Every December 31st, our family does some sort of small ritual. Some years we give each other a wish for the next year: ”My wish for you is to find time to paint,” “My wish for you is to find balance and time to rest.” This year we each put forth: one thing we are grateful for, one thing we want to let go of, and one thing we want to invite in. My son, Luke, jumped in: “I’ll go first. I want to invite in risk.” Wow. We all stopped. Wow! Just saying those words sounded risky! I was startled by the simplicity and candor, the clarity and self-knowledge. How courageous it is to consciously choose to go towards those things that scare us—to risk. To risk in order to grow, to do good, to expand ourselves, to experience more, to connect, to do the right thing, to be vulnerable, to love. I was a little jealous, honestly, of that courage. I blurted …Read on.

This is Lauren between takes. It’s been a long day, the stakes are high, she’s been preparing for many weeks. She’s breathing, engaged, and ready. She is what we refer to in Nia (a movement technique) as Raw: Relaxed, Alert, Waiting.

What can we do to create that Raw?

This week we create and “layer in” a tiny ritual to practice before any heightened, challenging, difficult, high-risk, high-expectation, anxiety-provoking, deeply meaningful, presentation or interaction. The goal is to integrate the ritual in the way James Clear outlines in his book, Atomic Habits, so that it is automatic. In my life, I use the same ritual before any client interaction. I set up the space, check my tech, and without thinking, I stretch (body warm-up), make strange noises (vocal warm-up), and center myself with a few deep breaths.

For your own ritual, include a little bit of each of these:

1) Stretching….

Read on…