What's your secret sauce?
A little of this, A little of that. Cooking up the perfect personal practice.
Your personal practice doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be yours.
Hello and Happy Sunday beautiful Root&Rise community!
Over the past 20 months, I’ve published 87 issues filled with personal reflections from my lovely Alaskan life, along with thoughtfully chosen resources to help you explore those insights in your own way.
I write about what I’m living, learning, unlearning, and practicing in real time. Week after week, I do my best to show up with honesty and compassion, offering not only what I’m moving through but also what’s helping me cope. Always with the hope that you will find something useful and applicable to whatever season of life you’re in.
This week, I’m offering a pause. To slow down, take a deep breath, and acknowledge how far we’ve come together. While the focus of this newsletter has shifted from yoga centered content to a broader exploration of practices and perspectives, my message remains the same: Here’s what helped me. Maybe it will help you too.
Hopefully by now, you’ve found a few things that work for you. Maybe you’ve even created a consistent(ish) personal practice that feels supportive and nourishing. Yoga Nidra before bed. Alternate nostril breathing on your lunch break. Asana in the morning. Maybe you’ve blended a few of these: somatic movement and journaling, gentle stretching and Nidra, mindful meditation and tapping. However you’ve decided to show up for yourself, I hope you’ve made the practices your own.
Finding the unique combination of ingredients that make up the special sauce of your personal practice is a game changer. You’re personal practice is the foundation on which you build your days, and ultimately, your life. Because it’s so profoundly supportive. It becomes a ritual you can return to again and again. A sanctuary where you know you’ll be safe. A refuge where you can set down whatever you’re carrying and allow yourself to be held, even if only for a little while.
And it’s never too late to start. If you’re reading this and don’t have a personal practice, AKA - daily time carved out to reconnect with yourself using tools and resources that feel right for you, I’ve got your back.
In this week’s Rise/Practice section, I’m sharing a handful of past issues from the archives that focus on exactly that: discovering, developing, and sustaining a personal practice that fits (and fuels) your life. These issues are packed with ideas, examples, and encouragement to help you get started or re-inspired.
I had so much fun looking back through them, seeing how the format has shifted, how the themes have evolved, and how my voice has matured.
I hope you have as much fun with them as I did!
“Every time I return to the sanctuary and support of my yoga mat, I grow more comfortable taking up space and showing up as my most exuberant, vivacious self. Not the imaginary, future self who has achieved every goal, eats a balanced diet and keeps her house spotlessly clean. Screw her. Little miss perfect doesn’t exist and she never will. I refuse to live in her shadow….”
“Cookies are mixed in a specific order to ensure the right texture, and my yoga practice follows a similar structure. A baker starts by creaming the butter and sugar, then adds the eggs one at a time before mixing in the dry ingredients. When I roll out my mat, I first tune into my breath and carry that awareness through my movements and into meditation….”
“Yoga, like watercolor, refuses to be contained. It spills over into our interactions, thought processes, and behavior, subtly transforming us (and our lives) from the inside out…..”
“Trust and enjoy the process of cultivating your morning routine. It will change and grow over time. Mine doesn’t look like It did five years ago and I’m sure it will continue to evolve….”
“Props are the misunderstood and undervalued, unsung hero of the yoga world. Many people feel like using a prop makes them look weak or inexperienced. In reality, props are the secret weapon for a deep, effective yoga practice….”
“Hi! I’m Jenny, a yoga teacher, the creative mind behind Root&Rise, and an enthusiastic evangelist of the home yoga practice….”
***I had to include this one because it was the very first issue of Root&Rise!
Questions for the week ahead:
Is there something you've been drawn to lately? A specific style of breath work, a movement modality, meditation technique, or even a new self care ritual that you haven’t made time for yet?
Could you schedule in some time to try it out this week? Even just five minutes?
What would it feel like to release the idea of a “perfect” practice (perfect time, atmosphere, class, mood, location etc)?
What if you just allowed yourself to show up as you are, when you can and see what happens?
Alright, I hope you have a personal practice filled week.
See you next Sunday!