Wednesday Wisdom: When Your Practice Falls Apart


Daily Buddhist [Wednesday Wisdom]

By Pema Sherpa & Brendan Barca

Age-old Buddhist wisdom for modern living. Weekly insight loved by over 18,000 practitioners. 🙏

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When Your Practice Falls Apart

Growing up in Nepal, I was surrounded by religion.

Everywhere you walked in Kathmandu, you’d see a Hindu shrine or Buddhist stupa. Offering water and saying prayers were part of our family’s daily routine. In Nepal, and especially in my family, it was hard not to practice.

When I moved to the U.S. at the age of 18, I continued many of the rituals I had learned at home, but something felt different. The culture and community I had known were gone. Even so, I practiced consistently for a decade on my own, meditating daily and studying Buddhist philosophy.

Then, a few years ago, I became a mother, and everything changed.

After a challenging birth and an equally difficult recovery, my practice fell apart. Nearly three years later, I’m still finding my way back.

I’m happy to say that over the past few weeks, something has shifted.

My practice has started to come alive again. I’ve even begun meditating and doing prostrations with Samaya, which is pretty adorable.

I share this because no matter how many times you fall away from your practice, you can always begin again. Missing days, months, or even years doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Returning is part of the practice.

So today, even if you don’t feel particularly motivated, give yourself permission to begin again.

Just start where you are.

-- Pema đź’™

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Thanks for being here!

Pema & Brendan

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