Hey loves!
Today I share a bit about my Spiritual practice.
I consider prayer a part of my Yoga practice. My Yoga teacher training plus experience practicing Wicca have helped me craft elegant Wiccan rituals that incorporate Yoga.
Yoga practices usually carry a structure, a beginning, middle and end. There are specific ways to flow through this; you most likely won't begin in a full swing sequence and set your intention after. You center first and then warm up for the peak poses with all your intention infused the whole time. This is a consistent practice that grounds us in our intention. Similarly in Spellwork, we open with casting a circle rather than full swing incantation. Just a brief note on the parallels of these practices. You could see the grounding opening in Yoga mirrors casting a circle. Mantras mirror incantations... I'll let you tell me if you see any others.
Yoga poses carry much meaning and healing qualities, both energetically and physically. They are a great way to actively transform and call in the energy you desire. When practiced with a deeply spiritual ritual your intentions become manifest within you. This does not require an enormous amount of yoga poses or an entire vinyasa flow. You can gain magickal momentum with 1 pose.
The craft I share today is ideal for self-healing. Building your own empowerment through ritualistic manifestation is a foundational practice of Wicca and Yoga. Embrace your power by holding space to interact with yourself and in turn the Divine, since we are all rays of light beaming from the same Source.
To prep:
For Wiccan Yoga you will want an altar. Make sure the four directions and/or 5 elements are represented with at least one thing, and of course any other tokens that reflect your intentions. Place all of your Yoga props next to your mat and envision where your circle will encompass. Have an idea of the sequence and mantras you would like your ritual to carry. Smudge the room or space.
Open:
Meditate for 1-5 minutes to ground your energy. I suggest Crocodile pose for this. It is very grounding and calming. Though any comfortable pose is good.
Sit up in Easy Seated pose. Call in the four directions in your own fashion. Cast your circle as you see fit. Also call in any energies and entities you desire!
State your intention for this ritual.
At the end I like to say "And so this circle is cast with loving kindness for all within and all without. Blessed be."
Pranayama:
Now I practice any Pranayama that reflects my intention. You could do light visualization at this time as well if breathwork does not call to you. This clears the mind and prepares the body for energy to flow.
Chant:
After breathwork or visualization, I chant! We all have our favorites. Go for it! Feel it! Let it come alive from within you!
Yoga poses (Asana):
At this time your energy is ready to transform. (Always warm up if you want to incorporate highly active postures.) Complete any sequences that reflect your intention. For example, if you want to gain confidence, pick a posture that nurtures the Solar Plexus. If you would like more peace in your life, pick a posture that is known for calming energy. I am always available for recommendations! Also this portion is where your mantra really goes to work. Repeat it the entire time you are in Asana.
Meditation or Journal:
Your body has done a lot of work by now. It is ready to SEE, RECEIVE, TRANSFORM. Sit still. Let it happen. Write down things that feel true, important, moving.
Magick:
This is where I usually feel empowered enough to talk to Spirit directly and cast Intention. Prayer, Channeling and Spellwork can be done in this charged up energy! This is a great time to practice any Divination as part of your spell. I tend to infuse my intention into natural things that reflect my purpose and transmute them into manifest. So, if I want new things to grow in my life, I'll use seeds and bury them after. If I want to release, I'll write it down and burn the paper.
This is the moment of truth. You are able to call on these things and interact with them because THEY ARE NOT YOU! You have a relationship with your attachments. It is up to you to own your perceived limitations and the limiting beliefs from which they stem. If this process is not authentic then the ritual will not carry the power it could.
Closing:
Express your gratitude for what calls to you. This is your special moment to acknowledge the support all around you. Release the four directions and the elements and any other energies you called in.
Don't forget to close by saying "Blessed be and so it is." or whatever else empowers you!
I invite you to write down what you're doing as you go in your Book of Shadows. Remember it's OK to deviate from a planned out ritual. YOU ARE MAGICK no matter what.
This structure is a result of my personal journey with Wicca and Yoga. I invite you to take what you like and leave what you don't. You can make these processes as simple or complicated as feels aligned. Your intention is the MOST IMPORTANT THING!
If some things seem a tad elusive, the following is a Wiccan Yoga Ritual that I completed for the most recent Full Moon. My intention is themed around cleansing limiting beliefs that veil clarity in my life purpose and hinders my highest happiness. I am ready for transformational healing and clearing of old patterns and beliefs, to make room for new energies and truths that set me free! The Yoga poses that I included warmed up my body to promote cleansing, and empowered my foundation (lower Chakras) where my identity and abundance live! The end of my sequence includes 3 restorative poses, which calm the mind and body and provide nurturing energy to support deep healing.
Theme: Clarity
Mantra: My light is my purpose. So Hum. So Hum.
Set up the altar. I have an amethyst in the center to represent Spirit, Frankincense resin in the East, a candle in the South, essential oil spray in the West and Wiccan Oracle cards in the North. All my props and my drink are next to my mat. I smudge the room. (my phone is not in the room)
Lay belly down in Crocodile pose for a few minutes to ground my energy. (This pose is usually accessible for many people.)
I cast my circle addressing each direction individually including the elements, asking for specific qualities to enhance my intention. I attune to my guides and call in higher energies and Reiki since I am also a Reiki healer. I seal the circle with my incantation "And so this circle is cast with loving kindness for all within and all without. Blessed be."
Nadi Shodhana Pranayama- Alternate Nostril breathing. This breath clears the mind and recalibrates the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain. I practice a couple minutes of this and meditate a moment when I am done.
Chakra Seed Chants. I visualize a white light in each Chakra one at a time starting with the Root. I Chant the Seed Mantra once for each Chakra moving up to the Crown. I meditate a moment when I am done.
Time for Asana! This day's ritual is for a very important cosmic moment so my sequence is pretty intense and is a complete practice in its own right. Remember that a couple poses are plenty to shift your energy.
Seated warm up, I like to do the 6 direction stretch and a few cat cows in table.
Surya Namaskar A- a simple sun salutations 3 times
Warrior II flowing with Radiant Warrior and Extended Side Angle flow with vinyasas in between
Tree
Boat
Dolphin with pushups
Side planks on forearms
Locust
Bow
Seated Twist
Cobblers/ Butterfly with forward fold
Cowface with forward fold
Supported Wide Legged Seated forward fold- let a bolster and blocks support your upper body and head
Reclined twists
Goddess- legs in butterfly, lean back onto an inclined bolster
Śavasana
Easy seated pose- I meditate a few moments after sitting up from Śavasana.
I write a few things I want to remember.
I take pieces of Frankincense resin from the East. My Intention. I infuse into each one a specific energy within me that I willingly call on and release. I say some words as I lay each one down onto the amethyst in the center of the altar that go kind of like: "I infuse ___ into this Frankincense. I choose not to carry this anymore. May it be transmuted with Fire for the highest good of the world and all it's beings." I do not hold myself to uniformly reciting these things because I find that each piece of me I would like to surrender evokes a unique essence that brings its own words to the surface.
I pull a Wiccan Oracle card from the deck placed in the North on the altar.
My message: Mabon. Abundance in the Harvest. Golden light for all begins with your inner world! I am abundant and am called to share my magnificence with all! And to bask in awe that we are interconnected beings and that my abundance IS your abundance and vice versa because I am you and you are me and we are all phalanges of the same organism!
I express my gratitude for the elements and directions, and all the entities of the Universe!
My Prayer: May I honor and trust the perfect harmony and truth in the present moment. May compassion and love sustain me. May my heart glow with gratitude for blessings surround and support me always. May I shine my light upon the world. Om shanti shanti shanti.
I name each direction and element in gratitude and verbally release them from my cast.
I go ham here usually and get lost in my own ramblings of gratitude and awakening.
Blessed be. And so it is.
I grind the resin until it moulds together. I burn it in my cauldron outside with cedar wood chips. There is much symbolism in my choices. Hopefully we can talk about it all as time goes on.
I hope you enjoy these musings on my Spiritual practice. It feels good to share something precious and practical. I would love to converse with you about your rituals and if anything I do resonates with you. Leave a comment so I know you were here!
Thank you. I love you.
Many Blessings,
Bijou