If you’ve studied with me at all, you know I’m a huge fan of Daily Practice. Over the years daily practice has elevated my life in so many ways! It has brought clarity to my mind. It has given me peace. It has stirred emotions. It has tuned up my body. It has given me energy. It has helped my focus. And so much more.

There are many ways to look at daily practice. It can be strict and formal (which some of us need, and some of us HATE). It can be loose and free. But the biggest point is that it can be anything! It can be a daily meditation. A daily breathing practice. A daily physical practice. A round or 2 of Sun Salutations. A dance! A journal entry. A walk in nature. A walk with the dogs. A stroll with your baby or child. A drawing or painting. A musical practice. An energy practice. A spiritual or devotional reading. What other practices can you think of that I haven’t presented here?

Over the years, my daily practice has changed and evolved in various ways. I’ve done so many different things. Sometimes I started my practice with purpose, other times it has just evolved on its own without me really trying or thinking about it. If we go back many years, one of the first things I can point to is when I first got my license and was able to drive myself to the gym before high school. The practice or ritual became gym/shower/McDonald’s, then off to school. Maybe it sounds funny (the McDonald’s part) but I loved it. It was a great way to start my day! I did something entirely on my own and entirely for myself, and I felt great. Fast forward to my early 20’s where my sister gave me the book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. A huge piece of “The Artist’s Way” is the practice of Morning Pages, a stream of consciousness journaling practice done daily first thing in the morning. I really took to that one! I learned so much about myself through that process, and I began each day with a clear and collected mind. Fast forward to the early days of my Yoga practice. I can’t remember exactly what I did, but I’d pick a pose or series of poses to practice first thing in the morning. Short fast forward to seeing my first Ayurvedic Practitioner. This was the first time I was “given” a tailored daily practice from a Practitioner/Doctor/Teacher. If you know anything about Ayurveda, you know daily practice/ritual is placed at a level of high importance for optimal health. That one was interesting because it started off with just a few self-care practices: Tongue Scraping, Oil Pulling, Neti Pot, etc. But it kept growing to include Asana, Pranayama, Mantra, Abhyanga and perhaps more. My daily practice became up to 2 hours in length at this point! (Sidenote: At this point in my life I was single and living alone, and I always thought, “There’s no way I will be able to keep this up if I get a boyfriend” ha ha!) When I was doing this more formal and strict Ayurvedic style of practice, I truly did feel amazing in my mind, body, and soul. It was the first time in my life I felt as though I understood myself and felt truly healthy. Then I believe my work schedule changed, and it was just not feasible to have such an extended morning routine. So I picked a few of my favorite pieces and just stuck with those. Eventually I moved (in with my boyfriend) and (surprise!) much of it went out the window. I still had a love for all of the things, but felt awkward in my new space (and new town and state) and didn’t really have a private place to practice.

Side note: I’ve always journaled off and on over the years since the The Artist Way days. But I always struggled with this: Do I write first? Or meditate first? The idea of writing when you first wake up is that your mind is clearest and not caught up in the chaos of the day to come. The idea of meditating first thing is the same, and there’s something truly special about spiritual connection in the early morning hours. I’ve gone back and forth on that one over the years. 

Fast forward to making a space in our home where I could formally practice again. Those were the days! Fast forward to when my father passed away. My morning practice for that year consisted of writing to him and crying for as long as I needed to. Fast forward to COVID times when part of my morning practice became studying Vedic Astrology in a daily Zoom class.  Fast forward to getting 2 puppies that needed all of my attention first thing in the morning and throughout much of the day. All practices were gone for quite some time. Fast forward to moving into a small house where I have no personal or private space indoors, and my 3 year old puppies still need attention first thing in the morning. In addition to all of regular life going on, I become soured on some of my favorite mantra and meditation practices due to abuse of power from my then teacher. I just couldn’t bring myself to do anything she had taught me anymore. And I had loved some of those practices so much! 

In the end, or at least at this point in my life, my most regular daily ritual is walking my dogs in nature first thing in the morning (after or with coffee, of course). And many days, when I make or have time, I write in my journal. I also like to look at the phase of the moon to connect to the lunar energies of the day. Things also lend themselves seasonally, as tending to the garden will be a huge piece of my morning in the spring and summer. 

My point in this lengthy description is that Daily Practice changes over the years for everyone. It can still be very effective even if it’s not formal, or perhaps even if it’s not what you’ve envisioned it to be. I look forward to the day when I can or decide to bring back in a daily Mantra practice, as it’s always been the one I’ve found to be most powerful for me. I think it’s important to try different practices and see which one you resonate most with. And it doesn’t have to be a lengthy endeavor, although it can be if you have the time and space. Even though discipline can be tough, there’s something special about connecting to a practice on the daily. And as we age, sometimes we’re forced into something such as a movement practice in order to just feel ok in our body for the day! 

Here’s a great example of using a daily practice to learn something new and extremely beneficial like meditation: Many people tell me “I want to be better at meditating” or “I just can’t sit still long enough to meditate” or “I’m too distracted to meditate” or what have you. But the way we get better at anything is to practice! If we want to reap the benefits of something like meditation, we have to practice regularly. Just 5 minutes each day can make a huge difference in our lives.

So I encourage each and every one of you to just try something, anything! And do it every single day. Make the commitment to yourself. First thing in the morning is a great time because then there are no excuses about the busy-ness of the rest of the day. I encourage you to explore how a daily practice or ritual could possibly change your life for the better. Do it!

I’d love to hear your thoughts or comments on this. And let me know, what is your favorite daily practice at this time?