Practice Health, Happiness, and Spirituality

Although in some endeavors, practice makes perfect, when it comes to life, practice makes present. And present makes possible.

Articles on practicing and promoting health, happiness, and spirituality.

Uncertainty

Pamela Miles Practice, Self-care

“In a way, the certainty of death was easier than this uncertain life.”

You might be surprised to learn that sentence was written by a doctor, a 36-year-old neurosurgeon, eight months after a diagnosis of widely metastatic cancer, in a New York Times Opinion piece.

He knew “widely metastatic” meant inoperable. He knew the statistics, and he knew statistics are numbers out of context: conventional medicine has no way to know what a statistic means for any particular person.

Which means all he knew was that he will die at some point, likely sooner than he had expected to nine months earlier…. Read More

Practice Equality

Pamela Miles Lifestyle, Practice

People are different.

As one who savors the stimulation of diversity, I say “Hallelujah!” to that.

Surely we are all different, and just as surely, we are all equal.

Different and equal

Our equality is the light that shines in all of us, through each of us, as every one of us. Our equality is what makes diversity fun, and what gives diversity its deepest value.

Equality is not merely a concept; it’s a reality.

It is a reality, however, that we need help to perceive. And we cannot see equality around us until we’ve found our own equality within ourselves.

We don’t want just an occasional glimmer of equality; we are happiest when our equality awareness is steady.

For that, we need a steady mind.

Equality and stress

Most of us need to make a little effort to experience equality; it doesn’t just happen. Stress is more likely to happen, and when we are stressed, the mind become reactive and restless.

A mind that is restless darts outward, distracted by diversity, not remaining in one place long enough to perceive equality.

We want the mind to be like a bee looking for pollen. The bee enjoys visiting so many different flowers, and with every visit, takes the time needed to find the sweetness of each flower.

Equality awareness takes steady effort

If you want a steady mind, you need to make steady effort. Not herculean effort, but small, steady effort.

It’s called daily practice. This is how the mind settles and the awareness of equality develops.

Find your equality. Practice. Every day.

With Gratitude, Work Diligently

Pamela Miles Favorites, Practice

In practice,
there is much repetition,
and there is no repetition.

Much repetition when we repeat the form of our practice—
the when, where, and how.

And often repetition in the sensations of our practice,
the familiar pulsing cascade,
the familiar thinking melting into silence,
the familiar refuge of stillness that opens within.

But not always…. Read More

Spiritual Practice? Energy Medicine? What’s the Diff?

Pamela Miles Practice

The distinction between spiritual practice and energy medicine is often blurred, as if the two were interchangeable, or even the same. They are both valuable, but they are not the same.

The most obvious difference is that we do our own spiritual practice. We have to; no one else can do it for us. Spiritual practice is essentially self-practice.

Energy medicine, however, is done to us. We receive it from an outside source…. Read More

Spiritual Practice: The Trail Starts Here

Pamela Miles Practice

Dancers, musicians, athletes, surgeons, and others practice to improve their skills. They practice to do something better, better, best. They compete to excel — compete with themselves, and others.

But why do we practice Reiki, yoga, meditation, tai chi, or any other spiritual practice?

Surely not to compete (although it can take a while to figure that out — more of my clients get injured in yoga class than in any contact sport)…. Read More

Grounding and Meditation

Pamela Miles Practice

Imagine if everyone you met today, including the person in the mirror, were grounded and safe — safe for themselves, and safe for others. That would improve your day, wouldn’t it?

Living in today’s world, surrounded by a plethora of distractions — plus all the things our minds throw at us — staying grounded and safe can seem like a full time job.

For those of us who are hyper-responsive to the needs of others, it’s even more challenging. We naturally go out to people far too easily, or let them in too deeply…. Read More

I Doubt It

Pamela Miles Practice

Are you a doubting Thomas? Would you like to be?

Did I hear you say, “I doubt it?”

Perhaps you’ve never thought of doubt as something positive, but it can be, if you use it deliberately to develop your understanding.

Let’s call this practice Productive Doubting…. Read More