I had that same burnout on social media. Posted every day. All my energy went into it and I got nothing back, it felt like screaming into the void. It was also antithetic to my practice and how I live my life. I love the idea that the practice is the practice. So true. I don't practice yoga and meditation to achieve anything, I practice because I feel good when I do. I feel strong and grounded and can go through my life feeling the way I want to feel. I guess that's achieving something, but yoga doesn't make me a better person, it helps me a better version of who I already am. It's my opportunity to connect to myself.
It's inspiring to learn you came out the other side of burnout. It can be a challenging space to be in. And I like your reason for practicing "because I feel good when I do." I don't know a better motivation than that.
One of the reasons I joined Substack was because I was burned out. I wanted to move at a slower pace and focusing on my blog writing felt like the way to go. It absolutely was. I left IG in April and FB in October. I'm enjoying the deeper connections and conversations here. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Ryan!
It is heartening to hear about your transition. After promoting an upcoming cohort, I plan to be off of X by the end of February. The effort/reward ratio is not there.
Thank you Ryan. I was going to offer some deep insightful sentence about practice and remembered my practice of not trying to be wise and insightful all the time. Sometimes I'm just drinking coffee and loving the read.😜. Thank you for a wonderful read.
My first 6 months on X, I was deeply insecure and thought the point was to reply to comments with more insights. At some point, I realized I wanted to connect with people, not exchange insights, which felt dry.
My intention is to leave people feeling seen as often as possible, though I still default to wisdom because it's easier and feels safer, I suppose.
I'm glad you were drinking coffee and loving the read. Learning this makes my evening.
Thanks Ryan. Yep. I figure I am publishing things weekly so I work, as you say, on connecting as genuinely as I can. I am a recovering "fixer" so it is definitely still a practice. Thanks for your good good work.🙏🏼
Thanks Ryan. I too am glad I am on Substack and that you are here too. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. I look forward to communicating more in 2025.
Your honesty about your burnout experience is so refreshing. It's a reminder that even those who teach self-care need to practice it themselves (AKA... me).
I love the simplicity and profundity of your primary practice – giving yourself as much as you give to others. It's so easy to neglect our own needs when we're busy taking care of everyone else. But as you've shown, true sustainability comes from a balanced approach.
I appreciate your kind and encouraging feedback, Alex.
I didn't want to reveal this, but if I want to see more transparency in the world then I must be willing to practice it myself while trusting that people won't turn away from me.
Sounds like we're both learning the lesson of self care while teaching self care. :)
In some ways, I feel like when we commit to teaching self care, it almost makes it more difficult to practice it.
Causes can become so purposeful and fulfilling that we forget that even a cause must be put down, even for a minute, so that we can continue carrying it.
Like most of us, I'm learning this the hard way. When the Dalai Lama was asked about his practice, he said something like, 'Oh, to go on retreat would be so lovely.' It shocked me at the time.
"As someone once said, "Enlightenment is an accident. Practice makes us accident-prone." Happiness, like enlightenment, is also an accident. It is a byproduct of practices that create the conditions that give rise to but do not guarantee a happy state of mind."
"Then again, practice is the point of practice, not some imagined state of grace free of sorrow.
Expecting to experience a positive state of mind will all but ensure it never materializes."
And that Thich Nhat Hanh quote.
Your points on happiness also remind me of a Joe Hudson quote: "Joy is the matriarch of all emotions, and she doesn't come around unless she knows all of her children are welcome."
So important to highlight the value, and necessity, of practice, in relation to happiness. So true. Ryan. We can't just expect it, and hope that if we "had it" once, we will continue to feel it. There are practices we need to embrace, and like you said, we can't just "get it", like we would purchase a self-help course. Practice, like happiness, is a commitment.
I appreciate your thoughtful comment, Gayle. Even if this is true in my experience, it feels good to hear it's been true in yours, too. Thanks for reading and commenting. 💛
Recently, I was reminded of the phrase "movement practice," so coined by famed PT Dr. Kelly Starrett. I'd somehow forgotten, and reverted to calling it "exercise." There's just so much more value in languaging it as a movement practice, though.
With a practice, we assume never to arrive. This is how I stopped seeing Spanish as something I would one day master. It had to become a practice. Practice allows us to unclench from so much of our outcome culture.
It's easy to dismiss words as frivolous, but they hold more power than many realize. I like your analogy of practicing vs arriving at a mastery level of Spanish. I'll keep this in mind if/when I learn Spanish.
In my late 20s, I attended a "yoga bootcamp" that was very much like what you describe here at Lifespring. It turned out that the yoga bootcamp guru had simply translated the Landmark Forum curriculum into yoga-speak. Between sun salutations and sunrise mountain hikes, he had us doing ego-busting activities like staring a total stranger in the eyes for an hour at a time. It was utterly exhausting, and I came home thinking I had discovered the secrets of life and "knew it all" only have "it-all" disintegrate and evaporate gradually over the coming weeks.
And now, I am one of those rare weirdos who gets up in the morning and goes facedown on my yoga mat every single day because it feels good and I like it, without any destination, goal, intention or purpose. Just to do it. I love it. and I often catch myself thinking while I'm on my mat that if everything in my life were taken away and I had to live alone in a cell 23 hours a day, I could still do this.
What a great story. It's hilarious that he translated Landmark into yoga-speak. Staring into a stranger's eyes is a great exercise, but for a whole hour? Sounds like you had a similar high only to come crashing down to reality.
It's fantastic that you still love and practice yoga daily, even if you were to live in a cell. Hopefully, with The Creator Retreat, we'll have even more "weirdos" in the future.
So common for us to do something, feel better, and then think we’re fixed, so we stop doing the thing. I love the idea that the reason it’s called a meditation or yoga PRACTICE is because the intention is to not only do it during the PRACTICE but throughout our day to day. Thank you Ryan for proliferating this idea ❤️
Practices require peripheral care. Yogis eat very particular diets in order to supplement their practice. So when it comes to writing for me, it IS definitely a practice AND I’m very intentional about seeking out inspiration to feed my creativity.
1. The timing of this piece is wild - I just wrote a piece about practice for another publication - due out in January. Very interesting.
2. Yoga- When you said that if you are doing yoga to have a calm mind or be toned, you will end up disappointed. Yes! That is me. I've been wanting to do yoga for the physical benefits but I cannot seem to get myself on the mat. What is your motivation to get on the mat? Once I am there I can let it be about the practice, but I need help to get there in the first place. Maybe play? Playing with the practice? hmmm answering my own questions now lol. But seriously, any tips are appreciated.
3. Bear!!! 🥰🥰🥰
4. Looking so forward to the Creator Retreat! you had me at: it’s a sanctuary where creators can step back, breathe, and reconnect with their inner wisdom
That IS wild, Sam. I look forward to reading your piece when it's published.
There's the idea of something and the actual experience. Perhaps the idea of physical benefits is intimidating or to future or outcome oriented. What is it about yoga that draws you to it in a way that's different from say lifting weights?
Ha, glad you liked Bear!
I can't wait to have you in The Creator Retreat, Sam. The first cohort is going to be special, and you will be a core member!
There is something about being down on the floor that I am drawn to, it feels grounding, and gentle. Nourishing. More drawn to slow movements, and holding them. Like yin yoga. I think I also try to fight that urge to just do one gentle pose - like it's not enough, it's not worth it. - Thank you so much for this reflective question, I have a lot to unpack here!
I'm so pumped to be a core member of The Creator Retreat! I'm honored.
I had that same burnout on social media. Posted every day. All my energy went into it and I got nothing back, it felt like screaming into the void. It was also antithetic to my practice and how I live my life. I love the idea that the practice is the practice. So true. I don't practice yoga and meditation to achieve anything, I practice because I feel good when I do. I feel strong and grounded and can go through my life feeling the way I want to feel. I guess that's achieving something, but yoga doesn't make me a better person, it helps me a better version of who I already am. It's my opportunity to connect to myself.
It's inspiring to learn you came out the other side of burnout. It can be a challenging space to be in. And I like your reason for practicing "because I feel good when I do." I don't know a better motivation than that.
I appreciate you reading and commenting, Janine.
One of the reasons I joined Substack was because I was burned out. I wanted to move at a slower pace and focusing on my blog writing felt like the way to go. It absolutely was. I left IG in April and FB in October. I'm enjoying the deeper connections and conversations here. Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Ryan!
It is heartening to hear about your transition. After promoting an upcoming cohort, I plan to be off of X by the end of February. The effort/reward ratio is not there.
Thank you Ryan. I was going to offer some deep insightful sentence about practice and remembered my practice of not trying to be wise and insightful all the time. Sometimes I'm just drinking coffee and loving the read.😜. Thank you for a wonderful read.
Ha! That's one of my practices, too, Ian.
My first 6 months on X, I was deeply insecure and thought the point was to reply to comments with more insights. At some point, I realized I wanted to connect with people, not exchange insights, which felt dry.
My intention is to leave people feeling seen as often as possible, though I still default to wisdom because it's easier and feels safer, I suppose.
I'm glad you were drinking coffee and loving the read. Learning this makes my evening.
Thanks Ryan. Yep. I figure I am publishing things weekly so I work, as you say, on connecting as genuinely as I can. I am a recovering "fixer" so it is definitely still a practice. Thanks for your good good work.🙏🏼
I'm laughing at the "fixer" part. That makes two of us. I actually listened to my partner this morning without trying to solve her "problem."
I was thinking about you earlier today. I'm glad you're on Substack.
Thanks Ryan. I too am glad I am on Substack and that you are here too. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. I look forward to communicating more in 2025.
Thanks, Ian. I hope you have a lovely holiday season, too. I look forward to many more exchanges in 2025.
Your honesty about your burnout experience is so refreshing. It's a reminder that even those who teach self-care need to practice it themselves (AKA... me).
I love the simplicity and profundity of your primary practice – giving yourself as much as you give to others. It's so easy to neglect our own needs when we're busy taking care of everyone else. But as you've shown, true sustainability comes from a balanced approach.
I appreciate your kind and encouraging feedback, Alex.
I didn't want to reveal this, but if I want to see more transparency in the world then I must be willing to practice it myself while trusting that people won't turn away from me.
Sounds like we're both learning the lesson of self care while teaching self care. :)
Yes!
In some ways, I feel like when we commit to teaching self care, it almost makes it more difficult to practice it.
Causes can become so purposeful and fulfilling that we forget that even a cause must be put down, even for a minute, so that we can continue carrying it.
I love the way you phrased this.
Like most of us, I'm learning this the hard way. When the Dalai Lama was asked about his practice, he said something like, 'Oh, to go on retreat would be so lovely.' It shocked me at the time.
It probably still shocks me a little. 😃
It is likely a life long lesson.
So many great quotes here:
"As someone once said, "Enlightenment is an accident. Practice makes us accident-prone." Happiness, like enlightenment, is also an accident. It is a byproduct of practices that create the conditions that give rise to but do not guarantee a happy state of mind."
"Then again, practice is the point of practice, not some imagined state of grace free of sorrow.
Expecting to experience a positive state of mind will all but ensure it never materializes."
And that Thich Nhat Hanh quote.
Your points on happiness also remind me of a Joe Hudson quote: "Joy is the matriarch of all emotions, and she doesn't come around unless she knows all of her children are welcome."
Wow, some quotes stop me in my tracks. The way he captures the essence of joy so eloquently.
Thank you, Justin. I appreciate you highlighting the quotes that stood out most for you. It feels good to re-read them. ☺️
ytm. Keep up the beautiful work.
Thank you, brother. You as well.
Oooo I love that Joe Hudson quote! Thanks for sharing!
So glad it hit Sam!! It was such a transformational reframe for me. Joy isn't at the exclusion of the others, it requires they be welcome.
Great 🤗🤗
I appreciate your kindness. 💛
On a long enough timeline, everything goes back to what you actually enjoy doing.
I agree, Skipper. If we're not into it, it's not sustainable.
So important to highlight the value, and necessity, of practice, in relation to happiness. So true. Ryan. We can't just expect it, and hope that if we "had it" once, we will continue to feel it. There are practices we need to embrace, and like you said, we can't just "get it", like we would purchase a self-help course. Practice, like happiness, is a commitment.
I appreciate your thoughtful comment, Gayle. Even if this is true in my experience, it feels good to hear it's been true in yours, too. Thanks for reading and commenting. 💛
Recently, I was reminded of the phrase "movement practice," so coined by famed PT Dr. Kelly Starrett. I'd somehow forgotten, and reverted to calling it "exercise." There's just so much more value in languaging it as a movement practice, though.
With a practice, we assume never to arrive. This is how I stopped seeing Spanish as something I would one day master. It had to become a practice. Practice allows us to unclench from so much of our outcome culture.
Thank you for this additional reminder, Ryan.
I'm so glad you shared this insight, Damon.
It's easy to dismiss words as frivolous, but they hold more power than many realize. I like your analogy of practicing vs arriving at a mastery level of Spanish. I'll keep this in mind if/when I learn Spanish.
😉
In my late 20s, I attended a "yoga bootcamp" that was very much like what you describe here at Lifespring. It turned out that the yoga bootcamp guru had simply translated the Landmark Forum curriculum into yoga-speak. Between sun salutations and sunrise mountain hikes, he had us doing ego-busting activities like staring a total stranger in the eyes for an hour at a time. It was utterly exhausting, and I came home thinking I had discovered the secrets of life and "knew it all" only have "it-all" disintegrate and evaporate gradually over the coming weeks.
And now, I am one of those rare weirdos who gets up in the morning and goes facedown on my yoga mat every single day because it feels good and I like it, without any destination, goal, intention or purpose. Just to do it. I love it. and I often catch myself thinking while I'm on my mat that if everything in my life were taken away and I had to live alone in a cell 23 hours a day, I could still do this.
What a great story. It's hilarious that he translated Landmark into yoga-speak. Staring into a stranger's eyes is a great exercise, but for a whole hour? Sounds like you had a similar high only to come crashing down to reality.
It's fantastic that you still love and practice yoga daily, even if you were to live in a cell. Hopefully, with The Creator Retreat, we'll have even more "weirdos" in the future.
So common for us to do something, feel better, and then think we’re fixed, so we stop doing the thing. I love the idea that the reason it’s called a meditation or yoga PRACTICE is because the intention is to not only do it during the PRACTICE but throughout our day to day. Thank you Ryan for proliferating this idea ❤️
Yes, exactly, Sean. If you're highlighting this, it means you've learned this lesson. I still learning writing as a practice.
Practices require peripheral care. Yogis eat very particular diets in order to supplement their practice. So when it comes to writing for me, it IS definitely a practice AND I’m very intentional about seeking out inspiration to feed my creativity.
You're wise to be intentional with your writing, and it shows.
That’s very kind of you 💕
1. The timing of this piece is wild - I just wrote a piece about practice for another publication - due out in January. Very interesting.
2. Yoga- When you said that if you are doing yoga to have a calm mind or be toned, you will end up disappointed. Yes! That is me. I've been wanting to do yoga for the physical benefits but I cannot seem to get myself on the mat. What is your motivation to get on the mat? Once I am there I can let it be about the practice, but I need help to get there in the first place. Maybe play? Playing with the practice? hmmm answering my own questions now lol. But seriously, any tips are appreciated.
3. Bear!!! 🥰🥰🥰
4. Looking so forward to the Creator Retreat! you had me at: it’s a sanctuary where creators can step back, breathe, and reconnect with their inner wisdom
That IS wild, Sam. I look forward to reading your piece when it's published.
There's the idea of something and the actual experience. Perhaps the idea of physical benefits is intimidating or to future or outcome oriented. What is it about yoga that draws you to it in a way that's different from say lifting weights?
Ha, glad you liked Bear!
I can't wait to have you in The Creator Retreat, Sam. The first cohort is going to be special, and you will be a core member!
Thank you.
There is something about being down on the floor that I am drawn to, it feels grounding, and gentle. Nourishing. More drawn to slow movements, and holding them. Like yin yoga. I think I also try to fight that urge to just do one gentle pose - like it's not enough, it's not worth it. - Thank you so much for this reflective question, I have a lot to unpack here!
I'm so pumped to be a core member of The Creator Retreat! I'm honored.
Mmm, I love the words you used to describe yoga. I feel the same way, and I'm pumped that you're pumped. :)
Yin yoga is my favorite style, too.