The Elegance of Ritual
In a world that is spinning faster than ever, taking time to slow down and practice the art of ritual can, at times, seem impossible. That said, I work with my clients to introduce small, sustainable daily rituals that can open up a great deal of space inside the mind and the heart.
Ritual can add so much elegance and art to an otherwise busy and even mundane daily routine. Here are a few of my favorite easy rituals to utilize and recommend these days.
TEA CEREMONY // Actually spend a solid 3-5 minutes slowly enjoying your morning tea or coffee. I believe it’s the reason matcha has taken off so much lately – it requires a tea ceremony of sorts with the whisk and the powdered tea and all that. Whatever your AM beverage of choice, make it super special and create a ritual of savoring its flavor.
SAGE // Cleansing yourself and/or your space is one of the quickest ways to dissolve negativity and add ritual to your daily routine. There is no wrong way to do this really, and you can’t over-sage. What I love about the practice (besides the smell) is the ability to imagine all my cares, worries, and negativity simply being carried away by the beautiful ribbon of smoke.
MORNING PAGES // Spend 5-15 minutes every morning jotting down thoughts, cares, desires, and musings about life, your dreams, anything. Getting things out on paper can dramatically lessen any anxiety-swirling in the mind and doing so repetitively is a wonderful self-care practice to gain greater clarity and peace of mind.
COOKING AS RITUAL // I think we as a culture take cooking for granted at times. It can be so utilitarian and rushed. When we have an opportunity to slow down in the kitchen, to cook with intention, sincerity, and love it can absolutely become a magic-making ritual. Pick one or two lower-stress evenings a week to make cooking a special practice in your home.
GRATITUDE JAR // Create a jar of things you are grateful for. Each day drop a slip of paper into it. Eventually, the jar and your heart will be full of multiple reasons your life is awesome. When gratitude becomes a ritual and a habit, you tend appreciate life so much more and may be happily surprised by the amount of positivity your gratitude will attract.
A LUXURIOUS EVENING BATH // Taking a bath can seem like the utmost luxury when you have an over-scheduled life. But bath time can be as simple as a quick 10 minute soak with a candle. Or it can be as luxurious as adding some herbs or dried flowers (rose petals and lavender are my favorite), lighting some incense, and playing some relaxing music for a 30 minute soak. The choice is yours, but an evening bath ritual is an incredible way to unwind, de-stress, and calm down before bed. These days, for me, it's an absolute essential part of my routine.
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