Ritual Cacao & Yoga – Heart Opening on the Yoga Mat

Ritual Cacao is a door opener and amplifies everything that comes after it. That's probably why many people also discover it for their yoga practice. Both cacao and yoga invite you to become aware, to feel yourself and to allow a deeper connection with yourself. While yoga works through the perception of breath and mindful movement, Ritual Cacao gently opens your heart and gives a feeling of connection and grounding. This way, a space for mindfulness, introspection and reconnection with yourself can arise.

In this post you'll learn why Ritual Cacao fits so wonderfully with your yoga practice and how you can integrate this heart opening plant medicine into your yoga routine.

By Leni & Anna in Cacao Blog

What is Ritual Cacao?

Ritual Cacao, often also called ceremonial cacao, comes from the indigenous plant medicine of Central and South America. Unlike industrially processed cacao, it is made very gently from high quality cacao beans in order to preserve its natural active compounds. The cacao contains no additives and is rich in antioxidants and theobromine, for example, a gently stimulating substance that activates the body without agitating it. For this reason, many people also use it as a coffee substitute.

Of course, there is so much more to say about the history and the wonderful effect of cacao. If you'd like to dive deeper, feel free to take a look here.

Why does Ritual Cacao fit with yoga?

Yoga and Ritual Cacao may stem from different cultural roots, yet both invite you to become deeply mindful. With yourself and with your environment. Yoga is a thousands of years old practice that originated in India and whose goal is to bring body, mind and soul into harmony. The term "yoga" literally means "union," with yourself, with life and also with the divine. There are various branches within yoga, such as Bhakti Yoga (path of devotion), Karma Yoga (path of selfless action), Jnana Yoga (path of knowledge) and Raja Yoga, which also includes the practice of asanas, pranayama and meditation, and which is practiced the most here in the West.

On the classical path of yoga, the asanas (body postures) do not only serve physical mobility. They are tools to calm the mind, activate the life energy (prana) and prepare the body for meditation. The goal is to find complete stillness within through presence and mindfulness.

From the Bhagavad Gita (Ch. 6, Verses 20–21):
"When the mind comes to rest through the practice of yoga and deepens into the Self, the yogi experiences a joy that goes beyond the senses – a joy from the depth of being."

Ritual Cacao can build a wonderful bridge here, because cacao opens the heart, calms the mind and makes you receptive to whatever wants to show itself in the moment. Mindfully drinking Ritual Cacao fosters a loving connection to yourself, just like yoga does.

In combination, a very special space for introspection and connection arises: while yoga centers and clarifies you, the heart opening energy of Ritual Cacao supports the emotional depth and perception of your practice. This connection is especially powerful with calm yoga styles like Yin Yoga, gentle flows or Yoga Nidra.

How Ritual Cacao supports your yoga practice

Imagine this: you're sitting on your yoga mat. Everyday life is perhaps already behind you, or you're consciously giving yourself a break here. In front of you a cup of warm Ritual Cacao, which you lovingly prepared beforehand. In this moment you give yourself time, entirely for yourself, for your body, for your mind. Perhaps before a meditation, perhaps after a powerful practice. The first sip brings you into sensing, gives you grounding, presence and connection.

• Grounding & presence: Ritual Cacao helps you arrive more deeply in your body. Especially after a full day, it gives the necessary softness to find your way into your practice, or to integrate it at the end and let it take effect.
• Heart opening: The heart opening effect of the plant medicine can make it easier to access your Anahata chakra, the energy center for compassion and connection.
• Intuitive body awareness: Cacao slows down your mind and makes you more receptive to the subtle impulses of your body. You become more mindful, slower and more connected in your movement and body awareness.
• Deepening meditative states: Whether meditation, pranayama or Yoga Nidra, cacao can help you shape the transition into these still spaces more consciously and experience it more deeply.

Heart yoga ritual with cacao

1. Take a seat on your yoga mat and find an upright and comfortable sitting position. Ideally, you've already prepared your Ritual Cacao so you can begin your yoga session right away. Here you'll find a recipe and tips.
2. Connection: Close your eyes and place one hand on your heart. Feel how your breath moves flowingly and lightly through your body. Breathe in through the nose, releasing out through the mouth. If you like, hold your cup of cacao between your hands, feel the warmth and, if you wish, mentally speak your intention for this session, e.g. "I connect with my heart and let flow what comes" or "I open my heart and invite lightness, love and connection".
3. Drink your cacao mindfully: Now, from this connection, take your first mindful sips of your Ritual Cacao. Feel how Mama Cacao and her energy touch your body, how the warmth spreads, nourishes every cell and gently opens your heart space. With each further sip you arrive more and more and prepare yourself for the heart opening yoga exercises.
4. Cat-cow: Come into a stable tabletop position. The hands are under the shoulders, the knees under your hips. On the inhale: let the belly drop toward the floor, lifting the heart and gaze slightly forward, feel how your breastbone opens (cow). On the exhale: round the back, draw the chin toward the breastbone, round the spine (cat). Flow in your own rhythm, perhaps with closed eyes, guided by the breath. This movement gently opens the heart from within, releases tightness in the chest and gently mobilizes your spine. Repeat the movement (10-12 times).
5. Anahatasana (the melting heart): Stay in the starting tabletop position and walk your hands forward until your chest sinks toward the earth. The pelvis stays above the knees, the forehead or chin rests on the mat, your spine is lengthened and the arms are stretched out forward. Breathe deeply into the chest, imagine your heart melting into the earth. This pose lengthens your back while at the same time opening the front of the chest and the Anahata chakra.
   Optional: Rest your forehead on a bolster for more support. Hold the pose for 1 minute or as long as feels good to you.
6. Gentle movement in seated cat-cow: Once you've sat back up out of Anahatasana, find a grounded, comfortable seat. Feel the contact with the earth that supports you. Breathe in, your chest and heart open forward, the gaze lifts slightly toward the ceiling.
   Breathe out, round your back, the chin gently sinks toward the breastbone. Let the breath guide the movement. With every inhale, spaciousness arises in the heart space, the shoulders draw gently back. With every exhale you release tension, become round, soft and turned inward. Repeat 10-12 times in a relaxed rhythm.
7. Supported fish: Lie down on your back and place a bolster, cushion or two yoga blocks under your upper back, so that your heart opens and the chest is gently arched upward. Let the arms lie wide open and heavy beside the body, palms facing up. Breathe softly and deeply. Imagine your heart space opening wide upward and your heart breathing with you and growing wide with every breath. With every exhale let your body rest more and more heavily on the surface beneath you. Breathe in, let your heart shine and radiate, breathe out, release everything that makes your heart feel tight or heavy in this moment. Stay here for 2-3 minutes.
8. Savasana - the final relaxation: Free yourself from the yoga bolster or the yoga blocks beneath you and lie down in the final relaxation position on your back. Bring your awareness consciously to your breath and let your body sink more and more, and ever deeper, into the ground with every deep exhale. Direct your attention into your heart space, into the center of your chest. Feel how your breath flows gently through your heart, how light and spaciousness arise with every inhale and stillness and surrender with every exhale. Perhaps in your inner space you see a warm, green or pink light, the color of your heart chakra. Let this light expand with every breath, into your chest, into your shoulders, into your arms, until it envelops you completely. Feel your heart, feel the light within you and let it shine. Stay for a few breaths in this connection.
9. Closing: When you're ready, slowly bring movement into your body, gently move your hands and feet, arms and legs and give your body all the movements it wishes from you. Come back into an upright sitting position and place your hands on your heart here. Take one deep breath in and feel the connection to your heart, and stay in this feeling for a few more moments.

Enjoy this heart opening yoga session!

Ritual Cacao & Yoga – frequently asked questions

When is the best time to drink Ritual Cacao – before or after yoga?
If you want to practice a calm sequence, you can also drink your cacao beforehand or even during. For dynamic yoga styles or traditional Hatha yoga, we recommend taking the cacao at the end. Drink it mindfully, set an intention and consciously tune in to yourself.

How can Ritual Cacao be integrated into my yoga routine, or as a studio owner into existing classes or specials?
You can bring Ritual Cacao into your yoga classes quite simply, whether at home or in the studio, for example before a calm Yin yoga session to open the session, or at the end of a yoga session to integrate the practice and let it continue to resonate a little longer. Ritual Cacao also fits wonderfully with guided meditations, deep yoga relaxation or a Yoga Nidra. A special highlight are longer cacao rituals for special occasions such as full moon, new moon or the wheel of the year festivals.

Which yoga styles combine well with Ritual Cacao?
Cacao fits best with rather calm and restorative yoga styles such as Yin yoga, Restorative yoga or gentle and slow flows. In these yoga styles, the heart opening and grounding effect of Ritual Cacao can unfold optimally.

Do I have to do a cacao ritual before my yoga session in order to drink cacao?
No, because your time on the yoga mat is already a moment of mindfulness in itself. You can also drink the cacao without a ritual, and sometimes a few deep breaths are enough to briefly connect before you drink your cacao.