Different Doorways

Lately, I've been thinking about the different practices that have found their way into my life over the years.

Yoga was my first doorway. Then came mantra and the Yoga of Sound, followed by iRest Yoga Nidra and, more recently, Low Pressure Fitness. I'm currently studying CranioSacral Therapy, which has opened another way of listening to and experiencing the body.

There are other practices I've become curious about along the way, including Reiki and different forms of energy work. And here at Strength & Grace, we have the good fortune of having several Tai Chi classes each week, taught by experienced, skilled and wonderful teachers.

The more I learn, the more I notice a thread running through many of these practices.

They aren't necessarily so different from one another. In their own ways, they are all practices of mindful embodiment—using movement, stillness, breath, sound, attention and awareness to bring us into a more intimate relationship with ourselves.

The path may be different.

With yoga, it might be movement, breath or stillness.

With mantra and the Yoga of Sound, it is sound—the vibration and resonance of Sanskrit, repetition, breath and focused attention. Sound becomes a way of gathering the mind and turning awareness inward.

With iRest, we explore the body, breath, emotions, thoughts and beliefs while cultivating an Inner Resource and a deeper sense of awareness.

With Tai Chi, mindful movement, breath and attention come together in a practice that invites greater internal awareness, balance and flow.

And then there is Low Pressure Fitness, which has been especially interesting to me because it can look like a fitness practice from the outside, yet the experience can become much more inward.

We work with the deep core—the respiratory diaphragm, transverse abdominis, multifidus and pelvic floor—while exploring breath, posture, pressure and alignment. With practice, you begin to sense your body from the inside. You notice how you breathe, where you hold tension, how you organize yourself, and what happens when you create space rather than simply exert effort.

This is what keeps me curious.

I've spent years learning and practicing different approaches, and I'm increasingly interested not only in what we do, but in what happens when we become more deeply connected to ourselves through the practice.

Many of these practices invite us to listen rather than constantly fix or override ourselves:

To listen to the body.

To listen to the breath.

To notice sensation, thought and emotion.

To become aware of what is happening beneath the surface.

And perhaps, with enough quiet and attention, to discover resources within ourselves that are easy to miss when we're moving through life on autopilot.

I don't think these practices are all the same. Their traditions, philosophies and explanations are different, and those differences matter. But I do see a common thread: they can all offer a way into a deeper experience of ourselves.

One of the things I appreciate most about our community at Strength & Grace is the opportunity to explore these practices together. Yoga, LPF, iRest, mantra, meditation, breathwork and Tai Chi each offer their own way of cultivating awareness, connection and embodied presence.

For me, the exploration continues. I'm less interested in finding the one right practice than I am in staying curious about the many ways we can cultivate strength, ease, awareness and connection—and come a little more home to ourselves.