What are some of your favorite rituals to slow down?

Maybe it's the way you make your coffee each morning, or the art of arranging your desk before the workday begins. Maybe it's wash day, or your “everything shower” routine. Rituals are the small and intentional moments that slow us down. Especially when you are feeling overwhelmed, rituals can serve as a reset and reminder to take some time for you.

Do you ever feel stuck on autopilot?

It’s no secret that our environment, from the global crises down to chaos in our homes or personal lives, impacts our nervous systems. We often don’t take the time to slow down and truly feel what's going on in our minds and bodies.

Rituals can help take us out of those foggy moments and into moments of clarity and intention.

How do I build ritual into my life?

“Rituals require three things: intention, attention, and repetition. By applying an intention to our habits, we force ourselves to pay attention to our bodies, thoughts, actions, and surroundings.” (Calm)

A ritual doesn’t need to be elaborate or fancy, it can be simple. Simple rituals make powerful impacts. When we tie little moments of intention, attention, and repetition into our daily lives, we create a more meaningful life with ease.

Four rituals you can try today:

Inspired by our new candle line we’ve thought of four daily rituals you can implement for a bit more calm, focus, intention, and presence.

A ritual for more calm in your life

A night-time meditation

Begin by getting into a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down.
Relax your jaw, and relax the muscles of your face. Take a deep breath in, and a slow breath out.
Allow any thoughts to settle, like sand would in a glass of water.
Sit or lay like this for as long as feels comfortable, noticing any thought patterns or sensations, and allowing them to pass through your body.
Finally, open your eyes, take another deep breath, and thank yourself for taking some time to slow down.

A ritual to be more present

Notice the beauty in front of you

When you are catching up with your friend, your partner, or even having a meeting with your boss - take the time and intention to look them in the eye and notice their features. Note how they speak, their expressions, and how their energy feels.

This ritual is impactful because we often see the same people day in and day out, but how often do we take the time to truly notice them? Sometimes the people we interact with most are the ones we notice the least.

A ritual to focus on what matters to you

Visualization journaling

To be done each morning or night for ten minutes.

Grab a notebook and pen. Take a moment to focus on what matters to you, what you are trying to accomplish. Visualize what that looks like for you. Where are you located? What are you wearing? Who is surrounding you? How do you feel? Write out in detail what it looks like to accomplish those goals. This daily ritual can assist in manifesting your desires into reality.

A ritual to be more intentional in what you do

Creating a subtle reminder with a saying

What is it that you’d like to be more intentional about? Maybe you’d like to quit a bad habit and introduce a better one. Consider coming up with a phrase or saying that is unique to you and your situation. Each time you find yourself wanting to slack off or catch yourself slipping, repeat that phrase. Our words have an immense power.

Example: Each time I catch myself scrolling through social media when I instead want to be reading, I will say “I do not scroll away, instead I read a chapter a day”