I think of them as good habits but the hope is that they become so engrained they’re like rituals. 

Keeping up with my exercise and yoga is one for me.  It burns off the sludge so my mind and body can run smooth.  It makes life feel managable and doable.  It makes me feel clear.  When life is tough, that ritual is like a drug for me.  It can get bad, like I’m “jonesing” or “chasin’”.  And then there are other times when the connection isn’t there and it’s all I can do to get myself to the mat or outside in running shoes for whatever movement I can possibly muster.

And when it’s hard to do, it’s good because it just reminds me of what life’s like without my rituals.  They give me a sense of control when things are nutty.   And they convince me just by the sheer fact of my doing them regularly that it’s important to treat myself well.  It’s like the good kind of vicious circle – I do them to treat myself well and because I treat myself well, I gotta keep up with them.  Doing the ritual is my way of agreeing. 

I’ve concluded that I’ve got to give back to myself if I want to give to others.  If the well is empty I’m not going to be any use to anybody.  

My friend told me she’s starting taking her camera everywhere so she’s ready when the muse hits.  It struck me that our rituals and habits can be about anything we want to make more juicy in our lives.  Creative health needs support too, and it often exercising our creative muscles is the best sure-fire way of getting new inspiration to do more. For my friend, carrying her camera is like setting her intention to look at things with a fresh mindful eye.

Yesterday I listened to a workshop Dr. Robert Svoboda gave for the Yoga Spirit folks.

He calls these healthy rituals Niyamas, using the term in a more broad sense than we usually think of it.  His examples were lemon juice in warm water every a.m. if we know we tend to have an acidic body, or meditating for a few minutes every a.m.

He said that the way we look at them varies based on your dosha.  I thought this was so interesting.

Kapha types need to understand that their tendency toward inertia means that if they start heading in a particular direction it’ll give them momentum to continue.

Vata types need to understand that any positive regular habits are very good for them.

Pitta people need to understand that they won’t think they need them, but they do.  Especially rejuvinating niyamas like gentle yoga that balance their firey nature. 

Whatever your dosha or need, I hope you find a healthy ritual to perform this weekend.