A ritual; something that you do regularly and in the same way each time.
We seek to live a sustainable, loving and meaningful way of life filled with the people we love, the things we love and in a way, that makes us feel whole. In this month our focus is Summer Rituals and we are cannot wait to dive into this topic in the summer heat with you.
Today we will let Caroline guide us through some of her summer rituals and what they means to her, but let's start our with an introduction. Caroline is our creative director and the designer behind niné. She finds inspiration in nature and seek it when se is on inspirational trips around the world.
How do you define a ritual?
For me a ritual is the things that I do over and over without even thinking about it. It is the way I am getting ready for bed in the evening, the way I do my makeup-routine and how I play with Alvin when I get home. I think a ritual can change from time to time, and I also think a ritual for me is like a combination of serval things I do in a concrete situation.
Can you mention some of your rituals?
Yes, definitely. The first ritual that came up in my mind is my morning routine. I think that setting a morning routine is such an important way to notice how I feel and to create an awareness to think more intentionally. I usually wake up around 6am and I love having a slow morning before the day starts.
Alvin usually stays in bed, so normally I am doing my breakfast as one of the first things, since I often wake up hungry. My meals in the morning is also some of my favorites and I love the way it changes with the seasons. In the summer period I am often to some fruity and fresh meals like smoothie-bowls or some cold chia-porridge. Fresh fruits is also some of my favorite treats and I love to combine it in many meals throughout the summer.
After having my breakfast I will get dressed quick and then I am out for a morning walk with Alvin. Before I got him I also enjoyed early morning walks, so this have not been a change for me. I recently learned that getting exposure to sunlight in the morning can help us sleep at night because it helps reset our inner clock and this is important for our sleep cycle.
The light we are exposed to during the day will also help our inner clock to figure out when it's time to go to bed (and when it's time to wake up).
One of my favorite morning smoothies with sea buckthorn, avocado, banana, almond milk and mint.
Who or what inspires you in relation to your rituals?
I have a lot of inspiring women in my life that I feel so lucky about. The way we can uplift each other and share routines and rituals that fills us up. I also find a lot of inspiration on social media and I love the way the platforms can create spaces with people who are like-minded.
Do you have a any rituals related to challenging periods or difficult times or feelings?
To feel an accept of 'the now' and be in the present while going through challenging periods is something I am still practicing, but it is also something that I definitely have become better during the recent years. When I am in periods or feelings, that I find hard to manage, I really enjoy to write in my journal. The way I can let go of all that comes to my mind; feelings, thoughts, fears and wishes. I also try to create a space that I feel safe in and taking a bath is also something that I tend to do in situations like that.
Finally we are curious to hear if you got any physical things or elements as a part of your rituals?
This is a very interesting questions. I do have a lot of lovely things that can make me feel different almost immediately. Things and elements that are a part of some of my rituals is my Mood Oil from raw care studio, that can be found in our nous trois shop. The fresh, citrusy aroma encourages concentration and it make me feel energized and focused while it reminds me of nature and the way we are here together.
I also got a little stone from my mother with a note on. It says 'begynder sind' in Danish and I do not now the right word for it in english - maybe beginning mind. This note reminds me that I am constantly evolving and that I do not need to have all the answers yet. I am bringing this with me when I feel unsure, overwhelmed or whenever I feel the need of safety and love.
From an warm summer morning at home.
Thanks for letting us in and for sharing all these inspiring and beautiful kinds of rituals and your thoughts about them and for taking the time to read our journal.
- the three of us ☘︎
