This article was inspired by my blissful shower this morning. Instead of rushing through it and thinking about a million things at once, I made a point to pay attention to everything I was doing and created a pampering experience for myself. I believe that it is important for us to take time for ourselves every day, time when we’re not planning or multi-tasking, and when we recognize that we need and deserve time to rest and rejuvenate our minds and bodies. There are so many easy and wonderful ways to make a shower or bath a blissful, relaxing experience. Let’s delight five of our senses, shall we?
- Look – Having a clean bathroom makes a big difference. All those empty bottles in the shower that you think you should just add a bit of water to — just toss them (Mark just read this and said, “So that’s why all the bottles left our shower.” Hehe!). De-clutter so you have a gorgeous space to relax in. Another great way to feel instantly more relaxed and pampered is to bathe by candlelight. It only takes a smidgeon of time to light candles and turn off the overhead light. Wouldn’t it be fun to regularly bathe this way? Ahh…so relaxing.
- Smell – Do you have bath products that you love? Wonderfully scented hair products, scrubs, and body wash? Taking a few seconds to pay attention and enjoy the wonderful scents around us can help us relax and feel more grounded. You can also pay attention to the smell of the candles you choose and make sure the smells of your bath products and your candles compliment each other.
- Taste – Grab some yummy water (I love water!), wine, or other favorite drink and put it in a fancy glass. This doesn’t work as well in the shower unless your drink has a lid, but you can enjoy it before you get in and as you’re getting ready for your day. If you’re taking a bath, how about grabbing some of your favorite treats to enjoy as you read a great book.
- Sound – Turn on some soothing meditation music or whatever makes you feel like you’re floating on air. My favorite is Sleep
, by Sandro Mancino. If you have a small CD player, you could even place it in a discreet place with a selection of your favorite music for daily enjoyment. It’s also nice to focus on the sound of the water. I’ve noticed in different bathrooms that the water droplets from the showerhead falling on a bathtub creates musical tones that echo on the tiles. It sounds like very subtle crystal bowl music.
- Feel – You know how great it is getting your hair cut because the hairdresser spends time massaging your scalp? You can do that every time you shower! It feels just as great! I was thinking today about touch and how usually I just want to get my shower over with or do my hair quickly, and I miss out on the nourishing aspect of it. I realized that taking time to be gentle and be in the moment feels luxurious. Enjoying the scent of my body wash or noticing the feel of the brush in my hair feels luxurious. These things don’t take extra time; they just take extra attention.
Another way to have a blissful experience is to consciously cleanse your aura in the shower.
What do you do to have a blissful bath or shower? If you try any of these suggestions, please let me know how they worked for you. Every day is a special occasion, and every day we deserve to feel relaxed and blissful.
