So I have many rituals...When I wake up in the morning:
- I give thanks for a new day (even when I'm cranky)
- I open my "Daily Teachings" app by the Secret and I read my teaching for the day
- I kiss my boyfriend and wish him a good morning (and I thank my lucky stars for him)
- I send loving thoughts to my family in NY
- I make coffee and oatmeal with sliced strawberries
- I check instagram
- I then check the real news
- I let the day settle in
On very good days, I also try to find some time to meditate so I am in communion with my inner self before facing the outside world. I could go on and on about many other rituals that I have because I like a good ritual. They provide a sense of grounding. I sometimes like to take mundane situations and apply a ceremonious spin on them. Consider your beauty routine, I love to work through every step with a sense of love and purpose. I think that when you apply a ceremonious attitude to anything you are harnessing divinity and the present moment.
A yoga practice or your sweat sesh of choice can be seen as a ritual in many cases. You usually go around the same time, frequent the same studios and follow the same teachers. In an actual yoga class it is sequenced in order to take special steps into consideration, think setting intentions, breath work, the physical practice, svasana... they all serve a very clear purpose. I had the pleasure of experiencing Ritual Hot Yoga as I partook in an event on behalf of SYYogaMag. They invited local bloggers into their "home" and treated us to fresh beats, a warming practice and delish local foods. Check out the full article on this experience over at SFYogaMag. If you are based in San Francisco I encourage you to check out this studio. Not only do they offer an amazing class but they are disrupting the ecosystem by truly taking care of their teachers. Okay, I'm giving away too much, just read this. If you are not in San Francisco, start setting and applying rituals to your daily routine and notice how present you just might become.
namaste.