“Innocence is a state that is renewed as one sleeps.” -Clarissa Pinkola Estes
As I’ve been sharing more about embodiment and what it means to be embodied, I would be remiss to mention the importance of ritual and ceremony as vehicles for embodiment.
Ceremony and ritual have been used for millennia to anchor in important moments of learning, crystallize the presence of the Divine in our lives, & honor rites of passage. Our ancestors regularly used them for sacred remembrance, but today these practices are vastly underutilized.
With ceremony and ritual we have the opportunity to come home to ourselves and to remember Who We Really Are amid the busyness of life.
When we are in touch with our true selves, our Higher Mind, we may live more fully expressed in every area of our lives. Ritual and ceremony support this remembrance.
As Clarissa Pinkola Estes says in her beloved book, “Women Who Run With the Wolves”, “Ritual is one of the ways in which humans put their lives in perspective… Ritual calls together the shades and specters in people’s lives, sorts them out, puts them to rest.”
Through the practice of ceremony and ritual, we become connected to the deepest parts of ourselves and make space to hear the voice of our intuition. As we nurture this relationship within, we can feel it reverberate through every part of ourselves, radiating our true essence out into the world. We can feel more grounded, centered, at peace, at home in our bodies, and grateful for life itself.
When things feel crunchy, confusing, messy or uncertain, ceremony and ritual can guide us back home. In my experience, when things feel really intense, the first area I focus my devotion and discipline on is how I’m beginning and ending my days.
As 2020 unfolds, our lives drastically affected by uncertainty and collective emotions, daily rituals can entrain us to weather the storm of uncertainty without losing ourselves.
A BEAUTIFUL DAY STARTS THE NIGHT BEFORE...
Bookending your days with nourishing rituals can support you to stay clear and centered. Rituals can become the foundation of your day – the moments to remember that you are in this world, not of it and that you are so much more than the dramas, stress, or obligations outside of yourself that may consume your time.
Daily rituals offer a comforting container for returning to yourself and what matters most in your life. Research has even shown that what you do before bed directly impacts how and what your subconscious mind processes all night long. So spending the moments before you fall asleep focused on your well-being can have a significant impact on how you wake up the next morning, influencing your entire day.
To have a beautiful morning, filled with peace and positivity, it can be fruitful and nourishing to focus attention on how you’re getting to bed each night.
Whether you’ve got a bedtime routine you’ve been practicing for years or you fall into bed at the last possible moment, exhausted and depleted each night, I’m sharing a loose framework with several ideas for a beautiful evening ritual to do before bed.
My intention is to guide you in setting up your mind, body, and spirit up for restoration and healing through awareness, embodiment and self – connection so that your days are more peaceful and joyous. Pick and choose what resonates with you to curate something exquisite and uniquely yours.
A few ideas to curate your own evening ritual:
Prepare a grounding elixir such as an herbal tea, Golden Milk, or this hot Apple Cider Vinegar drink
Take a warm bath or shower, spending extra time on your skincare afterward
Apply an organic face mask, moisturizer, or body oil and breathe deeply, offering your presence to yourself and your body
Prepare a diffuser with essential oils (I love jasmine, lavender, eucalyptus, or tree essences like fir, cedar or spruce)
Light a Candle
Put out your clothes for tomorrow
Set your alarm and put your phone up for the night
Listen to this playlist to help soften your mood and prepare for restful sleep
Do some gentle stretching or Yin yoga
Try a bit of Breathwork or this Meditation for Connecting to Your Wholeness
Journal about your intentions for tomorrow or gratitude for the day you’ve just had
Read
Most importantly, have fun and stick with what resonates and feels good for you!
I’d love to hear what your bedtime rituals are, love. Leave a comment below and tell me how you support a beautiful morning the night before.
With love,
Stephanie