The Healing Power of Slow Rituals: How to Support Your Body and Mind
Langsam. Slowly.
One of the first words I ever learned in German — and perhaps the one I needed most in that season of my life.
Back in 2017, I had just started learning Japanese Tea Ceremony in Berlin under the Urasenke school while on a sabbatical. My teacher would gently watch as I practiced the sequence of movements and softly remind me:
“Langsam.”
I was always rushing. What should have been a graceful flow of movements often looked hurried, clumsy, and, as my teacher would joke, more like “kung-fu moves” than tea.
It made me reflect — then and now — on one question:
Just what exactly was I hurrying for?
The Pace We Live At
How I moved through Tea was really a reflection of how I moved through life: always wanting to get to the outcome as quickly as possible.
In my mind, I was already thinking about how I could reach the most advanced certification levels — in the shortest time possible — because that seemed like the most “efficient” use of my time.
And if there wasn’t a certificate at the end of it? Well… it felt like time wasted. Wouldn’t it?
That was the mindset I had grown up in — to always attach value to a tangible result. Better yet if it came with money, status, or measurable achievement.
But in all that rushing, I was losing the very essence of the process. The heart of the ceremony.
Ichigo Ichie: This Moment Matters
The Japanese Tea Ceremony carries a philosophy known as Ichigo Ichie — “one time, one meeting.”
It reminds us that this exact moment — this gathering — will never happen again. Even if the same people meet tomorrow, we will have changed. The weather will have changed. Our thoughts, our moods, our energy… all will be different.
That’s why the gathering is to be cherished.
The Japanese Tea Ceremony is a lifelong pursuit. There are ceremonies for every day, every season, every encounter. And each one is an invitation to slow down, to return to the present moment, and to honour the beauty of what’s here — fleeting, unrepeatable, precious.
Why Slow Matters for Your Body
Over the years, I’ve come to see that many of the aches, tensions, and imbalances we experience in our bodies stem from moving at a pace far faster than they were designed to handle.
This is why slow matters.
When we move at what travel writer Pico Iyer calls “the speed of life” — not the speed of light — we create space to truly meet ourselves where we are. We nourish and sustain our bodies. We give our nervous system time to recover.
And in doing so, we return to life — and to the people who matter most — with greater care, love, and presence.
Self-Massage as a Modern Ritual
For me, deep lymphatic self-massage carries the same essence as Tea. It’s a ritual of presence.
Every graceful touch, every slow stroke is a way of saying: This moment matters. I matter.
It’s not just a beauty practice. It’s a way to reduce the load on the body — easing water retention, releasing tension, improving circulation — while also tending to the mind and heart.
It’s a pause that nourishes you now, and sets you up for more energy, clarity, and vitality in the days to come.
A Slow Rituals: Matcha & Self-Massage Workshop at Studio TOMO
This past weekend, I had the joy of co-hosting a Slow Rituals: Matcha & Self-Massage Workshop with Jean at Studio TOMO.
We created a beautiful gathering, each participant taking part firstly in the tea ceremony with such openness and great spirit. I had the opportunity to share about the philosophies of Japanese Tea Ceremony and performed a Bon Ryaku Temae Ceremony for the participants who took part in the ceremony beautifully. There was handmade topica kueh (traditional cakes), matcha in Studio TOMO’s handcrafted Tea Bowls before moving into guided self-massage.
Here are some reflections participants shared:
“Arms really ache! These are areas the masseuse usually doesn’t touch.”
“I realised I can do this more frequently, not just when I go to the salon.”
“Felt like it was a reminder to come back to the self-massage practice… it wasn’t so difficult after all.”
“Will be using the money I save from going less for massage to drinking better quality matcha!”
It wasn’t just about tea or massage. It was about slowing down to the rhythms of our lives, and finding sustainable ways to nourish ourselves.
Returning to Ourselves
Both Tea and Self-Massage are rituals of presence.
Each stroke, each sip, is a way of saying: This moment matters. I matter.
Because when we learn to treat ourselves with that kind of honour and respect, our bodies respond. Tension melts. Energy returns. And little by little, we begin to live at the speed of life, not the speed of light.
I want us to start living life again in a way that truly recognises, affirms, and acknowledges who we have become.
To reconnect with ourselves.
To redefine the beauty we already hold.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to welcome you to the next round of Slow Rituals: Matcha & Self-Massage.
Sign up here to be the first to know when the next date is confirmed!
Together, let’s keep creating these moments of stillness, connection, and presence.
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(This is also the deep, personal process I guide my clients through in A Joyful Reset — a 1:1 journey of returning to yourself, inside and out. [Learn more here ])
