4 daily rituals for bringing mindfulness into your everyday

 

There’s a growing awareness of mindfulness and the benefits of bringing calm into your every day. Here I introduce four simple rituals that you can start doing right away to bring some simple mindfulness into your everyday.

I created the Yogandha range specifically to bring calm into the every day and I use them three or four times a day – my body now expects and looks for it – so I’ve habituated myself to moments of relaxation every single day and the benefits of this are innumerable.

Yogandha is based on the fact that sense of smell has an immediate effect on the nervous system. We all know instinctively that a fragrance can instantly change how we feel and Yogandha is about using that to bring some instant zen into key moments of your day. 

 

1. Morning shower

As a yoga and meditation teacher, I’ve learned that – if it’s easy, people are far more likely to do it. You probably take a shower every morning – so lets start there.  Jump into the shower and squirt some Yogandha Detox into your hand. Breathe in the fragrance. As you do this – say an affirmation –  eg “I am caring for my wellbeing” – say it and feel it! Now rub the oil all over the body (yes, right there, under the water – it will pull moisture into your skin AND prevent your natural oils from being stripped so a nice side-effect is incredibly nourished skin!).

 

You will find that your morning shower ritual will have a ripple effect. Feel free to let things drop away.. to say no to more and to let go.

 

2. Just one mindful breath per day.

Days are busy and pressure to do and to be so many things is exhausting.  As time is so limited, the thought of taking up a new practice that will demand time that you don’t have, can feel too much. So for now, don’t.

Just make a solid commitment to have one mindful breath per day. Mindful simply means being present to what you’re doing. Everyone has time for that and hey, you have to breathe anyway so if you are very goal-oriented, you can even view it as multi-tasking. Just one mindful breath per day. You will deepen this moment if you apply Yogandha Ground to your wrists and temples. Applying these sacred herbs – sandalwood, cedarwood, jasmine etc will give a deeply meditative quality to the moment. It takes only one breath, but will deeply effect your whole day.

3. Value non-doing

“By non-doing, all doing becomes possible.” Lao Zu

Our society values action and goal-oriented behavior.  Non-doing, simply being – staring at the sea, meditation, sitting with music, lolling…these activities are often accompanied with a sense of guilt that we really should be ‘getting something done’ and indeed when the mind is allowed to quieten, it will present any number of compelling ‘to dos.’  But in our over-stimulated world, there is actually enormous wellbeing value in non-doing.  What are you doing to non-do today?

4. Flight mode

This is a vital nightly ritual. Half an hour after eating – put your phone into flight mode, apply a Yogandha rollerball (Yogandha balance or Yogandha Ground), inhale deeply, exhale deeply and pop your phone into a drawer (there’s something wonderfully empowering about closing a drawer!). Enjoy your genuine downtime before bed and see how much better you will sleep and how better rested you will feel the next morning!

Now the oils are truly multi-functional. I use Yogandha Muscle Soothe on my son after football (great for quick bonding!) and I love that it also helps keeps coughs and colds away. I use Yogandha Relax as my nightly face oil – exhaling and letting go and feeling my body relax as I apply it. I also use it to take my make up off – oil does everything and nourishes as it cleans.

And the strong underlying benefit is that I am bringing relaxation into my day. By using the oils for so many different things – I can ensure that there’s many moments of relaxation in my day.  This practice of regular calm self-connection will tone the nervous system, boost your immunity, improve your mood and disposition, nourish your skin and ripple out so you’ll find yourself making better decisions for your wellbeing in all areas of your life.

Today is the best day to start.