I have been struggling this month with slowing down and just being present with the moment that is right in front of me. I have found it hard to write and allow space for my dreams to land. Even as i write this, on the final days of January, my heart is racing and i am needing to practice what i preach.
I am turning inwards, listening to the soft call of my body.
I am working on slowing down and turning towards what brings me pleasure because it then gives me the gift of presence.
There is no urgency.
This is the time to rest, to pause, to dream, to slow the fuck down.
I know that to be true.
I just have to get my Inner Planning Committee to listen.
It’s not lost on me that my word of the year – dreamed into being last November and December – is PRESENCE.
Wow, am i really been tested on it already.
So, instead of a whole article, i’m going to listen to my own advice. I’m going to resist the pull towards Hustle culture, especially as it’s a product of toxic masculine energy and patriarchy at its worst.
I’m going to gift myself and you, dear reader, the practice of a Self-Soothing Ritual Bath
Winter Bath Salts
Ingredients:
*Mix 1 cup Epson salts, and ¼ cup Himalayan pink sea salts together in a bowl
*Add 20 drops lavender essential oil, 10 drops pine essential oil, 10 drops rose oil, or others that you prefer
*Sprinkle in dried lavender, cedar, rose petals, small crystal pieces
Steps:
1) As you gather your ingredients and supplies, hold in your thoughts what your intention is for this bath. Picture yourself in the bath and the felt sense you hope to experience
2) Connect this intention to your ritual craft by repeating “With this bath, i welcome rest” or “My body is resting and so too is my mind”
3) When you are ready to take the bath, set the room up as a sacred space – light candles, burn incense or a smoke bundle, place a rose quartz crystal nearby, and have a playlist going quietly. Welcome a screen free moment. Purify this space and time
4) Run the water and share this moment with the cleansing waters that resonate in your own body. Add the salt mix and start casting the spell by repeating your intention “with this bath, i welcome rest.”
5) Visualize how you will feel after this bath and also give yourself permission to not do anything productive after. This is not just a moment of pause, but a way to find the balance you need
6) Immerse yourself in the water. Close your eyes, take in the water on your body and the soothing scents in the room. Take deep cleansing breaths, with a deeper exhale – don’t be shy to sigh it out your mouth!
7) Enjoy this solitude of the moment. When you catch your mind wandering, come back to the song, or look upon the candle. Practice Candle Gazing if you feel called!
8) Take this time to reflect on what you want to release, or what you are grateful for from today.
9) Start to picture what you want to let go down the drain as the water is released.
9) When you feel ready to get out, remind yourself of the intention and see if you feel even 5% more present or relaxed. Add more hot water if you need to stay in longer – remember there is NO RUSH here!
10) As you get out of the water, ground your body in this moment. Send yourself appreciation for choosing your own well-being over hustle culture, as a way to heal your internalized patriarchy and Rushing Woman Syndrome.
11) Blow out the candles, send a thanks to the waters for this gift of time and rest. Do a somatic check-in and see if your body feels a bit more renewed, energized or alive. Embrace this new version of you, anoint your body with special oil or lotion. Care for this new skin!
12) Wrap yourself in your towel, pull the plug and watch the water flow down the drain, as well as the stuck thoughts or limiting beliefs that have gotten in your way. Let the worry go, or the pull to practice toxic productivity
13) If you feel called, integrate this practice even more with a journal session, meditation. Or feel free to hop into bed!
Possible Journal Prompts
In what ways have you listened to your inner knowing this week?
What limiting belief have you noticed that is getting in your way?
Who are you becoming as this identity shift is calling to you?