I teach mindfulness, which means I spend quite a bit of time encouraging people to notice what is happening before they are completely overwhelmed by what is happening. I also have to do this myself daily.
Knowing a stressful day is coming does not magically make the stressful day less stressful. Knowing I have too much on my calendar does not remove anything from the calendar. Well, at least it didn’t used too. Now, I have even reduced the size of my workweek.
Knowing that travel, deadlines, difficult conversations, long commutes, family responsibilities, or simply too many things happening at once may leave me tense does not grant me immunity from tension. It does, however, give me a chance to do something.
That is where rituals come in. I have inherited and accumulated quite a few of them over the years. Prayer. Morning Bed Yoga. Gratitude journaling. Matcha. Breathwork. Meditation. Tapping. Mindful movement. Evening practices.
At this point I could probably turn brushing my teeth into a mindfulness ritual. Actually, I may already have. Somewhere along the way I learned to stand on one leg while brushing my teeth. Balance practice and clean teeth. Efficient.
I am not interested in rituals because I think everything we do needs to become sacred, complicated, or worthy of talking about. I like rituals because when life starts getting busy, I do much better when I already know what I can reach for.
That is also one of the ideas behind my Release Tension When Stress Builds Up course. We cannot always stop stress from arriving. We can get better at recognizing what it is doing and have practices ready when it does.
But before I get to the course, let me tell you what I am actually doing.
Sticking with my Morning Bed Yoga, Gratitude Journal & Matcha
You can get Premium Matcha Powder 2oz
My morning begins with practices I already know work for me: Bed Yoga, my gratitude journal, and Matcha. I am not changing them because somebody on the internet has announced that there is a newer, better morning routine involving twelve steps, cold water, a sunrise, three supplements, and waking up before everyone else on the continent. I like mine.
Bed Yoga lets me check in with my body before I ask it to start doing things for me. My gratitude journal gives me a few minutes to notice what is already good. Matcha has become part of the rhythm.
I wrote more about morning rituals, Matcha, and some of the other things currently earning space in my mindfulness life in This Is That List.
The interesting thing about rituals is that once you discover how useful they can be, you start wondering where else one might help. Which brings me to nighttime.
Apparently My Evening Wanted a Ritual Too
Maybe you grew up with warm milk before bed. Maybe it was cocoa. Maybe your family believed in tea. Maybe somewhere along the way you discovered the grown up version of a nightcap.
I have always enjoyed chamomile and mint tea. And years ago, while researching anti inflammatory foods during my Rheumatoid Arthritis oral chemotherapy days, I became intrigued by Golden Milk.
There was only one problem. I never became particularly good at making it. I had the ingredients. I understood the concept. I admired other people’s beautiful golden cups. Mine never quite became a ritual.
Then I discovered Moon Milk mixes. This is the sort of discovery that gets my attention because it combines two things I enjoy: trying something new and making an ordinary part of the day feel a little more intentional.
Enter Moon Milks
Selefina describes Moon Milk as a warm milk drink blended with herbs, spices, botanicals, and other ingredients. Their collection includes several blends designed specifically for an evening ritual. The first one that caught my eye was Celestial Blush.
It is pink. I am not going to pretend that had nothing to do with it.
The blend includes beetroot along with warming spices and floral notes, including cinnamon, cardamom, and lavender. It turns warm milk into a soft pink drink that looks considerably more interesting than the plain glass of warm milk I remember from childhood.
Then there is Golden Slumbers, which immediately brought me back to my earlier experiments with Golden Milk. This blend includes turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, black peppercorn, and ashwagandha. Mixed with warm milk, it becomes a pale golden evening drink. In other words, somebody has done a good portion of the measuring for me. I appreciate that.
Think of it as a rosy matcha latte but for nighttime—spiced beetroot, floral notes, and gentle balance. Prepare a cup of Celestial Blush Moon Milk, the perfect touch to your evening wind-down.
Read more about moon milks from Karen Maier.
This light pink powder turns warm milk into a soft, rose-tinted drink, setting a soothing backdrop for your nighttime ritual. The chief colorant, beetroot powder, provides a natural, dreamy pink hue; it’s a gentle blush.
The flavor of Celestial Blush is a harmonious blend of warm spices and subtle floral notes, with cinnamon, cardamom, and a delicate touch of lavender, offering a comforting and mildly sweet taste. Its fine texture ensures it dissolves seamlessly into warm milk, creating a smooth and inviting drink.
Your golden-hour answer to a matcha latte—turmeric, spice, and ashwagandha in a calming cup. Mix up some Golden Slumbers Moon Milk for a luminous addition to your nighttime routine. This light yellow drink mix powder transforms warm milk into a pale gold, soothing elixir, perfect for relaxing at the end of the day. The primary colorant, ground turmeric, gives it a natural, serene yellow glow. The flavor of Golden Slumbers is rich and earthy, with a grounding blend of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and a hint of nutmeg, providing a warm and comforting taste. Mix the powder into warm milk for a creamy, indulgent drink.
Read more about moon milks from Karen Maier.
Add a half teaspoon of this radiant powder to your evening warm milk ritual to help calm and soothe the senses. The chief adaptogen in this blend, ashwagandha is known for its restorative benefits, ashwagandha supports relaxation and balance, making it an ideal complement to your pre-sleep routine. Incorporate Golden Slumbers Moon Milk into your nightly regimen, inviting a moment of peace and serenity before bed, and setting the stage for a restful night’s sleep.
I ordered both, along with another blend, samples, and perhaps a few surprises. They are being shipped to my sister, who will hand deliver them when we meet next month. This means there is an excellent chance that experimenting with my new evening ritual will become a sentimental moment.
Even better. And because apparently I cannot investigate one interesting ritual without finding another one, Selefina showed me something else.
2026 Advent Spice Calendar
I do not remember paying much attention to Advent calendars before spending the season in Europe. Then I discovered that Advent calendars are not limited to chocolate. There are beauty calendars. Perfume calendars. Tea calendars. Candy calendars.
And now, apparently, spice calendars. This delights me more than it probably should. Selefina’s 2026 Spice Advent Calendar has 24 doors, each containing a spice or blend to experiment with in the kitchen. They also created an online companion page that reveals the day’s spice and offers recipe ideas.
Now that is a ritual I can understand. Open a tiny door, discover something, and try it. No transformation required. I like the idea because it makes experimentation part of the ritual. Not every practice has to become a lifelong commitment. Sometimes trying something new is the practice.
Spice up the season, one day at a time! With our Spice Advent Calendar, each of the 24 doors opens to a new spice or blend ready to inspire your cooking.
To make things even easier, we’ve created an ONLINE COMPANION PAGE where the day’s spice is revealed and paired with recipe ideas to get you cooking.
From bold discoveries to cozy classics, these sample-sized treasures are perfect for experimenting in the kitchen. The advent calendar’s festive holiday design makes it a great gift for amateur cooks who love to try new things.
This Is Why I Keep Building My Mindfulness Toolkit
People sometimes talk about consistency as though it means finding one perfect practice and doing it faithfully for the rest of your life. That has not been my experience.
I have practices I return to again and again. I also have practices that serve me for a season, practices I rediscover years later, practices I try once, and practices that surprise me by becoming part of my life.
My mindfulness toolkit has room for all of them.I am not asking you to become a person who never gets stressed. I teach this work and I still get stressed. I am much more interested in helping you become someone who can recognize, “Oh. Here it comes,” and know that you have something you can do next.
Sometimes you can see stress coming. Sometimes it has already arrived. Either way, having something you can reach for gives you somewhere to begin. That is what 👉 Release Tension When Stress Builds Up, Sometimes it has already arrived. Having a ritual you actually enjoy gives you somewhere to begin.
