what and why i practice...

from chore to care

At some point the word “practice” shifted from sounding like a chore to sounding like a practice of refuge i can return to.

I mean, there are many days where it still feels like a chore before I do it.

I could be doing so many other things… why should I intentionally carve out time to practice when I have a stack of books I wanna read, emails to answer, bills to pay, the world to witness and try to help, etc.

And what am I even practicing? Is it just a general word for my devotion to wellbeing and self-improvement for the sake of a larger purpose? Is it specific things like meditation and somatics?

What I practice spans across many fields and lineages, and does combine my root go-to practices and a variety of grab bag old and new practices.

What and how I practice includes and interweaves practices of…

presence, awareness, offering,

opening, asking, receiving,

releasing, communing, relating,

responding, grieving, hoping,

accepting, praying, creating,

simplifying, unraveling, learning,

unlearning, clearing, clarifying,

feeling, sensing, moving,

slowing, grounding, rooting,

uplifting, expanding,

space holding, connecting,

boundary-setting,

reflecting, changing,

choosing, cycling,

remembering…

I can and do often simplify all of this into words like mindfulness, self-awareness, embodiment, somatics, divination, cycle awareness, collective care, spirit work, eco-mysticism, movement, etc…

and while those words help consolidate, I’m not sure if they always clarify the why/how/what specifically.

So I’ll continue to clarify through the why’s:

I practice so I can show up in the world as my whole/true self, not a scattered or compartmentalization version of me.

I practice so I can practice accepting myself however I am.

I practice so I can be more responsive and less reactive.

I practice so I can know my capacity and be honest about it.

I practice so I can feel deeper, see clearer, and love wholly.

I practice so I can create and find choice in change and chaos

I practice so I can hold both/ands, unknowns, complexity and contradictions.

I practice to practice being imperfect and accepting my wholeness anyways.

I practice to make this world a better place through the one thing I can control - how I show up.

What do you practice for?

It’s okay if you’re unsure, or too overwhelmed to think of it right now.

Sometimes practicing in community can help clear the fog or help you come back to a sense of your why & how.

So, you’re invited to practice,

Earth knows we all need it.

Join me for Cyclical Mindfulness - which I’ve now made available at a sliding scale.

In sensory solidarity,
Rachael Amber