WELLNESS REQUIRES PRACTICE
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PRACTICE
verb
1. perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.
Practice is something we must repeat many times before we experience any growth. This strengthens neural pathways that create new responses and allow old and poor habits to die off.
We might be most familiar with practice that is associated with sports or music. I recently calculated the number of hours of practice put into some sports and music in my lifetime:
220 hours practicing piano
75 hours practicing free throws in my basketball “career”
50 hours of driving before getting license
5 hours memorizing words to REM’s “It’s the End of the World and As We Know It”
Except for driving, none of these hours of practice continue to benefit my life in any substantial way now. Yet, I dedicated many hours to each.
While we consider practice for sports, driving, and music important, practice should also be considered in the realm of wellness. Wellness might be the most important skill to practice, as it will continue to benefit our lives.
One cannot have wellness without eating, sleeping, moving, and breathing their body well. What if we dedicated a few minutes a day or week to each of these aspects?
15 minutes of meal planning each week could lead to easily executed and nutritious daily meals that improve your energy and health.
15 min practice of yoga nidra each day could provide rest, relaxation, and release that reduces stress in a deeper way than other meditations. Try one with Tracee Stanley HERE
15 min of yoga each day could improve strength, balance, flexibility, all while reducing stress and improving mood and energy. Try some morning yoga with Adriene Mishler HERE.
5 minutes of breathwork practice each day could calm the central nervous system, release toxins, as well as improve concentration, digestion, and cardiovascular health. Practice with me HERE.
It’s not enough to just not be ill. We should strive for wellness. We have agency to grow and shape our minds and bodies. Wellness is not received like Amazon Prime – one click and next day delivery. It does require some practice. But the rewards are both immediate and cumulative.
I encourage you to add one new practice each week over the next month. As you log time in practice notice what changes and/or benefits you experienced!
But just in case you might be someone who reschedules opportunities to take care of your happiness and health in lieu of working and checking off tasks from the never-ending to-do list and worrying about others’ well-being, know that when you work with me through Root, Grow, or Flourish programs, you’ll receive personalized guidance on food, meditation, breathwork, and movement that will be right for your body. I will help keep you accountable and continue to provide you with resources throughout our work together.
