Practice Ways with Alice Vincent

Practice Ways is a monthly feature on Balance Practice, sharing practice notes from writers, makers, and coaches, and offering perspectives on what practice looks like as real life is happening.

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I first came upon writer Alice Vincent’s work at a time when I found myself somewhat surprisingly drawn to the garden in our new home. I’d never been into gardening, still have no idea what I’m doing amid the weeds and mossy pots I’ve inherited, yet have been pulled by an undeniable, innate urge to put my hands into the earth. 

In her book, Why Women Grow, Alice explores what inspires women to garden and the stories and histories embedded in the soil. As her suggestion that we might garden “… to regain a balance that had been lost…” landed, I felt the kind of internal connecting of the dots that I often feel after time on my yoga mat. Turns out the natural inclination to nurture our green spaces is not so surprising after all, and that in doing so we tend something within ourselves.

In her weekly newsletter Savour, she writes about the delicious things in life and while sharing her own observations so generously creates entry points into our own attention — new ways of looking at things and savouring our extraordinary, ordinary moments. This is a practice in itself.

I recently connected with Alice for a yoga practice and chat. I’m inspired by her effort to pause and feel the difference after a few shoulder rolls and forward bends, and to consider the ways we might nourish and support ourselves in the moments that are available to us.