Resolutions.
Special meals.
Special meals.
Rituals.
Celebrations.
I thought about how strange it was that we associate the turning of a calendar with making changes. Why is it that we associate change with the starting of new years but not the starting of new months or weeks? Why not days?
My husband's family eats Hoppin' John every New Year's Day as a way to ensure good luck throughout the year. But does it ever really affect change? (Will we ever know? How could we know?)
As I was showering yesterday, I came up with a new tradition that I'd like to instill in my own life, and one that I think is important for everyone to consider adopting into their own lives.
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The First Shower (An exercise in intention, self-love, and acceptance)
The first shower you take in the new year -- be it after you get home from the party, or when you wake up in the morning, or after your first workout...whenever, really -- should be set with intentions.
I'm listing this in the order that my showers go (hair, face, body) but you can change the steps to fit your shower. This isn't so much a way of changing your shower routine as it is adding an extra step of love to your first shower of any year. You don't want to bring any more baggage from last year with you than necessary. The only thing I might suggest is using a clean towel so as to not undo the intentions you set in your shower by using a towel that the negatively-charged body experienced.
As you get your body acclimated to the water temperature, also get your mind acclimated to a new way of thinking. This is what sets the tone for the rest of your shower.
Let the water run over your head (frontways or backways) and onto your skin. This symbolizes that the thoughts that you are about to think during your shower will flow from your head to the rest of your body, as fluidly and completely as the water does.
Wash your hair as you normally would -- don't change the routine. Think of the negative things you thought about your hair the previous year (too short, too long, the wrong color, too staticky, too much gray, too curly, etc.) and visualize those negative thoughts washing away in the water as you rinse the shampoo out. If you use a separate conditioner, then you can repeat the process if you'd like to.
If you wash your face in the shower (I do), wash it as you always do. As you apply the cleanser or scrub, think about all the things that you thought about your face: E.G., too many wrinkles here at the side of my eyes, too many breakouts along my chin, too many blackheads on my nose, too much plucking always needs done frequently here between my eyebrows, etc. Wash those away in the water when you rinse.
As you wash your body in the shower, do something similar with each area as you cleanse it: I.E. areas that you thought were too big, had too much cellulite, weren't big enough, caused you pain and made you hate them, etc.
Dry off as usual. (See my note about the towel from earlier. Makes more sense now, right?)
If you apply lotion or moisturizers, think about the positive things that you think about each area of your body as you apply it. (These are just examples. Use something that works for you and that applies to your life, and feel free to say as much thanks as you want for each area. I've only listed a few, but you could go on and on.)
"Thank you, face, for greeting the world for me each day."
"Thank you, eyes, for lighting up when I'm excited."
(If you are visually-abled, you could say, "Thank you, eyes, for letting me see the beauty of this world / my children's faces / the sunset / [something specific that applies to your life]."
"Thank you, knees, for letting me use you to rest things on." (If you are temporarily mobility-abled, you could say, "Thank you, knees, for climbing the stairs to my apartment / for taking me through the aisles of the grocery store.")
"Thank you, hands, for allowing me to feel the softness of my dog's fur / the warmth of my coffee cup each morning / the comfort of my partner's hand."
Do this for each area that you apply lotion or moisturizer to.
Click here to print this ritual out.
********************************************************************
So what do you think? Is it something you want to incorporate into your life?
And if so, are you going to do it as each year changes, as the calendar months flip, or as each day starts?
My husband's family eats Hoppin' John every New Year's Day as a way to ensure good luck throughout the year. But does it ever really affect change? (Will we ever know? How could we know?)
As I was showering yesterday, I came up with a new tradition that I'd like to instill in my own life, and one that I think is important for everyone to consider adopting into their own lives.
********************************************************************
The First Shower (An exercise in intention, self-love, and acceptance)
The first shower you take in the new year -- be it after you get home from the party, or when you wake up in the morning, or after your first workout...whenever, really -- should be set with intentions.
I'm listing this in the order that my showers go (hair, face, body) but you can change the steps to fit your shower. This isn't so much a way of changing your shower routine as it is adding an extra step of love to your first shower of any year. You don't want to bring any more baggage from last year with you than necessary. The only thing I might suggest is using a clean towel so as to not undo the intentions you set in your shower by using a towel that the negatively-charged body experienced.
As you get your body acclimated to the water temperature, also get your mind acclimated to a new way of thinking. This is what sets the tone for the rest of your shower.
Let the water run over your head (frontways or backways) and onto your skin. This symbolizes that the thoughts that you are about to think during your shower will flow from your head to the rest of your body, as fluidly and completely as the water does.
Wash your hair as you normally would -- don't change the routine. Think of the negative things you thought about your hair the previous year (too short, too long, the wrong color, too staticky, too much gray, too curly, etc.) and visualize those negative thoughts washing away in the water as you rinse the shampoo out. If you use a separate conditioner, then you can repeat the process if you'd like to.
If you wash your face in the shower (I do), wash it as you always do. As you apply the cleanser or scrub, think about all the things that you thought about your face: E.G., too many wrinkles here at the side of my eyes, too many breakouts along my chin, too many blackheads on my nose, too much plucking always needs done frequently here between my eyebrows, etc. Wash those away in the water when you rinse.
As you wash your body in the shower, do something similar with each area as you cleanse it: I.E. areas that you thought were too big, had too much cellulite, weren't big enough, caused you pain and made you hate them, etc.
Dry off as usual. (See my note about the towel from earlier. Makes more sense now, right?)
If you apply lotion or moisturizers, think about the positive things that you think about each area of your body as you apply it. (These are just examples. Use something that works for you and that applies to your life, and feel free to say as much thanks as you want for each area. I've only listed a few, but you could go on and on.)
"Thank you, face, for greeting the world for me each day."
"Thank you, eyes, for lighting up when I'm excited."
(If you are visually-abled, you could say, "Thank you, eyes, for letting me see the beauty of this world / my children's faces / the sunset / [something specific that applies to your life]."
"Thank you, knees, for letting me use you to rest things on." (If you are temporarily mobility-abled, you could say, "Thank you, knees, for climbing the stairs to my apartment / for taking me through the aisles of the grocery store.")
"Thank you, hands, for allowing me to feel the softness of my dog's fur / the warmth of my coffee cup each morning / the comfort of my partner's hand."
Do this for each area that you apply lotion or moisturizer to.
Click here to print this ritual out.
********************************************************************
So what do you think? Is it something you want to incorporate into your life?
And if so, are you going to do it as each year changes, as the calendar months flip, or as each day starts?
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