This Spa Ritual Will Change Your Life!
Never underestimate the power of a good shower ritual. Throughout history rituals such as these have been used for therapy and rejuvenation. Not only does a shower cleanse the body. It can also relax tense muscles, open clogged pores and restore moisture to the tissues while adding a healing element to your day!
Are you ready to learn how to bathe like royalty?
A purifying bath can be one of the best ways to self care. Adding this ritual to your day comes with a long list of benefits that include gaining a calm mind and sense of clarity. It also serves as an opportunity to disconnect from your troubles and reconnect with yourself.
What You Need:
Time
The most important ingredient of all. You're going to want to set aside time to relax and enjoy your ritual. Rushing through this would prove counterproductive. Give yourself the time to take care of yourself the way you deserve,
2. A Bath or Shower
To accomplish this ritual you can use either a bath or a shower. I personally find showers to be much more fulfilling. Showers symbolize the washing away of impurities and stress. Plus there is less mess afterwards!
3. A Bluetooth Speaker
Remember how I told you about the magic of music in a previous post? You'll be using some of the Spotify playlists provided in this post to achieve a soothing and relaxing ambiance. Your bathroom is about to become a full on luxury spa! You can use any speaker that you have on hand but I would highly recommend a speaker with ambient lights such as one of the ones below. Trust me, adding this element to your ritual is a game changer!
4. Something to wash your body with
Next you will need something to cleanse your body. This can be a loofah, wash cloth, body brush, etc. While I typically use a loofah, sometimes when I want to make sure I am really scrubbing away the days I use exfoliating gloves. There's just something about using these exfoliating gloves that makes washing feel a little more personal. These gloves help to get rid of dead skin and smooth out rough spots. Exfoliating gloves are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased right at your local pharmacy, Walmart, Target, etc. For your convenience I've listed an awesome deal that I came across on Amazon where you can get 10 pair for less than $10 along with some other tools you might like!
5. A Cleansing Soap or Gel
Here I try to opt for more natural and gentle products. I particularly go for a shower gel that emanates a soothing aroma. Scents like jasmine, rose, eucalyptus, etc tend to have a very calming a relaxing effect when coupled with the steam of a hot bath or shower. I quite enjoy Jason's line of bath and shower products. Not only do they smell absolutely amazing but they also leave your skin feeling soft and moisturized afterward. Their line of products is infused with essential vitamins and oils to nourish and cleanse the skin. They are also paraben free and do not test on animals. Check out some of their available scents below! My personal favorite is the Invigorating Rose Water. This brand can be found at CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, etc.
You may be wondering why this is a necessary ingredient to the bath when you already have your scented body wash. Well, adding an incense or candle to your shower ritual is more about adding the element of fire than it is about adding another scent. In many traditions like ayurveda (India's ancient system of medicine) and traditional Chinese medicine, the natural elements need to be balanced before true healing can begin. Using incense as a source of fire alongside the other elements (water, earth, air, and space) during things like meditation can deepen and balance your practice.Incense has the power to clear negative energies, deepen your concentration during meditation, open your heart chakra, and ground you in the present moment. It also acts as a timer. It typically takes a stick of incense about 30 minutes to an hour to burn all the way down.
7. Body Oil
Last but not least you will need an essential body oil to solidify your bath/shower ritual and lock in the intentions. Moisturizing with an oil after a bath or shower seals in the moisture keeping your skin soft and smooth long after. There are plenty of body oil brands on the market however my GO TO has been Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula. For me it brings back memories and has always been a very trusted brand in my family. I also really love the chocolatey fragrance. If you prefer not to go the scented route another good brand that I would suggest is the Neutrogena Lightweight Body Oil. For those who have scars, stretch marks, or uneven skin that you would like to fade I would highly suggest Bio-Oil! This oil does exactly what it promises to do. As long as you don't mind a strong, somewhat chemical smell this oil will definitely take care of imperfections.
Now that you have everything you need it is time to get into the recipe! I'm so excited to share this ritual with you. Are you ready for a life changing experience?
What You Do:
Step 1: Turn the shower all the way HOT
*I literally turn my bathroom into a full on sauna during my ritual!
Step 2: Turn on your music
*Find a light setting that you prefer
Step 3: Light your incense
*Waft the smoke around the room and allow it to fill the air
Step 4: Lights off
*Turn off the lights in the room
Step 5: Get grateful
*Think about all of the things that you're grateful for in your life. Think happy thoughts. Revel in the comfortability of the environment and realize how blessed you are. Take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Step 6: Get in the shower
*By now the walls should be sweating! Adjust the temperature of the water and get in the shower. Make sure you have all of your tools!
Step 7: Take your time
*Visualize washing away your stress and anxiety. Concentrate on the feel of the water upon your skin. Envision the power of the water washing away your negative thoughts. Feel sadness, regret, anger, and depression washing right off of you. Let it all go down the drain, you'll start to feel lighter and much more clear.
Step 8: Anoint yourself with oil
*Time to break out that body oil and cover yourself from head to toe. Make sure you get in between those toes too!
Step 9: Wind down with tea
*In a future post I will share with you my tea recipe. For now you can grab whichever tea you like. Particularly something with chamomile or jasmine.
Step 10: Journal
*In my recent Instagram post I mentioned how therapeutic journaling can be. I also provided some journal prompts to get you going. Check out the post HERE for reference.
