Recipe For A Solstice Mini-Retreat
I love this time of year.
Sunday was my half birthday, which also happened to be a new moon, and you know I love a new moon/birthday situash. (Make birthday wishes with the intention-setting time of a new moon? YES PLEASE!)
And this coming Sunday is the Summer Solstice!
While I love both the equinoxes (spring and fall) and solstices (winter and summer), there’s something about the solstices that pulls to me. Maybe because they are a little more dramatic.
Spring and autumn, the sky has a balance of daylight to nighttime, so they are a little more subtle. There’s definitely medicine to be experienced in the subtle and the balanced. But winter and summer, these babies have a little more obvious flair:
In winter, it’s the longest night of the year - perfect for ultimate cozy vibes, candles, twinkle lights, dreaming, and a dash of hope because the days will now start to get a little longer.
In summer, the sun is bright and hot and doesn’t set til after 9pm depending on where you live - perfect for community, blooming, and being outside long past bedtime.
I love these two so much in fact that I got married under a full winter solstice moon and we threw a party on the following summer solstice because I couldn’t choose between the two (and we celebrate love through the darkness and the light, right?)
(Sparklers work great for celebrating BOTH winter and summer solstices by the way!)
These nature-based times of year feel like great touchstones for us to slow our busy pace and check in with ourselves and our own natural rhythms and cycles. Over the years, these moments have become personal “holidays” I like to take the time to honor because I get to make them my own and they help me feel connected to the larger whole of the earth and the universe.
In case you are interested in acknowledging the official start to summer and the summer solstice, I created a little recipe for a mini-retreat for you. (And if you already have your own traditions around the solstice, I’d love to hear how you make merry!)
Important note!:
This recipe is not for a baked good. We are not measuring out specific amounts of flour to make sure the chemistry of the baking comes out exactly perfect.
We are cooking a soup, a goulash (or a hot dish if you're from the upper Midwest haha), a favorite family recipe where there’s a secret ingredient that makes your dish unique and delish (you are the secret ingredient). So there’s room to play, experiment with spices, throw in whatever you happen to have on hand, cut out the flavors you don’t particularly like.
Summer Solstice Mini-Retreat
Ingredients:
Candle with lighter/matches
Journal with pen/doodling supplies
Cozy, quiet place to laydown or recline
Earbuds for music (optional)
Glass of favorite summer beverage (water, sparkling water, tea, lemonade, etc)
Favorite fresh fruit
Sacred items or flowers for ambiance (optional)
Anything else you’d to make this your own
Recipe:
Take three deep cleansing breaths to begin and to signal to yourself you’re creating a little container of mindfulness and intention
Light your candle and welcome in the light and heat of the sun for the solstice
Prep the playlist and get cozy in your space, either lying down or reclining
Breathwork practice (18 mins):
If you’ve done breathwork with me before, you can use the vigorous active breath technique for the first three songs (with an open mouth, inhale first into the belly, second inhale into the chest, exhale out. Repeat at a pace that feels good for today). On the fourth and last song, you can move to one inhale and one exhale for the rest.
You are also welcome to do one long slow inhale and one slow exhale throughout the whole playlist, noting the fourth and last song is meant for rest.
Moving to your journal, jot down any thoughts or intentions that came up for you. If any of these writing prompts resonate, you can noodle on these too:
What feels good in my life right now? What’s working?
What am I proud of over the last season?
What’s felt really hard or challenging lately?
How can I support and nourish my inner light in this next season?
Once you feel complete with your journaling, sip some of your beverage, imagining the fluid hydrating and nourishing all your cells. Savor some fruit, taking time to notice texture, flavor, scent, sweetness.
Finish your retreat with three deep cleansing breaths, maybe with your hands on your heart. Blow out your candle to close the container.
Substitutions:
Not a fan of breathwork or don’t really want to do it on your own? No problem! Put on the playlist to accompany a movement practice, gentle stretching, or a meditation. Or use it as a soundtrack for your journaling time.
Swap out the playlist suggested to your own favorite summer jams.
The length of cooking or simmering time is adjustable. Only have time to light a candle at your next meal? Great! Focus your mind on the intention of honoring the solstice and there’s your mini-retreat. Have a whole half day where you want to start with a hike and end with a nap in the hammock? Fantastic.
WHEN you prepare your mini-retreat is also adaptable. On or near the solstice is great, but if you don’t really have a pocket of time until the July 4th weekend, then is also a great time.
Send me a note or tag me in your photos so I can share in your magic with you! xo!
Happy summer friends! I’m really happy you’re here and I’m grateful to do life with you, through all the seasons.