Practice could mean at least a few different things. I think there is a distinction here that is worth exploring. It could mean doing something to get better at it such as “I’m practicing my drum rudiments”. It can also mean one’s professional activity such as “my design practice”. So now what would I be trying to say if I said “my meditation practice”. I’m not trying to get better at meditating. I’m not even trying to better myself. Yet meditation affects my being as do all practices. We become through our practice as the activity is embodied, like the intern becoming a doctor. What I’m suggesting is that maybe the activity itself is where we place our attention.

Say for example I decide to grow a fruit tree. One can’t will the fruit into being. The best we can do is give the tree the best possible conditions. A good location with the right amount of sun and good soil. Then feed the tree with water and nourish the soil. With this care and attention and a little bit of luck we might end up with some fruit. The fruit – if successful – is just the natural by-product, it’s the cultivation of the tree that matters most. 

Could it be possible to live more like this? I’m interested. I tend to invest my well-being conditionally on the outcome of a particular activity. I will be okay if. What if, just maybe, I let go of trying to bring about the outcome?  Instead to gain insight, nourishment, spaciousness and maybe even direction from the activity itself. Where the cultivation is the fulfillment. This is difficult. However, by approaching practice in this way I believe we become more aligned, more in tune, we start to let go of the need to control and we simply let life unfold naturally. I think this leads to more contentment, our work flourishes and we notice more of the simple joys of life that might otherwise be missed. We could call this a practice, or perhaps instead simply a meditation. Maybe as it becomes embodied it will just become a way of life. I’m not there yet, but that’s okay.