At the start of quarantine, I had a beautiful emotional release. I felt all of the feels I had been too afraid to dive into as a result of this pandemic. So much came through me once I felt into my fear and uncertainty what I was left with was a sense of ease, calm, and safety. I then wondered why I avoided feeling my fear to begin with when the reward of turning towards my denser emotions has always lead to a deeper understanding of myself and a greater capacity to hold all emotions across the spectrum of sadness to ecstasy.
Some questions that came through during that process session:
How can I use rituals to be present with myself even more?
How can I stay informed while maintaining my energetic boundaries?
How can I surrender and accept uncertainty?
How can I validate these heavy feelings even more?
Years ago my way of dealing with the very natural emotional roller coaster that goes along with living in a pandemic would’ve caused me to abandon my body each day behind that numb sensation I got from binging on food till my belly was rock hard and I could barely breathe. Today my relationship with food and myself look drastically different. I no longer need to avoid myself with food and have actually been able to turn to food for authentic comfort, safety, and immense pleasure through ritual eating during this time. I’ve found that through intention anything can be offered as nourishment to the body. With this in mind, I’ve created a list of ways to invite more ritual into your life that help to soothe and calm your nervous system and perhaps support you in relating to food differently.
Practical Rituals for Self-Love/ Honor/ Space Holding in the Wake of COVD-19.
1) Stand naked as you brush your teeth and bless one aspect of your body with unconditional love
2) As you wash dishes - use the time to praise yourself for things you did that day you’re proud of
3) Practice sitting with fear and uncertainty with patience and compassion as if they were scared children
4) Read love poetry to yourself ( I personally prefer Rumi)
5) Bless your food to support you in feeling safe and nourished
6) Anoint your body with oils with a loving intention
7) Lose yourself in dance and offer it as adoration to your body
8) Go for a walk in nature and bless the plants for being
9) Stretch and feel as you bless your tendons
10) As you work at your desk congratulate yourself for taking care of your work
11) As you rest thank yourself for giving your body what she needs
12) Get dressed even if you’re social distancing
