Sacred Rituals: Bathtime
Hello lovely ladies! 💋
Today, I’m throwing it back to the days of my childhood. You know what’s crazy...this quarantine is helping me remember, with great detail and emotion, everything I’ve spent the past few years trying to forget. The poverty, the stress, the anxiety, the pain, emotional distress; replaying fight scenes and conversations over and over again. Hearing my psychiatrist talk to me about how I should be so proud of myself, because she’s surprised I never tried to take my own life or turned into a hateful person. A little voice calmly reminds me that healing is the path to pure vibrance, and I’m still on that path. Still healing, still growing, still evolving; most of all still in the middle of the healing process and this requires patience.
One thing I remember as a little girl that still brings me joy is bathtime with sprite. The taste of the chilled drink with bubbles in a plastic blue cup against the warmth of the water. Splashing around, knocking my sprite into the tub and having to get out - such a sad moment for my little happy heart. Haha
Should a little girl have been drinking sprite? Should I have been drinking it out of a BPA filled cup? Was the bathtub deep enough or perfect enough? Whatever! I was fully in the moment, splashing away, not worried about what was going on outside those walls because I just loved it.
I just remember the fun and the contrast of warmth and cold, an emotion I’ll never forget. I haven't had sprite in years but I can still taste what the little me remembers - the bubbles tickling my tongue as I sipped the ice cold drink in the hot bath.
Now that I’m older; I’m not drinking Sprite anymore, my cup has a stem, and there’s no worry of anything spilling into the tub and ruining the experience.
It got me thinking about how moments can become memories when we have something special to associate them with, when it becomes a ceremony instead of just a thing we have to do. When we embrace something we know is amazing for our health and then open ourselves to the endless flow of ideas that can create an experience we truly enjoy.
It’s not one-size-fits-all
I was a part of a chat with amazing women the other day who were talking about how much they struggle with the idea of taking a bath. It’s boring, it’s too hot, it’s this or that. And I remembered trying to take a bath in our old apartment in a stained tub with peeling grout. Totally not the vibe.
But, I still took baths in there...and it got me thinking about how I could have created a special vibe for that bathroom even though it wasn’t ideal.
Maybe your tub is small. You have a tub where you have to choose - the knees or the boobs. It’s stained or unpleasant to look at. You don’t feel comfortable in the water. You get bored. You’re allergic to traditionelle soaps and bubbles. The lighting can’t dim to be romantic or relaxing. Whatever it is that’s holding you back from creating a bathtime ritual - I’m here to help.
Many people have epiphanies or amazing ideas come to them in the shower - this is because the simple walls eliminate the external noise our mind is usually flooded with. The connection to water taps into our creative flow, clearing away what isn’t serving us mentally and allowing room for our body wisdom to shine. Whether you turn to a mindfully-drawn bath or a fully-present shower session, you can tap fully into the power of water.
Creating a Goddess Sanctuary that’s as unique as you
Break the loop offers some serious white/reclaimed wood/rustic chic vibes to get your creative juices flowing when designing your zen Goddess space
Shop the elements of this photo on Liketoknow.it to create the same vibes for your goddess bath
Cynthia Harper: 4 steps to Refresh a Small Bathroom
The Fab 20s: 8 Beautiful Hanging Plants Perfect For Apartments
Milk + honey products use always hyperclean, non-toxic, safe, and as organic as possible. They use essential oils instead of fragrance in their candles and bath bombs - perfect for the goddess worthy bath product
Carla natalia shares her bathroom reno - a chic, rustic-modern vibe complete with greenery and all the small touches that will get your own creative juices flowing. Proof that you don’t have to have the luxurious, spacious penthouse bathroom to have amazing vibes for your goddess rituals
Wayfair: Menachem Accent Mirror
West elm: Seamless Medicine Cabinet
The element of water
Water is the symbol of infinite flow, emotional connection, and intuition. By turning to water, we connect to our inner emotional guidance system and our source of intuition.
Water is a living being, it’s our life force and the life force of the world around us. While the purest forms of this force are found at the beach and where collections create natural pools - most of us don’t have access to this form of living water. But, we do have access to this force in our homes via the tub and shower.
The power of water
Sound reverberates off the water creating a deeper connection to mantras.
Our body can float, completely weightless and non-attached.
The healing powers of water rebalance chakras and clear emotional blocks.
Water softens the strength of emotions, allowing them to flow freely together.
When done intentionally, a bath or shower can be a beautiful and sacred place to connect to your emotions. Intentional means fully embracing water for all that it is and how it affects the body - opening your mind and body to that beautiful connection.
Of course, a bath is an amazing way to cleanse the body of toxins through soaking in epsom salts - that can be accomplished whether you’re fully present in the bath or you’re scrolling through social media. However, you have access to a deeper healing process if you put the phone away and sit in a meditative state.
Bathing like a Goddess
There’s no question that self-care is an essential part of doing our Goddess duties here on Earth. We need to fill our cup to be amazing mothers, partners, bossbabes, students, and leaders. Bathtime is a beautiful expression of self-care because water grounds our soul in a peaceful and connected way.
Intention setting: the easiest way to flip the mental switch from daily projects to a mindfulness session is to set an intention. Start your ritual with a cleanse. Cleanse the bathroom with non-toxic cleaning chemicals and open the space up to a feeling of flow by clearing away any clutter. As your cleansing, begin by imagining openness; chat with a Goddess you love about what you hope to release down the drain and what you hope to realign.
Set the tone: line up candles to offer soft lighting. Place your favorite crystals around the tub or the counter. Pull out your favorite bath scrubs or oils. Mix your blend of choice into the water as it’s filling. Set up a bottle of bubbly in a fancy ice bucket or just pour a glass for sipping, steep your favorite tea, or infuse your water with lemon.
Enter your sacred space: before you enter the bath, sit by the edge of the tub and swirl the water around with your hand. Mixing the scents and the bubbles together and creating a physical representation of your entry into the space. Allow this to be the cue for your mind to relax and become fully present.
Immerse yourself in your sacred space: the beautiful part about a ritual is that it helps you truly enjoy an experience. You become fully present; finding peace and grounding in each moment and throughout the experience so you can walk away centered, carrying that peacefulness into other aspects of your life. When you’re fully immersed and truly enjoying yourself - you don’t need or even want your phone!
As unique as you
As beautiful as this all sounds, it’s not always easy to implement into our lives. Our bathrooms don’t always mimic spa-like retreats. Our minds don’t always want to be quiet or find peace.
Instead of trying to create an experience someone else enjoys, it’s up to you to do some soul searching to find what YOU enjoy.
If you’re not the type of person who enjoys DIY projects, making a homemade bath scrub won’t bring you joy - instead, find a nontoxic scrub from a luxurious company (like GOOP) in really chic packaging that will help you to feel fabulous and abundant every time you use it.
If you don’t find crystals to be useful or interesting, surrounding yourself in rose quartz won’t have the desired effect - instead, try filling the whole bathroom with candles or plants to create that special ambiance.
If you are allergic to bubbles, using a bubble bath will leave you feeling terrible - instead, try out a non-chemical bubble bath or fill the water with rose petals and lemon slices.
If the bathtub is tiny and uncomfortable, soaking for an extended period of time will be unpleasant - instead, try a water bath meditation (more on that later) sitting cross legged in the tub filled only up to your belly button.
If the bathroom is old or dated, simply placing candles around might be like lipstick on a pig - instead, spend some time on Pinterest gathering ideas you can implement into your bathroom. If you don’t have the luxury of renovation, get creative. There’s always a way to spruce up an area if you spend some time feeling into the space, gathering ideas, and getting excited about making that space something special.
Inspiration From Pinterest
(Check out my Goddess Bath pinterest board for more inspiration)
Water bath meditations
There are many ways to become fully present in the tub. I suggest playing some soft music and placing the phone somewhere out of reach. Have a journal and a pen by the side of the tub for writing anything special or inspiring that comes to mind.
Self guided: Close your eyes. Sit with the water and feel it on your skin, tune into the soft music, listen to each of the sounds you hear, notice each sensation your body is feeling. Start with what you can hear, then focus on what you can feel from your head to your toes. Sip your beverage and feel it as it glides across your tastebuds. Every movement, every sound, every smell, every feeling - become aware of it all and allow those to float through your mind like clouds. Allowing them to pop up and float by without running away with them.
Imagine the water is a river or the ocean, play the sounds of the ocean if that helps you to transport yourself to the beach. Imagine your body as a part of the endlessly flowing water, your emotions allowed to float freely and endlessly to wherever they need to go. Allow your mind to take you to the water and guide you to your happy place. Any unhappy or stressful or unpleasant thoughts may pop up, allow them to float by, floating away in the water and cleansed. Go wherever the water takes you, let go of the control and just float freely in the space of your mind.
Guided meditation: There are many beautiful, guided water bath meditations. I recommend Sefari for 30-minute zoom bath meditations
Bath-less Goddess
If you don’t actually have a bathtub or taking a bath simply isn’t an option (maybe because you just don’t want to, don’t want to use that much water, or don’t have enough time) - instead, make your shower an oasis. Placing candles all around the counter, diffusing oils as you shower (or simply turning the fan off and placing a few oils in a pretty dish near the water - the steam will activate and release the oils filling the bathroom with the pleasant aroma), play soft music or mantras, and practice with the same intention setting.
Set up your environment in an intentional way, cleansing if necessary, arranging the environment into a clutter-free and peaceful setup. Turn on the shower and allow the water to heat to the ideal temperature, place your hand under the waterfall and close your eyes - have gratitude for the running water, imagine your near an exotic waterfall, or speak to a Goddess you absolutely love about what you feel called to get off your chest.
Once you enter the shower, it’s not about getting all soaped up and getting out. Feel the water on your skin, immerse yourself in it, be grateful for it. As you use your special oils or scrubs, have appreciation for your body. Feel each movement, really pay attention to it, focus on it - how does the water feel as it falls on your skin and how does the oil feel as you cleanse your body?
The art of becoming fully present and immersed in a moment is not natural for us in this time where multitasking and full schedules is praised, but, it brings us into alignment with our soul and body wisdom. An endlessly bountiful stream of connection flows during these moments - connection to what the body needs to thrive and what our purpose is.
This is an experiment - what works for you and what doesn’t - where the only necessities are openness and creativity. With an open mind and heart, experiment with techniques that you find interesting and see where it leads you. So, embrace it and make it fully yours - unique and fabulous in your own special way.
Love,
Emma xoxo
