How to upgrade your daily shower routine for mindfulness, meditation and manifestation.

It may be April but forget the fools – we’re here for the showers. Amidst the highs and lows of the weekly slog, there is no more serene act of self-care than stepping under steaming hot water to cleanse away the day, our stresses and our sins. It’s basic, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be. Check out our three favourite shower routine upgrades to take your daily habits to the Patisserie Beauty gold standard of immersive self-care.

STEP ONE: PREP THE SPACE (this applies to all upgrades)

• Hang some eucalyptus on your shower head! Not only does your shower immediately look like something off Pinterest, the steam will release the gorgeous eucalyptus smell AND its incredible healing properties – from releasing anxiety and boosting mental clarity and to working as an anti-inflammatory to help decongest the upper respiratory system. Hot tip: before hanging, roll the eucalyptus with a wine bottle or rolling pin (whichever you have in your cupboard, no judgements from us…) to help release the yummy aromas.
  
  
• If you haven’t tried a Patisserie shower steamer yet – cancel all your plans and get our delicious new De-Stress steamer in your basket ASAP for ultimate shower aromatherapy.
  
  
• GET. SOME. MUSIC. ON. Music has been shown time and time again to boost our mood and help us connect to ourselves – plus it helps to open your sacral chakra. Either invest in a waterproof speaker to live in your bathroom (we recommend this one from Anker) or simply pop your phone in a glass and crank it up to full – the reverberations should fill your bathroom no problem! And for dreamy shower playlists, the Patisserie Beauty team has got you COVERED. 
  
  
• Light a candle! They smell great; they look cute; and they symbolise transformation. And if you needed any more persuasion, Boy Smells have partnered with the inimitable Grace Jones with this DELICIOUS new range and it is ICONIC. And if you’re looking for something on the cheaper side (because you’re burning through candles like you’re…y’know…burning them) we are loving the range from H&M Home that starts from just £2.99.

THE MINDFUL BREATHWORK UPGRADE

The key to mindfulness is to be fully present in the moment. In a world where our brains are so used to being divided between social media notifications; our ever-growing email inbox; and why we made that cringey joke four days ago that no-one laughed at – to be truly mindful is more difficult than ever. But the magical thing about mindfulness is that like any skill, the more you practise, the easier it will become. So by integrating some mindful breathwork techniques into your daily shower, not only will you feel delicious in the short term, you’ll also develop your long term ability to prang less and live forever in the present. Dream. 

• Begin the practice by simply naming each item of clothing in your mind as you undress before the shower. This process is the first baby step into the present moment.
  
  
• As you step into the shower, take a second to really enjoy the warm water hitting your body – and allow yourself to consciously feel grateful for having access to warm, clean water.
  
  
• This is where your mind may start to wander because you’ve so far been present for several whole seconds (we mock, but it’s hard). So while you get your hair wet, now’s the time to start with some simple breathwork to help guide your mind to the moment. Our all time favourite is the OG of breathwork exercises – box breathing. Inhale for four seconds; hold for four; exhale for four; hold for four; repeat. It’s simple, but so so effective. Not only does the regularity of the breathing calm your nervous system (literally lowering blood pressure, cortisol and inflammation) but by focusing on the rhythm, your mind is present.  
  
  
• Now it’s shampoo time and by this point, you’ve already walked straight into the world of mindful zen. To take it further, really focus on the physical sensations. Concentrate on the cold liquid hitting the palm of your hand; notice the way it feels as you lather it into your scalp; and take time to take in the smell – and even try to name any scents you pick up on. 
  
  
• Continue this awareness of physical sensations throughout your shower, and any time you notice your mind wandering, just bring your attention back to the senses – naming what you can smell, hear or feel.
  
  
• Our absolute favourite mindful addition is to make a habit of washing and massaging areas of your body that never get touched. Take body wash to the backs of your knees, in between your toes and the inside of your elbows to not only clock into the moment, but to remind yourself that ALL of you deserves love. Continue this after your shower with our DELICIOUS new Moroccan Rose Body Oil as the ultimate act of self-love.

THE CRYSTAL HEALING UPGRADE

Bringing crystals into the shower is a sure-fire way to energetically unwind, ground and raise your vibration so you step out the shower with an aura as squeaky clean as your body. But the first – very important – thing to remember is not all crystals will be happy in the shower – or even in the humidity of the bathroom. Anything ending in -ite (so selenite, rhodonite, lepidolite etc) is water soluble and some of your usually innocent favourites (fluorite and lapis lazuli) actually become toxic when immersed in water. However, crystals belonging to the quartz family (rose quartz, clear quartz, smoky quartz) and a select handful of some other classics (including amethyst, citrine and aventurine) will THRIVE in the self-love space of your shower.

• The first option is to keep one living there! Make sure you take two seconds to rinse it properly each time you hop in to keep the energy cleansed and to prevent any stagnancy building – but simply keeping your favourite (non-soluble, non-toxic) crystal will lift the energy and upgrade your daily routine.
   
• For a full crystal cleanse – go through the following steps:
• Take a clear quartz point (you can pick it up from most crystal shops for no more than a pound or two – and if there’s not one near you, then grab one of these from Etsy) into the shower and hold it so the tip is pointing outwards from your fingertips. 
• Starting at the crown of your head, draw the crystal down to your shoulders (you can touch your physical body, or this can be a few centimetres away from your skin) as if you’re scraping the dead energy away, and repeat all around your head. The chakras you’ll be addressing here are crown, third eye, and voice, so focus on the cleansing of your mind, intuition and voice (bye communication blockages). 
• Then repeat the same movement but this time starting from your collarbone down to your hips – scraping away the energy and flicking it into the drain (bye, Felicia). Here, you’ll be cleansing your heart and solar plexus chakras and getting rid of any stagnancies in self love and self confidence (see ya).
• Finally, repeat the movement around your body from your hips down to your feet. The focus here is sacral and root chakras – keeping you powerful, grounded, and attached to your pleasure centres (yes pls).
   
• At the end of each shower, finish up by holding any crystals you’ve used under the warm running water to cleanse any sticky bits of energy and send them off down the plughole! Cleanse check: hair – tick; bits – tick; aura – tick. 

THE MANIFESTING UPGRADE

It’s well accepted that the key to manifesting what you want is consistent practice. The law of attraction simply argues that you will bring into your life whatever you give the most mental energy to - and introducing regular manifestation methods into your daily shower routine is an easy way to up the ante.

• Warm water has deep cleansing properties so as well as opening your pores, you can also use it to let go of qualities, habits, and even attachments to people. As you’re showering, use the time to come up with a list of things you want to leave behind (from low self-esteem and everyday worries to heartbreak and toxic habits) and as you speak them out loud (or in your mind if your walls are thin), imagine them cleansing away under the warm water. You can choose as few as many as you like but if you fancy a little structure, the number nine represents the closing of a cycle in numerology so is a great number to aim for when it comes to what you’re leaving behind. Match this step up to the shampooing section of your shower, to double up the process of cleansing the dirt (both the spiritual and dried up bits of hairspray, naice) away.
  
  
• While you’re still under the warm water, now list the things you are grateful for. It’s usually a good start to feel grateful for delicious serenity of the shower itself (which will be particularly easy if you’ve followed the previous steps of this article!) as it kickstarts you into a space of being mindfully in the present – which will amp up any manifestation energy! Again – the number is up to you but nine is still a great number to go for as you express gratitude for the chapter leading up to this moment. Complete this step as you use conditioner and really enjoy the luxury of combing the gorgeous product through your tresses.
  
  
• And now it’s manifesting time! Come up with a list of everything you want to invite into your life. In terms of numerology – ten represents new beginnings so if you can aim for ten things to manifest, you’re already in a great place to be thinking about the next chapter (and how it’ll look). You can start with the sentence starter, ‘I invite in…’ but if you want to really turn it up, instead of inviting in – say, ‘I am…’ or ‘I have…’ By speaking your manifestation desires as affirmations that already exist, you’ll access a stronger level of confidence and belief that all adds up on the law of attraction scale! Pair this part of the manifesting process to your body wash and allow yourself to feel the tingle of achieving your desires as you massage your favourite product into your skin.
  
  
• Finish up by turning the shower to cold (really? REALLY.) Just as cold water closes your pores, it will help to lock in the manifestations and help you secure what it is you truly want. To really seal the deal – moisturise with one of the most powerfully magical essential oils across history: our gorgeous Moroccan Rose Body Oil.