Rituals

Ritual

The power of rituals enhances health and well-being. Wikipedia defines a ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions or objects performed according to a set sequence. The Meriam-Webster Dictionary defines ritual as both an adjective and a noun: 1) of or relating to rites, or ceremony, as in a ritual dance; 2) done in accordance with social custom or normal protocol as in ritual handshakes or a ritual background check; 3) the established form for a ceremony; 4) an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner.

We use special rituals to mark the seasons, the holidays, the phases of the moon, the day of birth or death. These all serve to help us through change, and if there is one constant in our universe it is that all is changing. No moment is exactly the same as the last. What are some of your special rituals that you love to incorporate into the year? I love the ritual of watching sunset and moonrise the night of the full moon. Oftentimes, these occur within a few minutes of each other. In San Diego, one of my favorite places to watch from is the top of Mt. Soledad.

When I was in Transcendental Meditation Teacher Training with my parents at the tender age of 12 years old, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi would instruct the group to be near water on the full moon and to perform a puja, the ritual used to honor the tradition of teachers from which the lineage of mediation came to us. During that training in Switzerland, we performed a puja at the hotel, then we hiked to a nearby lake as the full moon rose. Many times in San Diego, a group from the TM movement would charter a harbor cruise boat and we would do a group puja and then have cake in honor of the full moon as we sailed around San Diego Bay. Lately, I have been attending Gong sound healing concerts and practicing special Full Moon meditations. Each is its own ritual that helps me honor and acknowledge the changes in my environment and makes me feel good.

I love the rituals associated with the winter holidays, lighting the Hanukkah candles and reciting the prayers and re-telling the story of the Macabees, eating latkes and donuts. Putting up a pine tree in my home and decorating it with keepsakes from years back, especially my two little elves that I have had since I was 11. Driving around neighborhoods filled with Christmas lights. Seeing all the special holiday decor at the area theme parks like Sea World, the Zoo, Disneyland, Magic Mountain, etc. I have always loved the music of the season and singing Christmas carols. Last year due to the pandemic, we created a new family Christmas ritual that I hope we continue as it was such fun. We all gathered on ZOOM from our respective homes and sang Christmas carols Karaoke style. It started as one request from my brother to sing one song, and an hour and many requests later we all ended the fun. It was such a joy to sing together. Rituals like these when performed year after year, especially across generations, become Traditions. What are some of your favorite family traditions?

Celebrations and rituals provide a means of belonging. We all have an inherent psychological need for LOVE and BELONGING. This is just above fulfilling our needs for food, water, shelter and safety (in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs). Typically, our first place to feel this sense of belonging is in our family of origin. Unfortunately, many people do not experience this love and belonging in their family and are traumatized by this lack. They search for another place to get this need met, often finding a group of friends, co-workers, a place of worship, a club or social group where they feel loved, authentically accepted, and feel that they belong. For your own self-care, identify what your favorite rituals and traditions are and be sure to take the time for them this season.

Several people have asked me how the Mountain Medicine Retreat was last month. It was lovely. I enjoyed teaching four yoga classes over the weekend and offering chair massage to the participants and staff. My favorite activity of the retreat was the Fire ceremony. The energy of the mountain, the elements and the feel of ancestors that had lived there before was powerful and seemed to instill a sense of reverence in everyone who participated. The ritual was performed in a sacred manner honoring all those present, giving them a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves. It felt magical, healing and nourishing to be in that energy.

Rituals can be also be used to create habits. You probably have rituals for all kinds of tasks that you perform regularly as they help to complete these activities in an efficient manner. For instance, do you have a ritual for how you prepare for your day each morning, or maybe how you take a shower, always doing these tasks in the same order? I will bet you do. Turn on your awareness and notice, that many habits have become so ritualized that they are unconscious and we don't even realize we have a ritual for that. These rituals make life easier or make us feel in control and create a sense of belonging to ourselves. I was just sharing with some friends that my daily workouts have become rituals that make me feel so good that I don't even think of them as workouts. If there is a new behavior or series of behaviors you would like to incorporate into your life, create a ritual for it, then practice that ritual daily for 21 days and you will have a new habit. Perhaps you would like to meditate daily. Create your plan. I wake up 15 minutes earlier than usual, put in my earphones and listen to a guided mediation for 15 minutes daily. Set it up for success: get the meditation cued up before going to sleep the night before; figure out how many 90-minute sleep cycles you want to get and when the best time to awaken is so that you wake up at the end of a cycle; re-set your alarm to wake earlier and then just DO IT. Having a precise routine and order to the behavior is what ritualizes it. Being Present and Mindful as you move through the ritual gives it reverence and honor. Doing it consistently creates a healthy habit that is life-supporting.