle of optimism; e.g., “1% better.”   However, sometimes we practice distraction. We can practice pushing things across little screens for hours! This can lead to inspiration, or it can lead to irritation; constantly comparing ‘what is’ against our expectations.  That practiced behavior can lead to a vicious cycle of self-criticism and anxiety.

The question is not whether we practice.

What are we practicing?

Meaningful practice is repeated, sustained effort toward greater steadiness. It is not repetition for its own sake. It has a direction. Purpose and mindful intention bring us back to clarity, attention, balance, and the ability to respond rather than simply react.

Our minds are constantly forecasting futures that do not yet exist. This is a mix of protection and self-promotion.  Anxiety imagines what might go wrong; optimism imagines what might go right. Both are projections. Optimism can orient us toward possibility, while anxiety can alert us to risk. But either can pull us away from the present when we become absorbed in the forecast.

Practice on Purpose brings us back to the infinite Now – all of subtleties and simplicities at work in this moment.

That type of practice helps us hold hope without expecting a particular outcome. We can accept uncertainty without rehearsing catastrophes or delusions. We have an option to return one breath at a time – shifting the unconscious cycle to the our conscious awareness.  That practice transforms this moment, this reality, and the next useful action into infinite abundance.

That practice does not need to be dramatic.  Breathing in and breathing out can seem rather mundane.

However, when you notice that your attention has wandered, and you return, then the nervous system resets and new neurons start to fire and wire together.

You notice tension in the neck and shoulders. You choose to soften the muscles on your exhale, and inhale to restore life to your body.

You might lose your balance or your rhythm, but you choose begin again.

You miss a few days, and you come back.

That is the practice.

Steadiness develops through simple effort repeated over time with intention. Breakthroughs come incrementally, like water flowing over stone.

It’s not unrealistic comparison or ideas of perfection. Simple consistency.

Some days the ‘water’ of the mind will feel clear. Other days it will be rushing and restless. Some days the body will feel strong and open. Other days will require more effort.  These are facts of life.

A successful practice can not be measured externally.

It can only be measured by our internal values.

Consciously or unconsciously, our habits strengthen the values we repeatedly demonstrate. Over time, those choices shape how we meet ourselves, and how we meet every new day.

So perhaps the most useful question is not:

“Am I practicing?”

It is simply:

“What am I practicing today?”

Here are seven simple daily practices:

1. Quiet the mind for a few minutes
2. Move your body
3. Protect your sleep
4. Laugh and connect with someone you love
5. Mindful breathwork
6. Put the screen down
7. Eat with intention

Let’s do this!