Enriching life through Ritual

Ritual is defined as "a set of actions or words performed in a certain way" by the Cambridge Dictionary, but I see it as more than that.  I see ritual as a way to make an ordinary day extra-ordinary; a way to bring a spiritual and sacred intention into everyday activities; and a way to surrender oneself to the magic of the Divine.
Ritual can be simple or complex, and can be personalized in many ways; all it takes is desire, intention, and regular practice.  
I have been working with ritual more regularly, and have found that these three practices in particular have brought me a sense of increased passion and productivity:

Begin and end the day with stillness
How often do you reach for your phone as soon as you wake up?  Is this necessary, or more of an automatic habit?  What if you could create a mindful habit and set your intention for how you would like to progress through your day?  Simply begin your day with stillness.  For me this means sitting with my morning tea, lighting a candle, focussing on my breathing, and journaling.  You may choose any of these or include mediation and/or yoga; any activity that brings you into an awareness of your body.  I have found that doing this every morning creates a sacred space where I can acknowledge how I am feeling and any thoughts that may be emerging, and also helps me to consciously set my intention for my day. 
The end of day is similar; I end with quiet time which includes a 'bullet-style' journal of gratitude and joy experienced and celebrated in the day, as well as a spray of one of my Aromatherapy blends. You could even set the intention of having a restful and restorative sleep at this time!

Connect with Nature
I believe that Nature is a powerful healer, and that when we take even a few minutes to go outside and be in her presence, we are connecting to a strong and infinite source of energy.  We all have our favourite places in Nature that fill us with peace, wonder, and joy; for some it is by the ocean, for some in the mountains; for me it is in trees. So often we say that we are too busy, but it is precisely those times that we can most benefit from breathing and finding our centre in Nature.  Try this the next time you are feeling stressed or uncertain...take a few minutes and go outside.  Breathe deeply, push down and feel your feet in contact with the Earth, look around and see what is all around you, smell, listen...engage your senses.  I bet you will find that you feel a renewed sense of calm and energy within you when you return to your activities.  Taking time each day to mindfully connect with Nature can greatly improve your mood and your day. 

Create a Sacred Space for working

While you may not have control over every aspect of your workspace, being intentional about how you want to feel while you are working, and arranging your space to support that, can make a big difference to your day and your productivity. 

I once fell into the trap of having a nice space for playing and creating, but a cluttered and disorganized work space which  did not support me with my work and was actually sabotaging my desire to move forward with my business.  I realized that while I regularly create a sacred container and set an intention for my creative processes, doing this for my business tasks was just as important!  What if I could set an intention for working through my bookkeeping with ease or even joy?  What if by something as simple as lighting a candle (of course keeping it away from my papers!), I could create a feeling of sacredness and magic that would make me more likely to do this task (one that I really dislike) and complete it in a timely way?  Who would have known that even bookkeeping could become a sacred ritual for me!

Of course, there are days when life happens and when I don't manage to practice these rituals, and while not ideal, it is okay.  I have learned that it is important to give myself the grace to know that I did enough and that tomorrow is a new day.  

Will inviting ritual into your day enrich your life as it has done mine?  I invite you to try it and see, and let me know how ritual changes your life!

The Joy of Self Care

At this very busy time of year, it is easy to be overwhelmed with our to-do lists and put our own needs after those of others.  Is this wise?  I am reminded of my flight attendant training and the safety demonstrations we gave that said "put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others".  The wisdom of self-care...we know this, yet it is still so hard to put this knowledge into practice.  What if we found a way to re-define our perception of self-care and allowed ourselves to embrace the joy of taking care of ourselves while we look after those we love?

After a very difficult few months, I have struggled with trying to 'do it all' and to 'be all the things'...you know, that mother who is on top of all her child's academic and emotional needs and can schedule driving lessons and appointments with ease; the wife who creates a clean and uncluttered home for her husband to come home to, complete with a meal cooked from scratch; the daughter who supports her grieving family by being available for appointments or just to be together. We all have our own unique variation of this "being all the things"; but where does that leave us?  In my case, it left me exhausted, overwhelmed, angry, and sad. I finally reached my limit yesterday and took a day to stay home, and while I did clean up the house, I also gave myself permission to play in my art journal and have a bath!  Did I feel guilty?  Absolutely! And then, while soaking away the stress and letting the mental chatter of my to-do list flow down the drain, I was struck by a sense of peace, and even joy.  I had put myself first; listened to my body and my needs, and I felt revived and hopeful.  But what does this apparently selfish act mean for everyone around me?  A new and revitalized me, willing to face the season with renewed spirit!  I had been reminded that taking care of myself meant I was better equipped to help those I love: I'd found the *joy* of self-care.

If you are feeling the seasonal stress, why not schedule some time for yourself and see if you too can find the joy in self-care!

  

Bathtime Bliss with Essential Oils

Adding essential oils to a bath is an ancient ritual that is still popular today.  This method is an easy way to enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy: not only are you soaking in the essential oils, you are breathing in their aroma, which adds to the healing as well as the relaxing experience.  By choosing and using the oils appropriately, we can create a beautiful aromatic bath time experience.

Creating a safe Aromatherapy bath is a bit more involved than just dropping the oils into the bath water, though.  Essential Oils don't mix with water.  Adding your essential oils directly to your bath means that they will float on the top of your bath water and go directly onto your skin when you step in, increasing the risk of irritation.
To avoid this, we need to add the essential oils to either salts, milk, or a carrier oil before they go into the bath.  To dilute your essential oils before adding them to your bath, try one of these methods:

•  add 5 drops of essential oil to 1/2 cup of salts (Epsom salts, sea salts, or a combination)*
• add 5 drops of essential oil to 1 Tbsp of carrier oil.  Sesame oil is a natural emulsifier and disperses the oil very well.
• add 5 drops of essential oil to 1/2 cup of milk*

All of these methods will ensure that your essential oils are nicely dispersed through out your bathwater and will not end up directly on your skin.  

It is also important to choose essential oils for your bath very carefully:  

• Avoid any of the spice oils such as Black Pepper, Peppermint, Cinnamon, Clove, Oregano, Thyme.
• Avoid phototoxic citrus oils such as Lemon, Lime, and especially Bergamot.
• Avoid irritating oils like Lemongrass.  

Oils that are gentle and recommended for using in a bath are:

• Florals like Lavender, Rose, Geranium.   
• Frankincense, Sandalwood, Clary Sage, Spruce, Juniper, Eucalyptus. 

Be careful with the heavy floral oils like Rose and Jasmine as they can become overpowering very quickly.  Using 2-3 drops of these in the bath is ideal.

Overuse of essential oils in the bath can cause irritation, so use oils that are mild and non-irritating, and remember that 'less is more'. 

Creating an at-home Aromatherapy spa experience is a delightful way to end a busy day or to spend quiet time.  By choosing appropriate essential oils and using them carefully, you can easily create a safe and wonderful bathing experience.  Enjoy!

*UPDATE* August 2017
New research has shown that adding essential oils to salt, milk, or other water-soluble substances, does not adequately dilute or disperse the oils in the bath.  Based on this, the new recommendation is to dilute the essential oils in a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut or sweet almond oil, or add the essential oil to a foaming product such as castille soap, shower gel, or shampoo.  These options allow for the best dispersion of essential oil, thus minimizing the desk of irritation.  More information on this can be found here.