Here Are My 4 Grounding Rituals for Winter' As featured in Women’s Health Magazine.
Meditation and yoga teacher Aysha Bell,44. who also practises sound healing, moved into working in the world of wellness in her thirties, seeking a life in which she felt more connected to herself.
Here, she shares with Women's Healthher 4 key rituals for grounding into the winter.
There are some people who lean into winter and its attendant inky nights with ease – and others for whom the transition might be more of a struggle than shutting down Netflix as the next episode of Maid starts to autoplay.
For sound healer and meditation and yoga teacher, Aysha Bell, this time is, undeniably, trickier than the lighter months. For her, certain rituals and practices are the key to pulling through.
'I do have to push myself more in the winter. It's hard to summon the motivation to go to a yoga studio, for example, when it's cold. But, afterwards, you do feel more energised,' she says.
Aysha followed her maternal line into working with spiritual practices. Her great grandmother, who lived in Trinidad, concocted herbal remedies to help with healing those who lived near her, her grandmother told her, while her mother professed mediumship abilities.
This manifested in a childhood rich in spiritual practices. 'We grew up with a lot of meditation over things like church and prayer. We were raised to say what we were grateful for before bed and in the morning, for things like for waking up and for your family.'
It was coming back to these modalities after falling out of practice in her twenties that proved a tonic to a life that felt in flux. 'I suffer from anxiety, and have found that yoga and meditation have massively grounded me. I still get days where I don't feel 100%, but I know then that I have these practices to go to,' she notes.
For her, at this time of year especially, making space for looking after oneself is vital. 'If you don't look after yourself and make yourself a priority, you don't have much to give anybody else,' she notes. 'Making time to sit with yourself is key.'
Breathwork
'Breathwork is when you consciously use your breathing to change your state of being, or physical, mental or emotional state,' says breath work practioner Richie Bostock (@thebreathguy).
The benefits of the various techniques that sit underneath the breathwork umbrella are thought to be punchy. In their 2012 book, The Healing Power of the Breath, psychiatrists Richard P. Brown and Patricia L. Gerbarg say that breath work can restore balance to stress response systems and calm an agitated mind.
Aysha's method is simple: 10 minutes in bed, first thing in the morning. 'I take a long, expansive inhale, that goes down to the tumy, and then let it out. I do this for 30 breaths, for three rounds. It can really change your day,' she says.
Gratitude
It isn't for everyone, but, it is worth seeing if keeping a note of the things that you are grateful for can lift your winter spirits. According to an ongoing study at the University of California-Davis led by Dr. Robert Emmons, grateful people have 10% fewer stress-related illnesses, are more physically fit and have 12% lower blood pressure, as well as better relationships with other people.
In his book Gratitude Works Dr Emmons explains: ‘Whether it springs from the glad acceptance of another’s kindness, an appreciation for the majesty of nature, a recognition of the gifts in one’s own life, or from countless other enchanted moments, gratitude enhances nearly all spheres of human experience.'
Aysha recommends downloading a gratitude meditation from an app (try Insight Timer), jotting down three things you are grateful for in the morning or evening or just scrolling through items in your head. These, she says, can be super basic: for your bed, for your family, for your home.
Sound
Sound healing, such as listening to the gentle noises created when a practitioner uses a mallet to press against a Tibetan singing bowl, can prove restorative – Aysha notes that they help her to get into a more relaxed state (though do watch out if you are prone to headaches: some people report that sound healing can exacerbate or trigger this sort of pain.)
While anecdotally reams of people attest to the power of lying down as waves of sound move over you, there is more research needed to back this up, empirically. (One 2017 study found that, following lying down to listen to a Tibetan singing bowl meditation, participants reported 'significantly less tension, anger and fatigue,' though this had a small sample size and needs corroboration.)
If you do want to try this practice, Aysha recommends listening to gongs and bowls via downloads or recordings. Jasmine Hemsley (@jasminehemsley)has a highlight at the top of her Instagram with free recordings to listen to, or there are plenty available on YouTube.
Cacao
Taking the time to create a cup of warming cacao is one of Aysha's favourite winter rituals. 'I buy cacao from my local health shop and melt it down with oat milk, cinnamon and honey. In the morning, it gives me time before I dive into the world.' As well as the mental health benefits of slowing down, cacao is proven to be rich in antioxidants – making this a nourishing treat for your physical self, too.
