NEW YEARS RITUALS with MAMA MEDICINE

 

We're so madly in love with your ritual baths! How/why did you start this practice of ritual bathing?

I was introduced to Ritual Baths during my shamanic studies traveling back and forth from the Peruvian Amazon over the course of eight years. The first time I experienced a Ritual bath was on a cleansing retreat where I was having a difficult time as some of the stuff from my past was coming up to be cleared out. My teacher prepared a Ritual Bath for me and after that moment I never felt better. I found a really powerful Medicine in Ritual Baths and later found that they are present in so many different cultures and traditions. I even understood that there was a purpose for the extremist baptist religion I was brought up in, I needed to feel the baptism. As I began to study mantras, crystals, plants and plant spirits more, I started incorporating them into my baths and then I thought, "Wow, this is such a powerful form of self healing...I should share it!" My studies in the Amazon combined with my experience with herbal medicine, yoga, crystals, and sound healing led me to develop my own ritual baths.

Can you give us a little background as to why these are so essential in our self-healing and self-care?

In spiritual practices all over the world, bath rituals serve as a form of rebirth. We unify with the sacred waters for detoxification, regeneration, and clarity. As we bathe, we're taking a moment to reflect, set intention, and wash away old habits and patterns that no longer serve our highest good, all while making our skin sing from the inside out!

 

Why is it important for our spirits to set intentions for the New Year?

To give us an anchor to refer to when we feel we are getting out of balance throughout the year. Why did we put these positive actions in motion in the first place? What are we moving away from when we set these intentions?

A lot of times it feels like we set intentions and then maybe fall off a few weeks later. Any tips of how we can create intentions that we can keep throughout the year?

Be gentle on yourself! If you break a promise to yourself try to forgive yourself and just keep going forward with that positive energy!

Ritual Bath for the New Year 

I offer personalized ritual baths to my clients at the end of every medicine reading and medicine reading ceremony I perform. These baths are an excellent way to polish a healthy lifestyle filled with self-love and care.To me, there's no difference between what's happening mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically in the body, so when we make the space to take 20 minutes out of our busy schedules to honor ourselves with a bath, it helps to not only pull toxins from our bodies but also to holistically clear clutter from every aspect of our lives.  Here is a bath you can do for yourself to start the New Year with intention and self-care!

 

 

 

GREEN DETOX RITUAL BATH 

This ritual is not just for cleansing the body but also the mind and spirit. With clarity, we are able to receive the gifts the universe has to offer us.

 

What you'll need:

• 1 cup Epsom salt
• 1 cup Bentonite clay
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 to 5 drops each of lavender and rosemary essential oils
• Fresh rosemary sprigs
• Green tea and dandelion tea infusion*
• Clear quartz crystal
• Citrine crystal

 

*To make an infusion, place a few bags of each tea into a large pot of water, bring to an almost-boil, turn off the heat, and let the tea bags steep for at least 1 hour.

 

Create a sacred space:

Light some candles as you turn down/off the overhead lights. Burn a white sage wand and let the cleansing smoke permeate the space as you carefully wave it around yourself.

 

Perform the ritual:

• Combine all ingredients into a tub of hot water, then step into the bath and dunk your head underwater. Emerge your head from the water and hold the citrine crystal in your left hand, the quartz crystal in your right hand.
• Do three rounds of Rapid Fire Breath by taking 36 sharp, forceful inhales and exhales through the nose.
• Next, chant the cleansing sound of "AUM" at least three times, then dunk your head underwater again.
• With your head above water, create a big space by inhaling through the nose and focusing strongly on what you're cleansing (for example, you can focus on the word "stress"). Then release with an exhale from the mouth, making a "shhh" sound, or even releasing a sigh.
• Soak in silence for a few minutes, allowing the body, mind, and spirit to release any toxic buildup.
• Don’t be surprised if after this bath you suddenly feel like cleaning out your storage spaces or meditating more! Though one Green Detox Bath Ritual may be sufficient for you, I recommend enjoying it once a week.
• Avoid the bath if you're pregnant and skip the cinnamon essential oil if you have high blood pressure.
• If you don’t have a bath tub, this ritual can also work as a foot bath!

 

Visit @mamamedicine or MamaMedicine.NYC for more ritual love. 

 

Photos by Stephanie Noritz