3 questions to help you revise your routine and transform it into a ritual
I’ve been experimenting a lot over the past 5 years with various routines, rituals and planning systems. Long ago I started doing my business planning on quarterly cycles and find I tend to thrive best when I do the same with my personal life.
I also find I thrive best when I’m in tune with the cycles of the seasons so I choose to re-evaluate my routines seasonally so that I’m making changes that take into account the weather, amount of daylight, and other energy that goes with the season.
The other benefit to revising on a quarterly/seasonal basis is that it keeps my routines from becoming a burden, boring or like something I have to do even if I'm no longer sure why or if it's benefiting me in the same way.
Routines are something we can move through on autopilot.
BUT
Rituals bring us present to the various cycles of life.
Rituals can ground.
Rituals can nourish.
Rituals can connect us more deeply to ourselves or to our family or friends.
The true benefit of a ritual is that it turns the routine into the sacred.
It reminds us to be grateful for, feel blessed by and be in awe of everyday miracles.
The Fall Equinox is actually one of the two most perfect times to reevaluate our routines. (The other time being the Spring Equinox.)
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Spring and Summer are characterized by yang energy. They are the hottest months of the year, they have the most amount of light, and there’s a lot of activity. Come the Fall Equinox, which happened this past Sunday, we move into the yin seasons of Autumn and Winter. This means less light, colder temperatures, and the desire for less activity and stimulation.
You might already be noticing some changes in your body.
Maybe you’re craving different foods.
Or feeling a little bit more lethargic.
Experiencing more nasal/sinus congestion.
Feeling more bloated or noticing other digestive changes or upsets.
A desire to wrap up in cozy sweaters or blankets.
Maybe you're feeling that urge to increase your self-care with less social activity, or recommitting to some of your self care habits that you were a little more lax on over the summer months.
So by reevaluating seasonally you can decide what’s still working for you and what it might be beneficial to shift or change based on the current season and also the personal season of life that you’re in and what’s present for and important to you in this moment.
And while I have been talking about this in regards to the bigger idea of seasonal routines, this practice actually can be used for ANYTHING that you do routinely and becomes especially potent when you apply it to even the smallest daily task.
3 questions to help you revise your routine and turn the mundane into the sacred
What activities feel the most nourishing and energy creating right now?
What do I want to create space for? What do I want to release in order to create that space?
What would make this (task, routine, moment) even more enjoyable for me?
You can start with the bigger picture, but the more granular you get, the more teeny, tiny choices can bring immense joy into your routines making them feel truly sacred.
For example, I go out of my way multiple mornings a week to go to a very specific cafe to get matcha because I love the whole vibe of the place, but mostly I love their pretty coffee cups. They seriously make me SO happy. And then I get to carry that cup around for hours and it brings me joy every time I look at it. I even turn it into my water cup when I’m done with the matcha so that I can carry it around for longer.
May we all find our own meaningful rituals this season.
