The Work Is a Practice
It’s just like exercise. You can’t exercise once really really well and then never exercise again.
Well, you can but you may not feel so good after a while. This is because exercise is a balancing factor for sitting and eating. If you only sit and eat all the time without exercising, the system becomes imbalanced. Exercise provides the needed balance.
But real balance is an ongoing thing. Because sitting and eating are ongoing things. So if balance is to be maintained, then exercise as an ongoing practice makes sense.
The Same Is True with The Work
When I don’t do The Work, my unquestioned beliefs about how life should be different than it is start to build up. By doing The Work of Byron Katie (4 Questions and Turnarounds), I question what I think, and I tend to find balance again.
Just doing The Work once is wonderful. It can be life-changing.
But once not enough for me because life keeps coming at me. New stressful thoughts show up all the time. If I don’t have a practice of doing The Work regularly, my stressful thinking can start to gain the upper hand.
Here’s What Works for Me
I like to spend about 30 minutes five days a week doing my work. If I have time, I love an hour but that’s not always possible. I find that doing it with others is helpful. That’s why I created my Inquiry Circle ongoing practice group. There is something about working in a group (just like exercising with others) that really supports me to keep a regular practice.
I also love the flexibility of Inquiry Circle which allows me to step away for a week, or a month, or more. And it allows me to do The Work as infrequently as once a month, or once a week, or to do it every day. And I love that it supports both spoken and written work formats.
It’s always a balance for me. I find that if I’m too rigid or too ambitious about how I do The Work, I drop out. For me, slow and steady works best.
What supports you best to do The Work? I’d love to hear how you have integrated the practice of The Work into your life.
Have a great weekend,
Todd
“The Work is a practice. I suggest that people have it for breakfast every morning, and have a good day. Even if you’re graced with the deepest experience of enlightenment, you still need to practice awareness, because there are ancient thoughts that will keep arising in you, and if you don’t question them, they’ll take you over, however enlightened you are.” Byron Katie, A Mind at Home with Itself
