Ritually is Back! Now you can watch and listen.

Get your headphones reading for this episode and listen along as we test: Can binaural beats really have an affect on our mood and focus? We live in a constant state of “on”, and having recently been diagnosed with ADHD Nelufar finds it especially hard to focus. But besides touching grass, what if there’s another way? Besides "touching grass," is there a research-backed way to regulate the nervous system from your phone? So what are binaural beats? Well, binaural beats are a type of auditory illusion. Two different tones are played with different frequencies in each ear. The different tones are each said to have an effect on our mood and help us tap into mood states. We’ll be listening to specially designed Beta tracks for Focus. And who better to talk us through it then the creators of these Jasmine and Jade Eskenzi; the sister-duo behind The Zensory. Their wellbeing platform uses micro-moments of mindfulness and sensory tools to reduce stress and prevent burnout. So far their work has helped over 100,000 people.  Come with us as we listen to Beta (13Hz - 32Hz) Binaural Beats to get into a focus state and listen to Nelufar chat to Jade and Jasmine about using senses to find moments of meditation.  Find Jade and Jasmine on instagram @thezensory and www.thezensory.comHost Nelufar Hedayat is @nelufar.h Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/

We’ve all heard of Gua Sha on social media? But what does it actually do? And where does the ancient practice of Gua Sha really come from? In this episode of Ritually, Host Nelufar tries out traditional Chinese medicine technique of ‘Gua Sha’ with the help of Ela. Ela 's story on why she turned to Gua Sha and other traditional medicines to help her poorly twin boys at birth, defying doctors expectations in the process.We shares her emotional journey of finding Gua Sha, what it’s done for her, and how she now uses her skills to heal others. Gua translates to scrape, so watch along as host Nelufar gets scraped in the name of testing out this ritual! Sha speaks to the redness or bruising that should come up after a session if you've been doing it right. Watch along for the best Gua Sha tips and techniques whilst Nelufar and Ela discuss the long-term physical and emotional benefits of this ancient ritual Will Gua Sha really promote lymphatic drainage, increase circulation, and relieve tension or is it just a viral trend? Ela can be found at zestacupuncture.co.uk Host Nelufar Hedayat is @nelufar.h Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/

What even is a cacao ceremony and what does chocolate have to do with ritual? While many people treat cacao as a superfood, in a ceremonial context, it is treated as a plant medicine with proven results. Chocolate has an interesting history. Long before it was packaged up as chocolate bars it was considered a “Gift from the Gods,” a currency and even sacred medicine in Mesoamerican cultures. Today the interest in “Cacao Ceremonies” is on the rise. In a cacao ritual, ceremonial grade cacao, an extreamly pure cacao is used which is thought to have lots of health benefits. From a physiological perspective, the magic of the ceremony is backed by some pretty fascinating spirituallity. Unlike your morning coffee which makes you all janky and wired by hitting your nervous system, cacao contains Theobromine, a vasodilator that relaxes your body while sharpening the mind. the there's the Anandamide or the so-called bliss molecule, and Phenylethylamine (PEA) which is the same chemical your brain releases when you fall in love. Nelufar explais how it makes her feel really similar in this episode of Ritually. Our guide for this episode is Jenna-Anne and she's been working with Cacao for about seven years, using it to reflect, meditate, set-intentions and guide others through a sacred process. Fascinated by Cacao, Jenna-Anne went to one of the centres of cacao rituals in Guatemala where she was given permission by the elders to go on and share cacao rituals, something that's stayed with her throughout her practice. So grab yourself a cuppa' and listen along orr better yet - why not make yourself a cup of Cacao and watch Nelufar and Jenna-Anne embark on this Cacao ritual live together in the studio. sipping on their ceremonial cacao, they delve into the 3,000 year history of Cacao, the spiritual benefits, the impacts of Cacao on women - particularly on their periods and see if this is just the latest wellness trend or whether you should be sourcing some ceremonial grade Cacao too.  You can find Jenna Anne on instagram @jenna_anne_remedy_arts Host Nelufar Hedayat is on instagram @nelufar.h Follow Ritually on @TheRituallyPod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/

Could cupping restore your aching body? Cupping therapy or hijama is an ancient healing ritual. It’s been around for an incredible 3,500 years. From the ancient Egyptians to Chinese medicine techniques, through to the Islamic Empire, cupping pops up independently in all sorts of places in the world and in time. So what is it? There's dry cupping and wet cupping. In this episode of Ritually, Nelufar undergoes dry cupping where cups are pressed onto skin to create suction through negative pressure, pulling the skin and muscle upwards. Cupping is one of the only techniques that can do this. This may increase blood flow and is believed to reduce inflammation and speed up healing processes. Wet cupping is exactly the same but the (...and we cannot stress this enough, reputable and experienced) practitioner causes scratches for blood to flow out of the body. Nelufar is too chicken to do wet cupping. But the big question is… does cupping work? Olympic medal-machine Michael Phelps may spring to mind when you think of cupping but so many other pro-athletes and Olympians have been pictured with huge bruises and red marks on their arms, back, and all over their body as a result of cupping. It's a favourite of professional fighters, track and field athletes, getting more popular all the time. New science is bringing cupping back into the spotlight. The human body has 250 million sensory receptors in the fascia, the connective tissue surrounding your muscles and organs. When your body feels mental or physical trauma, it holds the muscular brace pattern and remembers it indefinitely. Cupping may make you have a huge emotional and physical release by working on your fascia, a release that never even entered your conscious mind! Ritually host Nelufar Hedayat wants to see if it will help her strained back from years of kickboxer training and carrying heavy camera gear whilst filming documentaries. In this episode, Nelufar tries out cupping in the studio with her ritual guide, Dr. Rizwan Suleman, probably the most in-demand practitioner in the U.K. From celebrity clients like champion boxer Anthony Joshua to international footballers Nicolas Anelka and Paul Pogba, Dr. Rizwan uses this ancient technique in the tradition of his Muslim faith to support his clients all over the world. But the benefits of cupping extend way beyond just the physical. Nelufar is shocked by the raw emotional release that this ritual causes mid recording. In classic Rituality style, this episode combines spirituality, faith, and wellness whilst answering the question “Is this a ritual that can make me feel better?” Finally, watch Nelufar and Dr. Rizwan discuss the history, the impact on emotional wellness, and their shared muslim faith and how love can be a part of medicine. During this episode, Dr. Rizwan mentions "Ruh" meaning soul in Arabic. For muslims, the soul is as important and lives on after the physical body dies. He later says it is the "maksud", meaning the purpose of life in Arabic. He then mentions “afia," Arabic for seeing health and protection from harm from the muslim god Allah (swt). Find Dr. Rizwan Suleman at his clinic, The Institute of Clinically Applied Holistic Therapy on instagram at @icaht_clinic Find host Nelufar Hedayat on instagram @nelufar.h Ritually is on instagram @therituallypod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/

Can a haircut be spiritual? Can the big chop help manifestation with every snip of the scissors releasing energy? In this episode, we find out how a hair ceremony ritual can not only refresh your look but also your mind and soul.  On the eve of a lunar eclipse, come with host Nelufar Hedayat as she opens up her crown chakra with hair priestess Chand, a hairdresser of 25 years who performs a deeply intentional hair ceremony right in front of our eyes in this intuitive hair cutting ritual. Chand tells Nelufar that women who come to her Knightsbridge salon often get their hair cut to mark a milestone or a change. Chand has been honouring that, cutting hair in an intentional and ceremonial way. These holistic hair ceremonies approach cutting hair as a ritualised experience, and Chand incorporates herbs, crystals, astrology and sound elements and more than anything marks and honours the moment of potential emotion to help clients navigate major life transitions like grief, motherhood, or reinvention. Your hair is a partially crystalline structure that absorbs energy; cutting it can be a powerful act of spiritual release and healing. In a Ritually first, Chand performs a live hair ceremony on Nel, demonstrating the use of a 111Hz tuning fork to clear vibrations, intentional brushing, and ritual oils made from meadowfoam and cypress wood. We also dive into the ancient, global significance of hair. We explore how it connects to our identity and spirituality, discussing sacred traditions like uncut Kesh in Sikhism, Rastafarian locs, and Islamic practices regarding hair.  And as ever, at the end of the episode, Nelufar goes back to her roots (see what we did there) as a journalist to reflect on the ritual...did it work or was it a bad hair day?  You can find Chand on Instagram @hair_priestess or at or at www.hairpriestess.com Host Nelufar Hedayat is @nelufar.h Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/

00:00 - Intro: Combating Anxiety in a Disconnected World 07:12 - Cleansing the Studio Energy with Palo Santo 11:37 - Tiik’s Double Life: Academia vs. Spirituality 17:16 - Traveling to Nepal & Learning from a Master 21:17 - The Science of Sound Therapy 24:23 - The Water Frequency Demonstration 26:06 - Nels Final Thoughts on Sound Healing Tibetan sound bath therapy? Really? Well, there's some science behind it. You will try it for yourself as Spiritual Tiik, a holistic healer, performs this ancient sound healing ritual with host Nelufar Hedayat to see if it can make her feel better, less stressed, and anxious. Host Nelufar is shocked at the results of her sound bath in healing her nervous system. Recently recognised by NY Magazine Top 20 Inspiring Women To Look Out For 2026, Spiritual Tiik is our guide for this episode and takes us on a deep dive into the world of sound therapy, its history, origin, and the claims that Tibetan sound baths can help with mental and even physical pain using specific frequencies. There's even claims that sound healing can help with vagus nerve stimulation, alpha brain wave stimulation and frequency healing. Tiik chats to us about why she chose the harmonic sounds of Tibetan metal singing bowls, sharing the story of how she travelled to Nepal to train with a Tibetan master and gets personal about her journey into spiritual spaces, getting emotional about her decision to follow a healer’s path. Being a journalist, host Nelufar Hedayat is sceptical at first, but as they form a connection, the conversation and the ritual take on a life of their own. The show ends with tips and advice from Tiik on what to do if you want to start a healing sound bowl ritual yourself. Spiritual Tiik can be found on Instagram ⁠@spiritualtiik⁠ Host Nelufar Hedayat is @nelufar.h Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/

Ritually Season Two is back! Host Nelufar Hedayat and her expert guides bring you a new ritual a week to see if it can make her, and you, feel better! In this six-part season, we will be exploring wellness and sacred religious rituals, incorporating them into our lives to see if it's worth it.  Watch our podcast every Tuesday and subscribe so you don't miss an episode, and comment below what ritual you'd like to see.  Follow us on Facebook- Ritually Pod Instagram - @therituallypod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/

This week on Ritually we're sharing an episode from KQED's Rightnowish series, Adornment. Having grown up in South San Francisco, perfumer Mauricio Garcia takes inspiration from flora and fauna that grows along the foggy coastline, golden grassland hills, and nearby redwood groves. Because of his deep reverence for nature’s fragrances, Garcia doesn’t use any plants that are endangered or threatened like vanilla or frankincense. Instead, he’ll craft similar scents using the modern perfumery technique of scent reconstruction. His boutique fragrance studio, Herbcraft Perfumery, also celebrates his cultural roots, highlighting ingredients and plants native to Mexico, like cempasuchitl (marigold), cacao, and mezcal. Garcia’s fragrances are not only made for anointing the body but also filling the air in one’s living space, especially around altars, mirrors and candles. In this way, Garcia believes his fragrances help facilitate connection with the spirit world and ancestors.  On this episode, Rightnowish host, Marisol Medina Cadena learns how perfume can help her set intentions for the day and connect her to memories of beloved places and ancestors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/

This week on Ritually we're bringing you an episode of another podcast, called ACCESS, that is all about having conversations about abortion. There’s a common misconception that religious people don’t have abortions, or support abortion access. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Meet the robust community of religious and spiritual people fighting for reproductive justice. Guests: Anise Simon, Maleeha Aziz, and Nick, We Testify storytellers; Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary; Rafa Kidvai, director of the Repro Legal Defense Fund; Rabbi Salem Pearce, executive director of Carolina Jews for Justice and counselor for Faith Aloud; Lauren Morrissey, co-executive director and co-founder of Student Coalition for Reproductive Justice; Rev. Aaron Payson, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester and former board member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice; Kristin Hady, clinic escort and community engagement coordinator for Abortion Access Front. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/

If you loved Episode 5, join us for an extended conversation with tarot reader Jen Cownie, co-author of Wild Card: Let The Tarot Tell Your Story, and Laetitia Barbier, the author of Tarot and Divination Cards: A Visual Archive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/join-plus/