Well, my love, we are somehow all the way to the final week of 2023, which seems made up and weird and amazing. How are you doing as we round out the year?
Today, I thought I'd remind share a bit more about RITUALS and why they are one of my favorite tools in my self-care kit.
Adding in ritual to any type of intentional journey--be it a quest for healing, learning, self-development, or otherworldly expansion--adds an element of sacredness. It's also a really easy way to shift your mindset quickly, because it signals to your mind and body:
Hey, this thing we're about to do? It's important. Pay attention, and be present.
So, what is a ritual?
At its most basic definition, a ritual is an action or series of actions regularly repeated in a precise order and manner, often for a spiritual or solemn ceremony.
Cool right? Even cooler is that by creating a ritual, you are wiring your nervous system to start to recognize the series of actions. In turn your body can begin to expect what is going to happen next, and thus you've created a feeling of safety and confirmation in your physical body.
If you've worked with me, you likely remember how much I believe in somatic/embodiment work (aka engaging your full self--physical body, emotional body, energy body, thinking body). Ritual, with its power to influence our nervous system, is a great example of the power behind this type of work!!
Another reason to integrate rituals, is that using the wisdom of your body's wiring system as described above, can and will help you form a habit, which is a skill that I see a lot of people struggling with in the modern world. Habits are CRUCIAL for a lot of the coaching work I lead clients in, because they help to get you putting in the reps, which we all know is crucially important for any kind of practice or exercise routine.
P.S. Interested in the behavioral science and biology behind habits? I highly recommend Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg.
A ritual doesn't have to be all that fancy. It can be as simple as lighting a candle before your bath (think of how much more special a bath is when you have a candle burning!). A ritual can be as natural and organic as one of those inside jokes you have with your best friend, where when you say “abc”, they always reply “xyz”. A ritual can even be putting on that special pair of silky panties before bed, or the reddest red lipstick you own before a presentation.
I'm going to leave you with one example of an easy ritual you can add to your day:
Every time you shower, let the water wash away something that no longer serves you, or something you wish to release. Speak the words “I release ___. I clear ___.". Imagine the water cleansing this property from your very soul, carrying it right down the drain. Pro tip: placing a visible object somewhere in the shower that reminds you of this practice will help you actually remember to use it :)
XOXO
Kyle
Comentários