Growing the seeds of change
Nature and neuroscience help us build a better life, one act at a time
Hello, dear wildling. ✨
There are big moments that change us—a serious illness, a career shift, a heartbreak, a breakthrough.
But change that truly transforms us most often starts small.
Today, we’re talking about the subtle power of little rituals—the kinds of things you do daily, almost instinctively. Not religious rites but intentional, nurturing practices that slowly build impact.
These small acts can shape your mood, mind, nervous system, and capacity to thrive. Just like in nature, our most significant change is often the most patient.
Little Rituals, Big Impact
Every night before bed, I drink two cups of herbal tea.
🍵 One cup three hours before sleep—peppermint, lavender, and catnip whisper to my body: Start winding down.
🍵 Another cup an hour before sleep—chamomile and lavender ease me toward rest.
These herbs soothe my nervous system, working their quiet magic. But even a plain cup of hot water could do the trick—because this is more than hydration or herbal medicine.
It’s rhythm.
It’s peace.
It’s a message that says: It’s okay to rest now.
I’ve kept this ritual for years. It fortifies my cycle of activity and rest, especially when life feels chaotic. And over time, it’s caught on. My partner and my teenage son now have their own little pre-bedtime tea rituals, too!
Most of us have little rituals that help us feel grounded or gently carry us from one part of the day to the next.
I know people who watch the sunrise each morning, letting its golden light energize them. 🌞 Others slide into soft slippers when they get home, claiming the comfort of their sanctuary.
With repetition and time, small acts become something more. They become signals. Invitations to shift.
That’s one recipe for change. But not all change is this gentle.
The Wild Truth About Transformation
We often expect effective change to be slow and steady. But nature tells a more complicated story.
"Just like the seed, I don't know where to go. Through dirt and shadow, I grow. I'm reaching light through the struggle. Just like the seed, I'm chasing the wonder. I unravel myself, all in slow motion." Aurora
A seed takes time to sprout. It reaches for the light, unfolds, and climbs. The sapling expands, tall and strong. It branches and bears leaves, fueling further growth. It is on a path that could take it through hundreds of years of life on this planet. It could see the world evolve in various ways with every human generation. 🌱
Or...
A storm completely rips the tiny tree apart in seconds.
Change can be slow, like petals unfurling to meet the morning sun.
Change can be sudden, like an unexpected freeze deep into spring, long after the birds have returned north. 🦢
The climate crisis has disrupted what we once relied on—the familiar rhythm of the seasons as a dependable cycle of change. Now, those migrating birds find winter encroaching on spring and autumn eroded by summer.
Still, they do what they must.
They perch on snow-dusted branches and sing through the frost. In fall, they linger a little longer, until the moment comes to let go and fly.
And what of our poor young tree, reaching bravely upward, only to be met with an unkind storm?
Underground, the mycelial networks stir. They move nutrients through the soil, helping it heal. We may not see the change right away. It may take time for green to return.
Healing begins when the storm ends. Change is already happening, just out of sight.
Dr. Kathleen Allen, a regenerative leadership expert, reminds us that change in nature isn’t always incremental. It’s both cyclical and responsive. Nature adapts.
"Only 4% of dandelion seeds take root and become plants, but the rest fall on fallow ground and are used over time to amend the soil so plants can eventually grow there. Nature thinks long-term where change is concerned, and we might benefit from the same perspective." - Dr. Kathleen Allen
We may set a path for progress, and then life throws us sideways.
We may have to fall back on predictable patterns instead of forceful goal-setting.
We may have to find our mycelium, our support network, and give ourselves time to recover.
That doesn’t mean we’ve failed. It means we’re alive and adapting, waiting for the storm to end.
Change Rarely Happens in a Straight Line
In psychology, there’s a well-known model of change called “the transtheoretical model” that reminds us progress moves in stages—and it doesn’t always move in a straight line.
We prepare. We act. We stumble. We recommit.
This is normal. This is human. This is natural. 🌿
Change rarely follows the neat path we envision and desire. That’s okay. We must give ourselves the grace of acceptance, even when our steps falter.
Celebrate every victory. Love yourself through the setbacks.
As long as we’re trying, we are open to change. Growth is still happening. 🌱
Little rituals give us something to come back to. They remind us of who we are and what we’re building.
When we return to a practice after drifting away, we aren’t starting over. We’re continuing.
Why Bother With Habits or Rituals at All?
If change in nature—and life—isn’t always linear or predictable, why do we bother with daily rituals or habit-building at all?
Because they build something deeper: resilience.
Little rituals become internal scaffolding. They offer comfort when life feels chaotic and structure when everything else feels unsteady. They give meaning when we need a reason to keep showing up. They reinforce the changes we’ve already made.
✨ A nightly tea ritual protects your circadian rhythm, even when your schedule falls apart.
✨ A movement practice gives your body strength for the moments that call for it.
✨ Swapping a harmful habit like smoking with a little ritual helps your body heal from illness.
The world may shift suddenly. Storms may come out of nowhere. But we can still show up and try—one little ritual at a time.
Habits vs. Little Rituals
All little rituals are habits. But not all habits are little rituals.
When we talk about “habits,” the tone often shifts toward pressure—something we must fix or conquer. Habits are tied to productivity, discipline, and persistence. And when we slip, we’re left with guilt or shame.
But little rituals? They feel softer. They’re less about discipline, more about devotion. Less about progress, more about presence. And yet they change us just the same.
If the word “habit” feels heavy, try calling it a “little ritual.” Sometimes, shifting the language opens the door to a new perspective.
I don’t like “habit-building.” I do like “ritual-building.”
At the root, it’s the same thing. But the phrasing is kinder to me.
How often have we set New Year’s resolutions to build better habits? And how many times have we reached the year’s end feeling like we failed?
What if we reframed those resolutions—not as pressure to change but as invitations to build meaningful moments into our days?
Instead of:
🔄 Eat better and cut out junk food
🔄 Start knitting instead of doomscrolling
🔄 Read more and binge-watch less
Let’s try:
💫 Create a daily ritual of curiously exploring nourishing ingredients
💫 Make space each day for any creativity without judging what we create
💫 Read 300 words that stretch your mind and stir your spirit
Little rituals aren’t just check boxes on a “habit-forming” list. They’re mindful activities that delight us. They’re milestones in our day we can look forward to. They form a connection with ourselves, our world, and the life we’re building.
And day by day, they become stepping stones toward natural, lasting, and real change.
Your Brain on Rituals
Little rituals don’t just feel good. They rewire your brain.
This is thanks to neuroplasticity, the brain's amazing ability to adapt and change based on our experiences.
Let’s take a few minutes to explore this incredible phenomenon. 🧠
Your brain loves rituals. Rituals help you know what to expect. They help you feel safe.
When Rituals Need Tending
Sometimes, if we’re not careful, comforting rituals become places to hide.
Like vines that once offered shade or beauty, they can eventually obscure things and prevent us from thriving.
Take my nightly tea ritual, for example. It soothes me and signals rest. But if I find myself wide awake night after night, sipping more and more tea, then maybe the ritual isn’t soothing anymore—it’s stalling insomnia I must address.
Little rituals are most powerful when paired with boundaries and awareness.
They aren’t meant to be crutches or masks. They’re meant to support and develop change, not shelter us from the truth.
If something feels off, it’s okay to pause, reflect, and get help. Advice from a therapist, a doctor, or a wise friend can renew a ritual’s power and sometimes improve it!
Let Nature Shape Your Rituals
Let’s return to nature and imagine ways to mimic the wild in our little rituals.
Using the Whispering Wilds O.R.A. method (Observe, Reflect, Apply), I created a little ritual inspired by tiger lilies.
Each morning, when the sun rises, tiger lilies open their flowers. So now, when I wake up, I mimic them.
I place my feet on the floor like roots.
I stand up tall and straight like a stem.
I breathe deeply and sweep my arms overhead, letting them fall slowly to my sides like tiger lilies unfurling their petals.
I repeat this stretch a few times, slowly, with intention.
This stretch is gentle on my body and supportive of a chronic chest injury I've dealt with for 20 years and will have for the rest of my life. It revives my chest, shoulders, arms, and neck from the stillness of sleep. With breath. With purpose.
What about you?
Observe a plant or animal you love. Use as many senses as you can.
Reflect on why it resonates with you. Why do you want to mimic it? Research facts so you understand what you're mimicking.
Apply it to a practice like movement, play, visualization, or creativity to make a little ritual, like my tiger lily stretch. 🌼
A Calming Cue for Your Nervous System
Here’s a simple idea.
Choose a sound from the Nature Speaks YouTube playlist I created for you. It might be wind, waves, rain, songbirds, or something else.
I hope the playlist has a sound for everyone. However, if you find a video you like better, please email me the link at dina@whisperingwilds.com. I'd love to share it with others!
Decide on a time of day—maybe just after dinner—to play that sound as a signal to transition into relaxation. If possible, close your email app and silence work messages. This sound means it's time to focus on you.
If you need to, set a gentle alarm to remind you to shift into the natural soundscape and let nature carry you to another state of mind.
Repeat this every day until it becomes part of your wind-down routine and you look forward to it. Remember, regular practice rewires our brains. But be kind to yourself if you forget or don't feel like doing it some days.
This can become a powerful little ritual—a sound cue for your nervous system, a way to close the day pleasantly.
Pick a time. Pick a sound. Let it become yours!
🎧 The Wild Is Speaking
I had the joy of joining Rebecca Pilger on her Soul Desire podcast for a deep and soul-filled conversation about the Whispering Wilds method, animism as a spiritual world view, and the essence of nature itself.
We explored nature's consciousness, reconnecting with the natural world, and how small changes align us with nature for whole-person wellness.
Endless thanks to Rebecca for such a heartfelt exchange—full of wisdom, insight, and shared wonder. 🌿
I hope you'll listen! How Embracing Gaia's Wisdom Can Enrich Your Life With Dina Ely
And I invite you to follow Rebecca on Instagram for more wise words.
Here’s to the Little Things That Change Us
Thank you for being here. Your time is precious, and I'm honored you spent it with me. 💚
Little rituals may seem small, but over time, they can reshape a life.
With patience, intention, and inspiration from the wild, even the tiniest changes grow deep roots and reach for the light.
Until next time, be the wildest version of you.
With love,
Dina
If you enjoy The Whispering Wilds and feel moved to help, tips are always appreciated and keep this space thriving. ✨
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Please Note...
The Whispering Wilds method is not a replacement for medical and mental health care. Alternative health and wellness shines when it complements modern medicine, just as I believe modern medicine is at its best when accompanied by a holistic perspective. If you have a heart, lung, or circulatory condition, or suspect you do, or if you have a mental health disorder, or suspect you do, please ask your doctor or therapist before beginning any wellness practice.
Breathwork, meditation, journaling, movement, and other practices in The Whispering Wilds aren't suitable for everyone. The good news is that if your doctor or therapist advises you against a particular practice, the Whispering Wilds method will likely present alternatives to explore. Always ask your medical or mental health professionals first because we are all complex, unique individuals, and no true wellness approach is one-size-fits-all.