Surprising Practices for a Conscious Community Newcomer
Are you new to the conscious community? I’ll share a few strange practices with you that you’ll learn to love.
Ever found yourself in a group where the norms and practices seem so unfamiliar that you can’t help but raise an eyebrow? That’s exactly how I felt on my first day in a corporate organization, where it seemed like everyone had color-coordinated their shirts before work. In stark contrast to my previous four years in a small NGO, the sea of baby blue shirts was a ‘funny’ shock.
The beauty of being new to a community, organization, or friendship group is that you can see the differences in norms and practices clearly. But give it a few weeks, and you’ll adapt so seamlessly to the culture that you don’t notice the differences anymore.
Over the past year, I’ve quit my corporate job and have been exploring the so-called conscious community. As I immerse myself in this world, I want to share my observations about the practices that once seemed amusing but now are an integral part of being in these communities.
Practice 1: We Prefer to Sit on the Floor or on the Grass
Have you ever considered how most furniture restricts your body’s freedom? Chairs offer limited sitting options, but when you sit on the floor or grass, the ways you can sit and lie down are endless. It’s all about embodying mindfulness of how your body feels, allowing us to move and stretch more than in conventional society. Sitting on the floor or grass also makes it easy for newcomers to join our ‘circle.’ We can always make space for more people by shifting a bit to the left or right or making the circle larger.
Practice 2: We Like to Be Barefoot or Without Shoes
The practice of going barefoot or shoeless might seem puzzling, but it’s intertwined with sitting on the floor or grass. Shoes can limit our sitting positions, and some friends argue being barefoot connects us more deeply to the earth (or to pachamama, as they would probably say it!).
Practice 3: We Love (Vegan) Potlucks
The first time I was invited to ‘bring a dish or snacks to share,’ I was perplexed about what to contribute. Should I prepare something at home, or could I simply bring a bag of chips? It took a few trial-and-error attempts to learn what works. Potlucks eliminate the drawbacks of eating out, ordering take-out, or relying on a host to cook. Everyone gets to share; it’s less expensive and accommodates various preferences and dietary needs.
Practice 4: We Give Long Hugs and Love to Cuddle
The ‘cuddle room’ at my first gathering was quite a surprise. “Who would go in there?”, I thought to myself. I used to associate cuddling with romantic partners, but here, it doesn’t equate to flirting (although that’s what I thought when I went to my first gatherings!). Instead, it’s about connecting and enjoying touch from others. It’s also good to know that long hugs may slow down greetings and farewells. So you can’t just decide to leave and take a bus 2 minutes after (I learned!).
Practice 5: We Mostly Dance with Ourselves (and with Eyes Closed)
If you are like most people, you are focused on your interactions with others while dancing in a ‘public’ space. That usually means facing your friends or sporadically trying to get the attention of a good-looking person on the dance floor by making eye contact with them. But in the conscious community, we face the DJ, standing in lines akin to a concert. We dance primarily for self-expression, with eyes closed, connecting deeply with the music and ourselves, rather than seeking attention from others.
Practice 6: We Always Bring Our Own Bottles or Cups
Whenever we attend a conscious event, we always bring our own water bottles and/or cups. Typically, we can fill up our bottles free of charge at the event. There are three main reasons behind this practice in my experience: Firstly, these events are usually alcohol-free, encouraging most attendees to opt for water. Secondly, the energetic dancing and singing often leave us thirsty, and water proves to be the best thirst quencher. Finally, using our own bottles and cups helps minimize the use of single-use plastic.
Practice 7: We Often Go Solo
It is surprisingly normal to attend conscious events on your own. Personally, I have always preferred doing many things solo. In the ‘default world,’ I would often face numerous questions about why I chose to go solo. Since I started attending conscious events, these inquiries have ceased, as going solo is widely accepted. At one of the largest conscious festivals, Envision in Costa Rica, over 25% of attendees go solo! I believe one reason for this is that it is relatively easy to connect with strangers at conscious events (read more here).
Conscious Practices Have Become My New Normal
These practices may seem strange to an outsider, but as I integrate further into this conscious community, I find them increasingly normal and fulfilling. And I begin to miss these practices when I go to more conventional gatherings!
What surprising practices have you noticed in the conscious community? Please share in a comment below, I’d love to hear.
Are you curious to learn more about the conscious community? I invite you to also read my articles on the definition, struggles, connection and healing in conscious communities. And my article on why I can’t imagine living permanently in a conscious community.
Disclaimer: I use the language of ‘we’, but obviously, these observations are only based on my own experiences. Ask someone else in the community and they probably will both agree and disagree with some of my observations. Ask me in a year — and my own perspective will probably have changed too!
