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       Myla Rugge
       Alexandra "ACE" Eberle
      Monica Weber

What are the 5 Practices?

The 5 Practices are part of a framework I developed for my Seeds of Connection groups.  Here they are, with a brief synopsis:
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Wholeness & Organicity – We are all whole, capable, wise, and creative humans.  Every person has inherent value. Given the support we need, we will naturally move toward wholeness and healing.  Often our inner resources can be obscured by trauma, oppressive systems, and lived experiences of harm.  Participating in authentic community can help us uncover and remember our unique strengths again.

Curiosity & Care – Curiosity is the opposite of judgment.  When we move toward curiosity about ourselves and others, we are better able to understand our experiences and the world around us.  When we understand our own needs, we can ask for the support and the care we want, need, and deserve.  When we get to know more about other people, we can more deeply care for them.  Self care is community care and vice versa. 

Compassionate Witness – Human attention is a doorway to healing and connection.  People don’t need to be fixed, rescued, or advised (and especially not without consent!). Every person deserves to have spaces where their story and their experiences are welcome, heard, honored, and believed.  To compassionately see and be vulnerably seen by another is a powerful medicine. 

Non-violence – Cultivating a practice of reducing the harm we do to ourselves and others moves us toward a world where we can all feel safe, cared for, and celebrated. Human liberation is a collective right – we all deserve to have what we need to thrive.  Another aspect of non-violence is recognizing oppressive systems and our collusion with them and working to disengage ourselves and dismantle these harmful systems.

Recognizing Connections – Much of suffering is caused by disconnection - from ourselves, from each other, from our bodies, our own intuition and creativity, and to our communities and the natural world.  Learning to observe, recognize, and nourish these connections is immensely valuable and is a tool in our personal and collective healing.  Nothing can be changed until it is first noticed.  Seeing how deeply connected we are can be a catalyst for growth and healing.

You can learn more about the 5 Practices and step into community conversations and practical application by participating in the Practicing Together project.

Why "practices"?

Because we are taking the theoretical - the things that are ideas, concepts, and "shoulds" and bringing them into our real lives through repeated action.

Feel your feelings.
Be present.
Let go of perfectionism.
Accept and love your body.
Be vulnerable.
Listen to your intuition.
Say no.

HOW DO WE DO THESE THINGS????  What do they even mean??  We practice. Together. We model what these things look like in community.  We stop just reading and thinking about them and start DOING.  We have community conversations about what they mean.  We create spaces where it's ok to mess up, to still be learning, and to not know.

There's an old joke.  A person goes to New York to attend a concert, but gets lost.  They spot someone carrying a violin case.  “Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?”  The musician smiles and says, “Practice, practice, practice.”

How do we have more compassion for ourselves?  Feel our feelings?  Step into vulnerability and authenticity?  Begin to listen to the wisdom of our bodies?  We PRACTICE.
These practices were shaped by some core beliefs/values that have been an important part of my personal healing and growth journey.  These began to inform the ways I facilitated group space and helped me understand more deeply what I wanted to offer participants.  ​
Some of those beliefs:
  • I believe that we are all whole, capable, wise and creative beings.  I believe we have what we need to move toward healing and thriving, but that sometimes our inner resources are obscured by trauma, oppressive systems, and lived experiences of harm.
 
  • I believe every person deserves to have a space where their story is heard, held, believed, and honored.

  • I believe that there is power in noticing and naming things.
 
  • I believe that much of our suffering is caused by disconnection – from ourselves and each other, from the natural world, from our bodies, and from our inherent creativity and intuition.  I believe big changes can happen when we begin to recognize the ways in which we are deeply connected.
 
  • I believe non-judgmental human attention is powerful medicine and is a doorway to healing.

  • I believe that we have to move from talking about, learning about, and reading about self-changing and world-changing ideas into spaces of community, conversation, and action.  The theoretical has to become practical in order for change to happen.

  • I believe meaningful change happens when we notice, name, and put intentional action behind shifting patterns that are harmful or that no longer serve us.

Join us in the Practicing Together project!

A last thought:

These practices are not the be-all and end-all of personal growth, healing, or self-reflection.  They are simply a start.  They are just one framework and there are, of course, many more out there.  These beliefs may not reflect the personal beliefs of others, and that's ok.  We can have different thoughts about things and still be in community together (and in fact, I'd suggest that diversity of thought and respectful discourse can help deepen authentic community!)  Whether you agree, disagree, have questions, or maybe are excited to use this framework, I'm inviting you to join us in exploring the 5 Practices in community through the Practicing Together project.