The Practice + The Practiced

I’ve drifted in and out of devotion to my practices over the years. Strengthening one, loosening another. Some I release, some I reclaim. The adjusting isn’t the problem - it’s the dropping.

When I fall out of practice, I lose my muchness. Like Alice in Wonderland, being told, “You're not the same as you were before. You were much more… muchier. You've lost your muchness.”

I know it isn’t the ritual itself - the meditation, the movement, the conscious breath - that makes me muchier. It’s what devotion to the practice cultivates.

Our practices shape us. They shape our minds, our bodies, our emotional states, and the ways we perceive the world. Rituals center us within ourselves, making us less likely to drift, to dissociate, to forget the importance of Now.

The beauty is that you get to choose the shape you take. Dance will do it. So will painting. Or making tea, watching a flame flicker, washing your hands with intention.

I was listening to Ram Dass last week—he spoke of mantras, and how at some point, you stop doing the mantra, and the mantra does you.

This landed for me last year while co-facilitating an event. The group was chanting, the same words, over and over. The rhythm built, the energy rose. And then - I lost the words. Laughter filled me, barely stifled. It was the deep understanding of The Great Cosmic Joke.

Life, in all its absurdity, revealed itself. The arguments I’d clung to, the stories that had weighed me down, the details I’d convinced myself mattered so much - it was all hilarious.

The mantra dissolved. Awareness remained.

It takes devotion to commit to the practices that shape you. But as you shape yourself, you become the vessel, the channel, for all you have been seeking.

Today, stop seeking what you think you need. Instead, shape yourself into the space where the divine visits, whispers, and nourishes.

A few points to ponder which might support you:

• Which practices or rituals feel the most natural? What is my 'go to' for my health or happiness?
• What type of 'meditation' would work for me? Guided, silent, body scans, walking, tai chi, yoga, dance... What will move me into a state of healing, awareness, and grace?
• What have I always wanted to try but haven't yet explored? Chanting, mantras, mudras, movement, art... What would support me to take the step?
• What is my body asking for? My mind? My heart? Soul? And how could I say yes, again and again?

I hope you follow the call to devote yourself to what is meaningful, beautiful, and kind. Sending blessings to support your exploration!

- Jennifer <3

P.S. We'll explore this (and so much more) within the Sacred Flow Program that begins on Thursday! This is your final call to join!