An introspective essay inspired by Thoreau’s Walden, exploring what it means to practice living deliberately in the modern world—where simplicity becomes strength, presence replaces productivity, and awareness becomes the true measure of a meaningful life.

“Misogi” is traditionally a Japanese Shinto purification ritual with deep cultural and religious significance, meaning purification, cleansing, or washing away.

You can practice for 10 years and still suck… if you keep practicing the wrong way. That’s what I realized the hard way. I used to believe repetition was enough. “Just keep going,” they said.

I wanted to experience the self-discovery that one attains by picking a goal and steadily working toward it — regardless of the frustration, the plateaus, and the setbacks. The practicing mind is everywhere and in everything we do.