From Little Things, Big Things Grow
My home practice is very much a spiritual one.
But it hasn’t always been like this.
I began a yoga-inspired home practice many years ago to find peace of mind in a imperfect world.
I was a young mum navigating her way through the challenges and joys of everyday life. I had three babies under the age of three, a hard-working partner often away from home, and loved ones managing difficult times in their lives.
And when I began my home practice, it was purely instinctual.
There was no method.
There was no strategy.
There was no game plan.
All I knew was that there was a part of me calling (actually, screaming!) for my attention and I needed to make some time to pause and connect with her. I remember taking a moment during the day when all my daughters were asleep to sit cross-legged in the bottom of my garden attempting to ‘meditate’. I would sit there for as long as my busy mind (or sleeping children) would allow me to focus on my breathing, enjoying the sounds of the outdoors, the scents of the garden, and giving attention to my weary post-baby body. After the practice I always felt the dust had settled some, and for a few moments I could see life a little more clearly.
And that was the very humble beginning of my home practice.
My practice was very erratic at the start. It only happened when I had the time or the inclination. But something kept calling me back. I was curious as to why the practice took the edge off daily life. I just knew there was something special about this time I gave to me.
It helped me touch into parts within me that wanted attention.
It helped me find an equilibrium and peace when things felt out of control.
It helped me find a source of energy and nourishment when I felt depleted and tired.
It gave me a reprieve from the clamour and noise of life.
Then a couple of years later, I began to weave one or two very simple yoga stretches into the practice. Through this conscious movement, I began to connect more meaningfully to my body and to ‘me’ – experiencing what it felt like to sense my body from the inside out, and to touch into a part of me that was free of all the roles and stories I was expected to play out each day.
I didn’t know it at the time but I was beginning the journey of coming back to the real and authentic ‘me’.
My home practice really began as a mercy mission to help me quieten an anxious, overactive mind and to soothe and nourish a tired, depleted body. It began with the intention of being a very simple meditation and movement practice. But little did I know that it would lead to so much more.
My home practice has now developed into one that allows me to connect meaningfully with my physical, mental, and emotional bodies. It has enabled me to touch into the deep end of life. It has become a daily spiritual practice where I commune in the temple of my body, mind and heart. My home practice is one where I tune into and give myself what I need each day so I can offer the most compassionate, patient and ‘awake’ version of myself to me, my loved ones, and everything else in it.
My home practice has become a spiritual practice which is deeply life-affirming.
It helps me appreciate the simple joys of the everyday.
It helps me remember that I am enough, and I give and receive enough.
It gives me the space to give myself the attention I need.
It reminds me that I am the source of all my emotional support.
It gives me a safe, caring space that I can return to help make sense of a non-sensical life.
It reassures me that I am loved, and I am love.
So pause for a moment and take a seat.
Let your body become still.
Can you feel your breath? Can you soften your face into a gentle smile?
And with that, my friend, your home practice journey has begun.
It’s as simple, and as challenging, as that.