Notes / Moments No. 4 | Practice

Daily practice is double edged. The practice become much “easier” with consistent, frequent engagement than if it happens once in a while. You avoid rustiness, minimize time spent “getting into it” while maximizing takeaways and output. But daily effort requires sacrifice. It’s time and energy put toward your mission that takes away from something else, whether that’s sleep, time with loved ones or other work.

When you finally get into a groove, though, a practice can become part of your identity. Its effects are felt physically and mentally. At first, your practice is affected by your decisions, but with time your decisions are affected by your practice — in a good way, assuming it’s a good-for-you practice.

Up until recently, I felt like I was sinking. I enjoy a disciplined daily ritual but had fallen out of almost all of them due to travel and general life chaos that was beyond my control, or so I thought. I posted this Instagram photo that reminded me of a time I was more disciplined, and remembered the feeling of accomplishment I’d get when I put every ounce of myself into any given activity (at the time, it was pilates on the megaformer). I miss that, and after a few weeks of putting aside time to practice my favorite activities daily or almost daily, I’m starting to see progress. I forgot how very motivating progress is. Here are a few notes and moments from the week, all connected to practice.

FITNESS | Sometimes you have to revisit an old routine, even if it’s scary. That’s how I felt about taking a class at Brooklyn Body Burn last week, trying it on again for the first time in about a year and whoa, I was humbled. I could barely keep up with other burners but I did challenge myself; this routine is one of the most productive and efficient I’ve ever done — after just one session, I have been feeling tighter, stronger and more flexible. Kudos to Dara, who delivered an awesome, balanced and incredibly challenging but supportive workout.

MEDITATION | Because I tried and failed to develop a regular meditation practice, I’ve teamed up with the husband and wife team behind one of my favorite yoga destinations, Azulie Life, to host a 30-day meditation challenge on Instagram. I invite you to join us, sharing triumphs and struggles alike, keeping it real, with the hashtag #summerofmeditation.

PODCAST | My latest conversation with Alden Wicker of ECOCULT is for anyone interested in becoming a better writer, working for themselves and /or learning a thing or two about what it really means to be a conscious consumer. She shares her vetted, tried-and-true resources for ethically minded products and services, plus how conscious consumption is really just a thought process.

WRITING | I’ve been into writing some longer-form features that will take shape soon, but my best work happens when I’m writing daily and when inspiration strikes. Shawn Blanc’s morning routine is what I’m striving for with yoga, meditation and hopefully writing — maybe that will be the next 30-day challenge…

RANDOM | Thanks to Elizabeth from The Note Passer for this awesome discovery — free, easy-to-use software to create moodboards.

What have you been practicing lately? Have you ever fallen out of a practice you loved, only to abandon it or revisit it later? I’d love to hear.