I’ve loved seeing people try their hand at sourdough bread, fermenting veggies, and home cooking lately. I’ve also noticed an uptick in people planting gardens, going for walks, and playing with puzzles.
Due to the quarantine, we’ve being given the opportunity to step away from the fast-paced and electronic and step back toward what has always been there for us— simplicity.
Rising Rooted is incorporating a foundation of simple rituals into our days that help us feel grounded, calm, and healthy.
But, routines and rituals are commonly confused...
Routines are automatic and without much thought. They are based on “should” and “have to” rather than “could” or “like to.” Routines are habits, and habits can be both good and bad. Rituals on the other hand are meaningful, mindful, and fluid. We are led by our heart, not our head, toward rituals that ground us and calm us... That root us. They might not happen regularly or unfold in the same way each time. They are always good because they connect us to our true nature and we can derive meaning from them!
This infographic from my Rising Rooted Journaling Guide lays it out for ya…
What I love most about humans is that we are like snowflakes— no two quite the same. We are unique, multidimensional, complex creatures. So, what could serve as a ritual to one could be a daunting, laborious routine for another.
But, one way we are all similar is that we share the same 24 hours in each day. Quarantine has shaken up how we spend those hours and forced us to surrender the idea of what we thought our lives SHOULD be like in this time.
This season has created an opportunity to quiet the mind and explore new past-times for the present along with dreams for the future. This is fertile ground to collectively plant the seeds of change for our health, our careers, our relationships, or our spirituality. Someone smart once said “if you’re going to rise, you might as well shine.” ☀
Here are a few ideas to get you started on crafting daily rituals for radiance!
heart work: prayer, meditation, journaling, play! Play is such an underrated ritual and one that so many of us have lost touch with as adults. If you have kids, this should be easy. Just join them in the fun they’re already having for themselves!
Do a cartwheel
Sing a song
Whip out some rollerblades
Jump on a trampoline
Build a fort
Stay up late watching a movie
Go rogue in the kitchen and create a new recipe
body work: movement and fuel. In terms of food, I’ve kept it simple with pantry staples. All of which can be found in my grocery guide! For movement, that can look like stretching in your pajamas on your bedroom floor, or going for a run around the block. Quarantine essentials for me have been:
The Class By Taryn Toomy
30 minute workouts with Lindsey from NourishMoveLove
Instagram sessions with Rachael Devaux
Walks through the neighborhood and (of course) yoga!
mind work: When we are in grade school and college, we are spoon fed opportunities to use our brains with reading, writing, math, language, and critical thinking. Outside of a formal education setting, it’s up to us to continue to work on our neural plasticity. Neural plasticity is the ability to rewire our brains through dynamic processes involving the mind, brain, and body. Turns out the head and the heart aren’t so different after all…Several examples of mind work also serve as “heart work” or play!
read
meditate
listen to podcasts
learn a language
watch a documentary
engage in conversations
do brain teasers and puzzles
color with crayons
play board games… Bananagrams is my all time fave.
the real work: taking care of yourself well enough to show up for others. Call a friend, send some snail mail, create a suprise gift, schedule a Facetime or Zoom date, find a likeminded community… Surround yourself with people who light you up. ♥