GROUNDING RITUALS
Four women on the simple practices they perform each morning to get a clear-headed start to the day
Many ancient religions have long-established morning rituals. Now, psychologists say, their practice could be key to having a productive day and living a considered life. By making healthy and conscious decisions in those first few moments, you’re setting a positive tone and an intention for the day ahead.
Writing & meditation
ANS DOKTER
Ans Dokter is an avid traveller. She had plans to travel widely in 2020, before Covid-19 put a spanner in the works. She is the owner of Amani House in Hout Bay, an ecofriendly lodge for retreats, and this is where she hunkered down for the better part of the year.
To channel her frustration, she started a process of meditation and writing, eventually signing up for a writing process with Christel Janssen, an author, speaker, medium and acupuncture specialist who is based in Hawaii. ‘I’ve known her for quite some time,’ Ans says. ‘I attended a retreat she had arranged in Hawaii a few years ago, which is how I got into contact with her.’
The two of them work through Ans’s writing every day. ‘At 7am and at 7pm, we have a video call and connect with my writing,’ Ans says. ‘Amazingly, I had started out writing about my frustration, but when I was reading it back, I realised that I had begun to change my outlook. I started seeing that, when everything is part of the bigger plan and the bigger picture, it’s okay. From that moment, I became calmer and more of an observer.’
Since Ans has been forced to stay in one place for far longer than she’s used to, her morning ritual has helped her to dive deeper within herself than ever before, allowing her to make better connections with everyone around her.
‘You could write things down normally as part of what you do, but when you go into this space, you enter another layer and tap into the essence of who you are. In the long run, we want to know who we are and what our true purpose is, and Christel is so tuned in to whichever focus is needed and closest to what I am feeling. I’ve never had an experience where she hasn’t been spot on in her connection.’
Ans says that one of the primary goals in her daily ritual is to navigate her own way forward in the service of others. ‘For me, it’s all about doing something to uplift myself, to keep myself motivated
and, most importantly, to prevent myself from entering a “victim state” where it feels as if everything is against me. Instead, I choose to be aware of how I can help others.’
In the near future, she hopes to host retreats at Amani House and share her knowledge of healing and connection, which she believes we need ‘now more than ever’.
‘We need to talk about trusting our lives, trusting what we do. This period has been really good in terms of witnessing ourselves and seeing what is possible. A lot of people my age say, “This is who I am, and you just have to deal with that.” I like to say, “This is who I am, but I can always be better.”’