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Rituals have been used for all of human history to mark passages, to create ceremony, to celebrate and to bring people together. Rituals have power. They remind us that we are part of something larger and greater than ourselves, and they allow us to tap into that universality. When thinking about your yoga and meditation practice, rituals can add depth and distinction, texture and richness, making your practice more meaningful and enjoyable.
There are many many ideas you can choose from, borrowing respectfully from all human cultures. And you can also create your own rituals. I’ve found that having a variety of different rituals to choose from according to my intention and my need at a particular moment is enriching and fun. This way, I can make my practice very personal.
Try any or all of these easy and effective ways to empower your own practice with rituals - even adding just one ritual to your home practice will change the way you experience it. Let these 12 ideas inspire you to make your yoga and meditation a non-negotiable part of your day.
1. Chose one ritual to open your practice and one to close it - This will create a sacred space, a clear separation between your practice and your everyday life. It will give you a satisfying sense of completeness and will allow you to move back into your daily life more fluidly.
2. Clear your space - Purify and energize your practice space by smudging with sage
3. Bring in positive energy - The sacred smoke of burning palo santo wood, known as “holy wood”, has been used for centuries by South American shamans for cleansing negative energies raising positive vibrations.
4. Set your intention - This means deciding and declaring to yourself a quality that you wish to cultivate during your practice such as patience, forgiveness, courage, strength, love, staying present. You can build positive energy and inspire others by carrying your intention from your practice and into your life.
5. Chant “OM” = Om is the oldest mantra that encompasses all the vibrations of the universe, wakes up the positive vibrations within you and around you. Breath in deeply, then chant “OM” on a long exhale.
6. Let go - If you need to release something that is holding you back in your life (anger, disappointment, a person, a story, etc.) find an object in nature that symbolizes it, or write it on a piece of paper. Place it your altar, light a candle to it, and dedicate your practice to letting it go. Afterwards, with awareness and intention, release the object back into nature, float the paper down a stream or burn it safely in a smudge bowl or other fire-proof container.
7. Light a candle - Candles are symbols of transformation, the flame connects you with the earth’s elements.
8. Burn some incense - The filament of rising bluish smoke will connect you with something higher, like an offering to yourself and to your highest potential.
9. Practice gratitude- Take 1 minute at the end of your practice and list in your mind or your journal the people, the experiences, the lessons, the things you are grateful for in that moment.
10. Send your love and light out to others- The Buddhists have a beautiful practice called “metta bhavana” to send loving kindness out into the world. You can send your loving kindness out to others by chanting or repeating silently the following incantation (or any adaptation of this that feels good to you): “May you be happy, may you be well, may you be peaceful, may you be free from harm, may you be free to grow and thrive.”
11. Ring a singing bowl, bell or chime - Begin or end your practice by sending waves of loving kindness and positive vibrations to the rest of the world through the enchanting sounds of a singing bowl, a bell or a chime.
12. Perform each ritual mindfully, not mechanically, pay attention to why you choose each one, to the sensations you feel and the emotions you experience as you perform it.
