On Living Ritual with Tracee Stanley

Every Monday morning, as the sun is coming up, I walk down my friend's garden path to her house for tea ceremony. Gentle music. Incense. Bowls of tea. A handful of women from my little town, sitting together in silence. There is some kind of alchemy there I cannot fully explain. What I walk away with is always more than the sum of its parts.My guest today on the podcast has just written a book exploring rituals just like this.Tracee Stanley (she/her) is the author of the bestselling books Radiant Rest and The Luminous Self, and her new book, Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit, is out this August. Tracee has been a student of Sri Vidya Tantra and the teachings of the Himalayan Masters for over thirty years, and she is devoted to sharing the wisdom of yoga nidrā, rest, meditation, self-inquiry and ancestor reverence.In this episode, we talk about ritual as something far bigger than incense and candles.We explore:The difference between internal ritual, external ritual, ceremony and rite of passageThe sandhyās, the sacred transitional points of the day in Hindu philosophy, and how to weave micro rituals into a busy, householder lifeA threshold practice for marking what you're leaving behind, what you're present to, and what you're walking towardsTea ceremony as a portal, including the five vāyus (subtle winds) and how different teas can be felt moving differently in the bodyRitual and rite of passage as tools for marking life transitions such as divorce, menopause or grief, and the value of sitting in liminal spaceReclaiming attention from devices, including Tracee's analog cocoon practice and her yearly six-week break from social mediaThe four aims of life (puruṣārthas), artha, kāma, dharma and mokṣa, reframed away from grasping and towards nourishment and supportTracee's own morning ritual, from mantra and chanting through to tea and mind mappingThis conversation left me thinking differently about the small transitions in my own day. I hope it does the same for you.Connect with Tracee Stanley at https://www.traceestanley.com/Join the Australian 2026 hybrid Mental Health Aware Yoga training at https://www.mentalhealthawareyoga.com/hybridJoin the online Mental Health Aware Yoga training in September at https://www.mentalhealthawareyoga.com/online Listen to the music for nervous system regulation playlist at https://www.yogapsychologyinstitute.com/join/This podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice or training. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance or come and join one of our programs at the Yoga Psychology Institute for professional training. While we are grateful for our guests and sponsors, any statements, claims or endorsements made are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Yoga Psychology Institute.