Hey ,

Lately our Newsletters have been irregular, facebook content has been irregular, website content has been irregular, responding to emails has been irregular. But we're just regular people with regular issues :)

If you recollect Kavie, our little guy, had fractured his leg and after 45 days his cast was to come off, and we were all filled with excitement. For 1 1/2 months he couldn't walk, or pee/poop or have a shower on his own.

To our dismay, the doctor told us we would have to keep it on for 10 more days. We were a bit overwhelmed and disturbed - not because of the tasks, but to see our 5-year-old in this state really took a toll on us.

We were kind of sleep-deprived with the new baby and did not have our daily routine set. The whole incident got us into a mode where we were not functioning efficiently, we had a bit of depression come in, and even our thought process was not very rational.

Then finally when his cast was taken off yesterday, we gathered together in the evening lit a candle and gave thanks for all our blessings. Brought up as a Christian, I've always heard the phrase "A family that prays together, stays together." But somehow, repetitive prayers never worked for me.

However, this ritual goes deeper that just repetition it gave ourselves the time and space to connect with each other, release our pent-up emotions in the form of tears and laughter, to thank each other for the help and support that they provided during this time.

I believe every family needs to have a ritual like this to help bond and connect. Even if you're just a couple, pausing at the end of the day and reflecting on interactions that might have caused pain or brought joy can truly help relationships blossom.

Research shows that strong relationships protects our bodies and even our brains.

The Ritual

Sit in a circle with a candle or a few flowers placed in the centre. Once everyone gets comfortable, start with three slow long deep breaths to help centre yourselves. Then you can chant Om three times or say a little prayer, then one of the parents can explain to the kids that this is where we talk about what made them happy today or this week.

Parents start with things that they're grateful for, how we're blessed to have each other. Don't forget to include things that your children have done that have helped as words of encouragement, simple things like clearing up their toys, taking out the trash or doing the dishes or even being good at school. You can also talk about things that were done that hurt you, but don't let it come from a place of blame. (For eg. "I wish you had told me the breakfast was tasteless in a better way, when you spoke with that tone, I felt hurt.")

This can be done every day or every week, but once you decide how often it should be done, one should be consistent. If only adults are part of the ritual, you can also talk about life problems, but not with children.

The circle ends again with each one taking long deep breaths and chanting Om together three times and feeling the positive energy fill up the room.

Hope this helps you too :) Do let us know if you already have a method of healing that you use!