THE ART OF COMMUNION
Support yourself with some of the most simple and longstanding forms of ritualized self-care.
Communion rituals are known across the world and across generations. When we truly commune with ourselves through tea, qigong, or meditation we connect with something deeper and more essential in life. Slowing down and expanding our presence through communion renews both our body and mind. Explore our communion rituals designed to enhance your Way of Water experience.
LOTUS LOVE TEA RITUAL
Nourish yourself in communion with tea with this Lotus Love Tea Ritual. Allow this time to be present to the moment with the focus on yourself. Gift yourself 20-30 minutes to immerse in this ritual. We recommend that you continue to extend that time after you have developed a consistent relationship with this ritual.
Make the most of this experience with the following steps:
1. Gather a mug for sipping out of, a vessel to steep the tea in, a strainer and our Lotus Love Tea.
2. Find a place where you can eliminate any outside distractions that are not nature oriented (yes to birds chirping, feeling the sun, water trickling. No to unnatural background noise like a tv, people coming in and out of your space, etc).
3. Turn on some soothing, gentle ambient music on low as a faded background music that can help put your mind at ease. (Recommendation: Buddha Lounge on Spotify)
4. Once you figured out a space, take your materials to a place where you can comfortably sit (on the floor or in a chair) and if it’s night or you are in a dark room, you can put some dim lighting on with candles or salt lamp. If it’s the day, use natural light (instead of lamps, ceiling lights, etc) as your source for lighting.
5. Settle in and take a moment to disconnect from the outside world and let your racing thoughts fall away and bring yourself fully into the present moment.
6. Heat your water in a kettle and as it starts to warm up, listen to how the heating elements warms the kettle. Our Lotus Love Tea is best consumed with the recommended water temperature of 160 degrees.
7. Focus on the following as you drink the tea:
-Your breath
-The enjoyment of taste
-Put attention on what you might feel when you drink the tea
-Explore the different flavors with each steeping
-Observe the colors of the liquor
8. As you relax into your tea ritual, keep a gentle a smile on your face and enjoy the embodied experience to its fullest.
WATERFALL QIGONG RITUAL
Cultivate your water element within with this simple waterfall qigong ritual. Experience the relaxation just a few minutes of this practice will provide.
Make the most of this experience with the following steps:
1. Find a comfortable level place where you can stand and be focused and undisturbed. If possible, near water or in front of a waterfall are magnificent, but not at all necessary as the idea is to bring the water element alive in yourself.
2. Bring your Lotus Love Mist with you to your spot.
3. Find a balanced place to stand, with bare feet if possible, with feet shoulder width apart.
4. Spritz your face and body with Lotus Love Mist and then set it down and settle into your standing position with your arms dropped down by your sides.
5. Pause and just breathe gently into your belly.
6. Slowly start to balance the length of the inhale with the length of the exhale, so your breath has a circular quality. Let the inhale fall into the exhale and exhale fall into the inhale with no pause between.
4. Engage this breath for 1-2 minutes until your body and mind feel calm and you feel grounded in the present.
5. At this point, shift your focus away from your breath and start to slowly lift your hands, turning them to face out as you lift them wide out and then above your head.
6. When they reach the top, slowly let the hands drop towards each other then down toward the top of the head.
7. Gently flow your hands down, just in front of your body, all the way until they begin to separate and naturally flow again down and on your sides.
8. Rest again in this original standing position before beginning again with another cycle.
9. Slowly continue to repeat this waterfall motion of your hands and arms for 9 cycles.
10. At the end, come to rest in the original standing position and let the breath be slow and in the belly.
11. Relax here for a minute or two, then bring the hands to rest on the belly and complete the ritual coming back to the present and the world around you.
WAY OF WATER MEDITATION RITUAL
Immerse yourself in the Way of Water with this enriching meditative ritual. Expand your feeling of calm, relaxation and presence though regular cultivation of the water element within you.
Make the most of this experience with the following steps:
1. Gather the Lotus Love Mist, a blanket/rug and then find a place where you can be comfortable and undisturbed.
2. Take a moment to lay out your blanket/rug, to stand (or sit) comfortably upon it and mist yourself. Pause and just breathe gently into your belly.
3. Slowly start to balance the length of the inhale with the length of the exhale, so your breath has a circular quality. Let the inhale fall into the exhale and exhale fall into the inhale with no pause between.
4. Engage this breath for 3-5 minutes until your body and mind feel calm and you feel grounded in the present.
5. At this point, shift your breath from the belly to the top of your head imagining a cool, pure, fresh flow of water there.
6. Imagine that water slowly flowing down through your head and dissolving all the tightness, softening your eyes, jaw and ears and mouth.
7. Let it flow through your neck, shoulders and down through your arms and hands. Dissolving away any strain, tension or blockages.
8. Flow the water down through your chest and belly, melting anything in its path.
9. Let it flow through your pelvis and down through your hips, thighs and calves and then out through the bottoms of your feet.
10. Stand (or sit) for 3-5 minutes with this steady stream of pure, fresh, cool water flowing through your whole body, cleansing and purifying everything and releasing out your feet.
11. When you feel ready, sit or lay down on your blanket/rug and rest your mind and hands on your belly. Repeat the circular breathing from step 3 for 1-2 minutes more and then just relax and feel the lubrication and calm in all your tissues.
12. Upon arising give yourself another mist and take this luscious, nourishing energy into the rest of your day.
Retreats
Immerse yourself in the Way of Water at one of Moselle.life’s retreats.
Retreats are offered at locations with rich natural waters including the Big Island of Hawai’i, the Columbia River Gorge in Washington, Jemez Hot Springs in New Mexico, and the Rogue River in Oregon.
