EVENING SOMATIC RITUAL

EMBRACING LOVE & COMPASSION THROUGH RECOGNISING THE SILENT POWER OF OUR PHYSICAL BEING

When getting into bed in the evening, I like to take a moment to thank my body for carrying me through the day and enabling me to accomplish everything I did. Our bodies function without our thinking. They allow us to move through and experience this vast Earth and in my practice, I have found that acknowledging our bodies is a beautiful way to feel love and compassion for ourselves and recognise just how strong we really are.

After a long day, it feels nice to lift our feet up and allow them much needed rest. The feet are often overlooked but they are the very thing that take us from A to B, and move us through the day. As someone who prefers to garden barefoot and to walk in nature barefoot, my feet need extra tender, loving care and attention. Naturally, I combined necessity with an intentional act. This somatic ritual is one that I created in order to care for my feet, whilst finishing off the day with an act of gratitude, prayer, and love, no matter how well (or not so well) it may of went.

What you will need:

Clean feet

Candle

Shea Butter or other Body Butter (mango works well too)

Bed socks (preferably wool, bamboo or organic cotton).

Your bedroom

Turn off all overhead lights and light your candle, placing it on your bedside table. Sit down on the side of your bed and place one of your feet on your opposite thigh. Take a nice teaspoon-sized amount of your chosen butter and begin to rub it into the soul of your foot.

As you rub the butter in small circular motions, begin to whisper all the things you are grateful for that your feet supported you to achieve today. It may be: they helped support me in cleaning the house, walking to the office, swimming at the beach, and looking fabulous in those new heels. Starting from the moment you woke up, say the things you have done that day in whisper, as though the Divine was listening.

Whispering is the language of love or the lover's language. It helps us to release oxytocin and dopamine, two hormones that help us feel relaxed and happy and that make us feel loved-up and gooey.

Now be conscious of any areas of your feet and toes (not forgetting the tops of the feet and the ankles) that may feel tender, and hold those areas with both your hands and tell them thank you, you may rest now. Sink into those areas and feel the tenderness, the aches, the tight spots and allow yourself to take a deep breath while holding and gently squeezing them.

Take several minutes to do this with both feet and ensure not to rush. At times, more often than not, tears will fall down my face during this part of the ritual. I do not focus on why tears are coming. Instead, I allow that trapped emotion to be free, to leave my body and be released for good.

Our body holds memories and stories within it. At times, our emotions can build up suddenly when under stress or feeling a tender heart. As women navigating a world that offers many challenges and unfairness, connecting to the body in these small but sacred ways helps us move through an unjust world by allowing us to find more reverence for ourselves and to create new paths and ways of being and doing. It is within these little acts that we reclaim who we are, little by little, and begin to create significant change in the world around us. No matter what may have happened in your life or how wonderful or not so wonderful you may feel emotionally, there is always an emotional and mental attachment to any physical pain and discomfort in the body. I have chosen to study not only the esoteric arts but science to back this up and I have yet to meet data that does not support the things I share. This process of pain in the body and attachment to our emotions and mental state of mind is known as Somatics.

Allowing yourself to become aware of the body and any discomfort it may have while in a quiet and calm environment, in a reflective and meditative setting, will enable you to move through the trapped emotions and stories that may be present within that part of the body. One of the greatest tools you can learn is how to become present in your body and offer yourself tenderness and nurturing support. It is how you walk the path of a resolved and empowered Woman, in charge of your own healing.

I have had women sit in front of me seeking support to unpack their trauma and abuse, and when guiding them through simple physical rituals of touch , their shell, their armour of defence shattered to reveal the most profound healing. Women, who only moments prior, expressed the complex trauma that they suffered for decades from childhood suddenly felt in control of their bodies and no longer needed to dissociate and detach from physical sensations. Where there is simplicity and honest intention with the right guidance and instruction, there is the most beautiful healing and reclaiming.

Once you have repeated this for both feet, place your bed socks on and repeat the following whilst looking into your candle,

"I (insert name) am so grateful for all that has unfolded and continues to unfold for me.

Dearest body, I love you. I am sorry. Please forgive me for what has gone unnoticed.

I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you.

And so it is."

Now blow out the flame and state,

"And it is done."

Slip into bed, and as you lay down, say in the lover's language,

"Tomorrow, I rise with new eyes and an open heart. Infinite Spirit, thank you for your blessings. Good night."

Your ritual is now complete.

Lastly, I would like to point out that even when your day may feel like a total defeat or an absolute shit show, this practice helps to bridge what happened with how we would like things to be. Although simple, this practice is truly transformative, so please take the time to build upon it each night and see, after 7 nights of practice, how much more in tune you are with your body and how much better you feel in your mind.

Amoureuse,

Brooke x