The power of the flame - Why use a ritual or a mindfulness candle
Ritual and mindfulness candles can greatly aid one's wellness journey and mindfulness practice in the most gentle and calming way. They can help you set goals, find calm and practice gratitude. They can create an atmosphere to experience and remember the beauty of taking time to nourish your soul and the peacefulness of living life slowly.
We know candles have been used throughout history. We've seen them used for practical measures like lighting and timekeeping. Candles on a windowsill were no doubt a welcomed sight for travellers in days gone by as they indicated a warm welcome and safe place to stop. They've also played an integral part in rituals throughout religions. We've seen Christianity lighting candles to connect to the divine and represent eternal light, Buddhism lighting candles to represent respect, change and enlightenment, the Jewish Festival of Lights and right back to use in Pagan festivals highlighting periods between the solstices. Candles are lit to reflect and remember those who have passed and as symbols of hope, love and faith and in joyous celebrations like a unity candle ritual at weddings.
In modern life, we now have a greater understanding of the mental and physical benefits of taking care of ourselves especially when it comes to mindfulness. The lighting of a candle is a ritual in itself, however, used in practice, the gentle flicker of a ritual candle flame can help calm one's breathing, and activate the senses to help one feel present. The fire of the flame helps to connect and ground you. As you gently stare at the flames, thoughts can come and go and you can connect to your breath. The body associates the low lighting of the candle with relaxation, helping how we feel emotionally and physically. The more we are able to genuinely relax, the better our sleep becomes, and energy increases, the less pain we experience and we feel better within ourselves.
A ritual candle can be an enjoyable way to assist you with your practice and makes a meaningful gift as an aid in finding beautiful ways to reduce stress, find calm, peace, positivity and increase self-awareness.
To begin, we suggest trying the 20-minute Ritual Candle by Candle Kiosk. It's a great introduction and a great place to stay but if you are after something more then work your way onto the 40 or even 50-minute Ritual candles. Go slow and reap the benefits
