My evening routine has changed and evolved so much over the years. I am continuously trying new things and experimenting with what truly cultivates a great evening and night’s sleep for me. Yet these five practices always seem to be the ones I return to. These rituals are simple but they ground, nourish, and recharge me. I also love that they are truly so simple and not some elaborate routine. It is a continuous returning of honoring my body and my desires. So, let’s jump right in!

1.Putting my phone and technology away at sunset. 

Ok, let’s get brutally honest right here in number one, this is not that easy! As a collective we humans are wildly addicted to our devices and that surely doesn’t exclude me. Our technology gives us this sense of connection, yet it’s not connecting us to ourselves. So I believe giving myself the evening to have a break is much deserved and needed. If we are being honest I have to put it in a room that I do not enter in the evening and close the door so that I don't grab it. If I do not it will be there tempting me yet when I don’t see, I don’t think about it. 

This practice has given me so much more time, space, and energy to reconnect to myself, my partner, and do the things I enjoy. If I didn’t put my phone away it would become about death scrolling through instagram until I fell asleep. This also includes for Kyle and me a reduced amount of our movie/tv watching time. We started a tradition where Friday is our movie night and the rest of the week is fo screen-free evenings. Granted sometimes we get sucked into a series and keep watching into Saturday night but this is a habit I am working to move away from.

2. Using candlelight and redlight bulbs 

This one might sound wild but it has CHANGED MY LIFE! Not to be dramatic but it truly has and I want everyone to know that because I hope it will change your life as well. What this means is at sunset we do not switch on all the lights but instead we turn on one redlight in our living room and the rest of the house it lit by  candlelight. The reason for making this switch is when we are exposed to blue light (most all artificial light) we start to completely throw our circadian rhythm out of rhythm. Our minds and bodies believe it is high noon since we are still being exposed to light so we stop producing the necessary hormones to induce restful sleep. It may seem that it just affects your sleep but it truly effects everything. It expands to into every area of life, if one thing is off it becomes a cascade of other hormones being released at the incorrect time or not at all. Give this podcast a listen 

So, now that we are aware of the negative effects we choose to use candlelight and red lights for part of our evening routine. The red light can be used because it is so similar to that of the color omitted from fire. Fire has a calming affect and tells our bodies it times to move into a slumber. If you are interested in switching to red light bulbs I cannot recommend BLUblox redlight bulb enough. It is designed so there is no bluelight wave lengths and no flicker. Most LEDs have a flicker (which we cannot see with the naked eye) to make them more energy efficient. Yet this flicker has a negative affect on our bodies, causing fatigue, headaches and in some cases can cause neurological problems. 

The benefits of choosing to use only candlelight and red lights are endless and I have seen it play a huge role in improving my sleep, anxiety, depression and productivity. I am now tired when it is time to rest and awake at sunrise with so much ease.

3. Taking a candlelit shower followed by an oily self-massage 

We established in the previous ritual that we only use candlelight and redlight at night, well this ritual formed out of starting that practice. I was so overwhelmed when we first started wondering what would I do with such little light? One night I decided to take a candlelit shower and well the rest if history. It was one of the most sensual and romantic experiences I’ve given myself. I just enjoyed the water running over me and getting glimmering looks at my body from the candlelight. Then to lather myself in oil and massage my body, well it was magnificent. I’ve enjoyed this ritual ever since and has become my most favorite addition to my evening routine. It has given me a deeper appreciation and love for my body. Plus I can truly feel my body, maybe something doesn’t feel right and I can give it that extra love it needs. Sometimes everything feels like a well oiled machine, which is less often and I get to celebrate it. 

I personally love Yay for Earth’s Golden body oil for this ritual and well for all my body oil needs. It smells divine and I love that it truly soaks into my skin. I don't have to wait 30 minutes after applying for my oil to be absorbed instead I can get my PJs on and head to my next nightly ritual.

4. Reading 

Oh, the love of books and a nightly reading. It is a gift to give yourself! I used to love the idea of reading, I purchased so many books and hoped one day I would finish them. Yet time after time I would start a book and never finish said book. Our modern world with constain stimulation causes focusing on one thing to be very challenging. I would easily drift to, well, whats happening on my phone? Or maybe I should do XYZ. This led me to continuously having half read books on my night stand. Yet, once we implemented rituals one and two, that all changed. I have never read so many books! I also LOVE reading, I look forward to my book each and everynight. It helps me escape my reality for just a little bit by stimulating my own imagination which doesn’t happen as much when I am watching a movie.  

I found that starting with a really great novel helps when I've lost touch with reading. When you can truly get sucked into a book, it keeps you coming back again and again. I think we all know the benefits of reading but the ones I've enjoyed most are… learning new facts, learning new words, beginning to use new words in my life and the thrill a novel can give you. You know when you feel like a kid again and you must stay up to finish just one more chapter. If you want a recommendations for wonderful books check out this list of suggestions by this incredible community. 

5. Mouth Taping  

Another wild ritual to bestow upon you. This is the ritual of taping your mouth shut before you drift off to dreamland. This practice prepares me to have a wonderful day tomorrow! Each morning I awake feeling refreshed and enegrized I am grateful for placing my mouth tape on the night before. When you mouth tape for sleep it forces you to breath through your nose instead of your mouth. When we breath through our nose we begin to breathe in cleaner more purified air. Our nose is the home to a complex purification system  that clean cleans air you’re breathing. If you want to learn more about mouth taping, I wrote all about my experience here. I’ll leave you with this, it is another ritual that has CHANGED MY LIFE! 

Now that I’ve gotten all these rituals in, I am ready for a truly restful night’s sleep and also prepared for a divine morning tomorrow. These practices are simple, and can easily be added into your routine you already have. I love them because none of them require you to do anything elaborate or spend boatloads of money. These tools are accessible yet truly profound if you can find consistency in doing them.

So, what will YOU do now armed with hopefully some new facts? I find starting with one habit at a time and then stacking those habits allows them to stick around. I suggest comminting to one month of trying these. Week one introduce ritual one, week two introduce ritual two and so forth. Then by the end of the mouth you’ll have a full evening routine in place.  Give it a try and let me know how it goes in the comments, send me an email or tag me on social media @simplyrachelbare

Cheers to many wonderful intentional, relaxing and nourishing evenings ahead!

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