Creating a Daily Self-Care Ritual

We need daily self care. 

It’s my opinion that by the time we are thirty, we need two hours a day of self care; if that isn’t in place, we will be feeling it somewhere, either emotionally, or physically, or both.

A daily self care ritual has so many benefits for psychological and bodily wellness, and we’ll assume here that you’ve already bought into the idea, and want some practical tips on getting started.

The physical benefits all come from the fact that this practice enhances circadian rhythms, and helps to turn off the sympathetic nervous system. (Here is my LA Yoga article, which outlines more of the psychospiritual benefits of a daily self care ritual.)

 

Tip 1 - do YOU.

A morning ritual is varied and individual.

For example, mine includes a hot cup of chai, watching the sunrise, taking customized herbs, intention-setting at my altar, chanting, meditation, and sometimes a morning stretch. That’s a lot for some and an easy routine for others.

What matters is that it’s my best fit now.

As long as your self-care ritual cultivates pleasant feelings and includes an opportunity to examine your thoughts, decisions and feelings, you’re golden. This could look like journaling, sun salutes, staring at the clouds over a hot tea, or an austere ashtanga practice; it just has to feel nourishing to you, on that morning or evening.

 

Tip 2 - take 30 minutes in the morning

I’d recommend setting aside 30 minutes at minimum, for at least one of your morning or evening self-care times. An hour is best to not feel rushed (and not feeling rushed is important for your mind and body). But hey, if you start with 10-15 minutes, that will still have a huge positive impact.

Morning is the most fertile time of day for all spiritual and subtle energetic body shifts. Your morning routine allows you to set the tone of the day, as opposed to the day’s events setting your tone.

If you really cannot do the morning consistently (little ones crawling on top of you), do bedtime and close your day with intention. A consistent time is better than an irregular morning time for your internal clock. 

 

Tip 3 - have a “Plan B” version

We all have variations in our day-to-day lives necessitate adjustments. However, when you get out of your routine, it’s easy to landslide into not showing up for it.

I have a five-minute version of my morning routine (chai, altar) that allows me to be flexible but still feel like I showed up, allowing me to anchor my rhythms.

Often, on my Plan B days, I make the time before bed to do self reflection and self care. 

 

20 Ideas for Self-Care Practices

This is not an all-inclusive list, but a good starting place.

Simply choose one or two from the list for each morning and evening self care time.

I recommend trying the same practice for a two week period to really feel the effects of that practice for you and to connect with it. Once you’ve connected to a few practices and know how each one feels for you, you can customize and choose your daily blend of practices based on what you feel is a best fit for that day.

Any of these ideas could be appropriate for the morning, or evening; however the quality of your practice would need to match what is balancing for you at that time of day. For example, I may choose a more invigorating pranayama or yoga practice in the morning, but would choose a more calming, grounding and relaxing practice in the evening.

In general, evening is the time to prepare the body for good sleep and relaxing, while the morning is a great time to stimulate, activate, and do spiritual practices. In the morning, our practices help us to set a tone for our day, while evening practices are more about recovery, and coming back to homeostasis.

  • Yoga Asana (including digestive series, sun salutes, restorative sequences or other practices)
  • Stretching
  • Self massage and oiling (whole body or just a focus area)
  • Exercise/ Activity
  • Communing with nature (such as sitting outside while drinking tea and listening to the birds)
  • Journaling
  • Taking daily herbs
  • Using a Neti Pot
  • Meditating
  • Visioning
  • Praying
  • Reading that builds awareness of self
  • Pranayama
  • Upashaya (drinking hot water with lemon and honey)
  • Sipping on Herbal Tea
  • Chanting
  • Gratitude exercises
  • Oracle cards
  • Listening to guided meditation
  • Sitting in silence and reflecting

Would you like to customize your daily and weekly rhythms to meet your health needs? Then please check out my Healing Routines Setup Guide

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