How to Joyfully Create Your Daily Personal Practice

Photo by Alina Vilchenko from Pexels

 

What is a Daily Practice?

Your personal practice is the activity or thing that you show up for again and again. Ideally, daily. It is, as the name suggests, personal and should look unique, just like you. It is essentially the time that you set aside for yourself. What you do and when you do it are up to you! 

It can look different every day or it could be structured and set. Either way, within your practice you can discover the constantly changing nature of our bodies and minds. Showing up daily helps to strengthen qualities such as resilience, perseverance, and discipline. 

What Might Your Practice Consist of?

The activity or activities that you show up for every day are your choice. The idea is to choose the thing or things that make you feel connected. This could be a connection to yourself or to something higher. I like to think of it as 'plugging in.' Below is a list of possible activities. These are just examples. Your practice may include one or more of the following:

• Dancing
• ​Yoga (Asana)
• Walking / Running / Biking
• ​Stretching
• Meditation
• ​​Breathwork / Pranayama
• Prayer
• Journaling
• Sitting in Nature
• Study (Language / Instrument / Etc.)
• Music / Singing / Playing
• Coffee or Tea Ritual

Discover What Works for You and Prioritize

Experiment and discover the practice or practices that you can’t live without, or at least you’d rather not live without. To determine what these are for you, answer the following questions:
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• Where do you find solace? 
• What helps you center? 
• What brings you joy?

​If you’re interested in many things, take time to learn which is the most important right now. If showing up daily is the hard part, it may be helpful to pick the activity that is the easiest to show up for. As you develop the habit of arriving daily, you can add to the activity or switch to another. 

How Much Time Can You Dedicate?

The amount of time is adaptable. It could be five minutes, a half hour, or a full hour. It doesn’t matter so much the amount of time, as it does the ability to be consistent. Make sure that you’re picking a feasible chunk of time. If you were a beginner runner, you wouldn’t try to run a marathon on day one! The same applies to your practice. Start small and build consistency.

When?

Picking the time is important. Choose a space in the day that will be easiest for you to keep. Perhaps a time in the day where you usually have energy. For example, if you know that after work you have no energy, it may be difficult to start a new habit during this time. In this case, you may be better off to tack your practice on with your morning coffee.  

Make the time and play with the when to determine what sticks for you. You could only have a few minutes to spare in the mornings before heading off to work. Don’t let that deter you. Even five minutes a day is beneficial. It can be in between tasks or after work. 

Be Gentle With Yourself

Be patient with yourself as your practice grows and sometimes wanes. Don't give up when met with difficulty. Simply ask yourself, what can I learn from this?

May this be the encouragement you need to not give up. Take your time as you discover and build your practice. My wish is to spread the understanding that this journey is not about perfection. It is about playing and discovering. ​

As you experiment, make it achievable, prioritize what is most important to you at this time, and be honest with how much time you are able to give. And, most importantly, relax and have fun. :)​

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