Movement as practice

I've shared before that I love the idea of practice. Instead of my initial association of practice with something you do only in preparation for some big day, today I see almost everything I do as a practice.

This is very true for my relationship with movement. I practice yoga. I practice swimming, I practice moving my body in ways that change by the minute, day, month, and certainly by the year.

​I practice noticing what has changed about my body. How it feels. What it likes and dislikes. How different types of movement feel. Sometimes the changes are abrupt, but more often they are slow and gradual. I only notice these changes because I pay such close attention.

​Not unlike meditation, my movement practice is regular. Sometimes I look forward to it, sometimes I don't. I create habits so that it's easier for me to do it than not do it. Sometimes I skip it if I don't feel well or just don't want to, but I try to stay connected to it and to take a compassionate and non-dramatic approach to restarting. I've never once regretted doing it. And I've found that doing it more often for less duration of time is a key.

​What might happen if you looked at movement as a practice?