Rituals

Finding Calm in the Routine

I find that one of the simplest and most accessible ways to bring slow living into your everyday life is the conscious adoption of a ritual. It doesn’t have to be something cathartic, religious, or symbolic. There may well be a place in your life for those types of ceremonies, but the ones which bring calmness and softness to your day, and help you breathe, are those daily, weekly, or seasonal habits that anchor you and turn functional acts into mindful moments.

You may already subscribe to a number of rituals without considering them as such. Think about your daily washing routine, any sporting superstitions you might have, or any type of act you repeat on a regular or semi-regular basis where at least part of the intention is to slow down. One of my favourite rituals, and one I would encourage any man reading this to experiment with, was born from the additional time many of us suddenly found ourselves with after the outbreak of Covid-19.

Working from home full-time, of course, meant no commute. That time saving allowed me to prioritise some personal care and, whilst it may seem like a small thing, I started using a safety razor. Rather than a swift scrape over the face in the shower with a disposable multi-blade razor, my morning shave became a considered morning ritual with many steps! It starts with a shower, as normal, but gives extra attention to a face wash or exfoliant. After the shower comes a hot flannel, lathering a comfortingly fragranced (usually sandalwood) shaving cream onto a soft brush, and carefully running the razor with the grain on the first pass and against it on the second. Then, the post-shave routine begins.

With it came a mild obsession for a short time over the products I would use, from the style of the razor to the types of soaps, oils, and moisturisers, to whether I was ethically comfortable with using a badger brush (I wasn't). All of which sounds rather complicated, but it doesn't need to be; I was simply able to indulge at the time, and I have since settled on a much simpler regular routine.

I’m digressing a little... the truly valuable element is the small amount of extra, focused time on a task that helps bring you some mindfulness. Other small things I consider rituals in my everyday might be making my morning coffee, walking the dogs, putting my left shoe on before my right, lighting a candle in the evening, or mixing a digestif on a Sunday evening to see the weekend away.

On a wider level, there are the cultural, social, and religious customs that help bring the same sense of mindfulness community-wide. These are special and are what you might traditionally think of as more ritualistic in nature. One of my favourites of these and, of course, one we can’t miss from our Somerset orchard setting is Wassailing. The word Wassail derives from the Old English words waes and hael, which I understand to roughly mean “be whole” or “be in good health”. I think these are a great metaphor for the intent of the smaller personal rituals as much as any other; they leave you in good mental health, or, in the case of Wassailing, leave your orchard in good physical health for a bountiful crop the following season.

I may wish to go into further detail on the specifics of Wassailing on another occasion. For now, I feel like it embodies not just the intent behind rituals, but slow living in general. The blessing of a tree on a cold winter evening to bring fortune and favour in the form of tangible sustenance in future seasons.

It reminds us that the best things in life take time to grow, and that there is a beautiful, quiet joy in honoring the rhythms of both the earth and our own minds. By stepping out of the frantic rush of the modern world, even for just a few minutes, we reclaim our time. We ground ourselves in the present.

Waes Hael.

I’d like to know, what type of things do you consider rituals that bring you mindfulness?