For many of us, winding down before bedtime involves specific rituals that set the mind and soul at ease.
For some it may be ingesting a warm glass of milk with a drop or two of Madagascar vanilla, and allowing the tryptophan and casein peptides to ease one’s mood.
Others may find comfort in an ounce of brandy in a crystal snifter…
For me, apart from my evening supplications and dhikr (remembrance), there is the Kiyomeru ritual of the occasional Sunday evening “night wash.”
This rebranding of a humble chore with purposeful movements accompanied by the quietude of the night calms my soul, and delays thinking about work responsibilities that will populate my mind in the day to come.
The Kiyomeru of the “night wash” is very different from washing a motor car during the day.
The car’s body stays cool in the evening. So there is less necessity to rush when washing or drying.
The sounds of the night wash also differ.
Instead of traffic in the distance, the sound of a chorus of crickets fills the evening air.
In near darkness, imperfections disappear, and the focus of the task slows and can, if intentional, become meditative.
In low light simply making contact with all of the panels with warm soap, and rinsing and drying in that same methodical approach is like tai chi with one’s select motor car.
Mindfulness in anything we do can be meditative, like prayer, even a car wash can become a spiritual process.
For some it may be ingesting a warm glass of milk with a drop or two of Madagascar vanilla, and allowing the tryptophan and casein peptides to ease one’s mood.
Others may find comfort in an ounce of brandy in a crystal snifter…
For me, apart from my evening supplications and dhikr (remembrance), there is the Kiyomeru ritual of the occasional Sunday evening “night wash.”
This rebranding of a humble chore with purposeful movements accompanied by the quietude of the night calms my soul, and delays thinking about work responsibilities that will populate my mind in the day to come.
The Kiyomeru of the “night wash” is very different from washing a motor car during the day.
The car’s body stays cool in the evening. So there is less necessity to rush when washing or drying.
The sounds of the night wash also differ.
Instead of traffic in the distance, the sound of a chorus of crickets fills the evening air.
In near darkness, imperfections disappear, and the focus of the task slows and can, if intentional, become meditative.
In low light simply making contact with all of the panels with warm soap, and rinsing and drying in that same methodical approach is like tai chi with one’s select motor car.
Mindfulness in anything we do can be meditative, like prayer, even a car wash can become a spiritual process.
Last edited:
