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mistakes and the problems can we need to begin to accept that they are part of us. Slowly and gently through the repetition of practice can we confront the habits one by one and practice the replacement pattern (the new habit).

"It is when your practice is rather greedy that you become discouraged with it. So you should be grateful that you have a sign or warning signal to show you the weak point in your practice." Shunryu Suzuki, ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND. (Weather Hill. New York, 1976. p 71)

We are not working to change who we are, but we are working to change who we perceive we are. We are working so we can speak that which we want to speak. We want to tell the story we want to tell. This is extremely difficult to do because of our prior commitments to who we perceive we are.

G. REGULAR PRACTICE TIME AND PLACE

I need to have a regular practice time and space: my study at home, my car, my office, in meetings, while teaching, while observing.

Writing this article is a practice for me. I have set up regular (well somewhat regular) times for making notes and sitting at the computer and writing. I have actually been doing the preliminary practice for about five years, writing three pages a morning. I have probably missed only twenty days a year -- a few Sundays, the rare day that I slept in, and some travel days. Even on holiday, I write three pages. I do my dream practice and my writing practice first every morning, and then I do my yoga practice and my meditation and sounding practice before I begin my day. I practice while I teach, it is difficult sometimes, but I know if I am not conscious in a practice while I teach, I get bored and irritated. When problems occur I struggle to keep them in the "practice" mode. The only way I can fully engage in the "unexpected problems" is to approach them in practice mode and that is a difficult practice in itself.

As a teen-ager I could not do my homework without Schubert and Beethoven or the operas of Mozart. I practice now in silence. I fight to cut out the noises and the distractions. At the moment, I need only a candle - a light to keep me focused, and when I am at my table doing paper work, a fragrance - a scent to help keep my brain clear.

H. THE RESISTANCES

The Latin root of both "resist" and "assist" is "sistere" or "to take one's stand," or should we say "the act of standing."

A primary task of a teacher is to create a place of safety and objectivity. Then we need to help ourselves and our students identify the practice issues from within and from without. We need to acknowledge that

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meeting up with the non-useful habits, blocks and resistances is a part of the creative process, as well as life is. It is so important for us to find the ways to support them through the boredom and the anger and any other stage they go through, without indulgence, loss of clarity or focus, or taking on their problems. Therefore we must help them to work, to negotiate with the resistances that appear. For both student and teacher, the more objective knowledge that we have about the resistances, the quicker we can disarm them. At every level of training, I am always amazed by the variety and inconsistency of resistance patterns and how much time I as a teacher seem to commit to the role of guide, while students thrash through their endless permutations of resistance: anger, frustration, boredom and projection. It takes clarity and strength to stay the course with them and move them forward.

This practice mantra evolved in a recent workshop: "Acknowledge the resistance. Acknowledge the resistance to acknowledging the problem. Acknowledge the resistance to the potential for change. Acknowledge the struggle. Acknowledge the task. Acknowledge the courage. Acknowledge the fear of change. Acknowledge the fear of succeeding."

Encourage the students to be clear about where "cometh your support," teachers, friends, colleagues, lovers, family, or maybe even from the ability to separate from family, colleagues, friends, and teachers.

I. THE DUMB

I have worked with enough actors who practice the wrong way. Many years ago, at an early read through of the Scottish play, I turned to the actor playing MacDuff, and suggested that we would need to work carefully on the role. He was so willing to work on the vocal issues in his other roles that season, but kept avoiding tackling the big emotional vocal work that needed to be done on MacDuff, even to the point of fading out at the big vocal moments of the warm up on Scottish days. He was going for a cool, contemporary MacDuff. Of course, at the first run through, half way through "Horror, horror, horror," his voice cut out. I was told by stage management that when he left the stage at the end of the act, he went straight to them and booked the next voice session. Then he was willing to work.

V. THE REWARDS

A. HAVING A SYSTEM OR A NON-SYSTEM

There are so many ways to practice, so many keys. George Leonard put down his steps to mastery as five keys: 1. instruction, 2. practice, 3. surrender, 4. intentionality (having an intention), and 5. the edge (the courage, the risk). I see my formula as:

1. having the openness, the presence, or the willingness to receive the information,

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