How To Create Your Own Personal Cacao Ceremony with an Ayurvedic Flair

Raw Cacao has been used in sacred ceremonies for thousands of years.

Theobroma Cacao, the botanical name of chocolate, literally translates to “food of the gods." Cacao is a wonderful source of magnesium and iron. It also contains chemical compounds that increase our ability to focus, improve our memory, and boost our mood. Some of which chemicals include anandamide, the “bliss molecule,”and phenylethylamine, “the love molecule.”

From an Ayurvedic perspective, raw cacao is bitter, sweet, dry, heating, and rajasic (energizing). It is considered medicine as opposed to staple food and is best to be consumed on special occasions rather than on a regular basis.

Below are the instructions for how you can create your own sacred ceremony for yourself or for a group. You may choose to have this ceremony from the comfort of your home or in a beautiful setting in nature. There are three recipe variations, one that suits each dosha and/or the current season.

Heart Opening Cacao Recipe:

Ingredients:

Serves one, multiply recipe as needed

• 20g Raw Cacao Paste (can be purchased online or at a local health food store). If this cannot be easily obtained, substitute the paste with 1.5 tbsp of Raw Cacao Powder

• 1 cup hot water (for more intense ceremonial cacao) or 1 cup milk of choice (see below best choices by dosha) for a more mellow hot chocolate

• A pinch of Himalayan salt (optional)

• 1 tsp of below herbal add-ins of choice (optional)

• sweetener of choice (traditional ceremonial cacao would be unsweetened)

Variations By Dosha:

• Vata: for Vata individuals and/or Vata season (fall and early winter)

  • Best Milk Choices: whole milk, oat milk, or almond milk

  • Best Sweeteners: raw honey, maple syrup, or unprocessed sugar

  • Herbs, Spices + Other Ideas: cardamom, cinnamon, maca, ashwaganda, ghee, vanilla extract, fresh ginger, rose

• Pitta: for Pitta individuals and/or Pitta season (summer)

  • Best Milk Choices: whole milk, coconut milk, almond milk, or oat milk

  • Best Sweeteners: coconut sugar, maple syrup, stevia

  • Herbs, Spices + Other Ideas: mint, rose, coconut flakes, cardamom, shatavari, maca, ghee

• Kapha: for Kapha individuals and/or Kapha season (late winter, spring)

  • Best Milk Choices: enjoy it without milk for maximum bitter medicinal effect or with almond milk

  • Best Sweeteners: stevia, monkfruit extract, raw honey

  • Herbs, Spices + Other Ideas: cardamom, clove, cinnamon, fresh ginger

Instructions:

1. Bring water or milk to a simmer in a small sauce pan and add any herbs or spices you are using

2. Allow to simmer for a minute to infuse

3. Strain if needed and bring the liquid back to simmer

4. Turn turn off heat and add cacao paste or powder and whisk in. As it melts, stir in your desired sweetener. For a foamier cacao, use a frother to combine and finish.

5. Pour into your favorite cups and enjoy with your ceremony

For The Ceremony

What You Will Need:

• Sage or incense to cleanse your space

• A candle

• Rose quartz or crystals of choice

• Small bowl of cacao nibs and/or any herbs you've used in your cacao preparation

• Any other items that are symbolic of your intention for the ceremony. This could include fruit, flowers, or anything that feels appropriate to you

Instructions

1. Set your sacred space

   1. Light your sage or incense to clear out any stagnant or unwanted energy

   2. Light a candle and create a small altar space with your chosen items

2. Prepare your Cacao (see recipe above)

   1. Take your time and hold your intention in mind as your prepare your recipe. Sing to your cacao or play heartwarming music. If you are preparing for a group, the cacao can be prepared ahead of time and stored in a thermos.

3. Serve your Cacao

   1. Pour into your favorite cups

   2. Before drinking, formulate an intention in your mind and heart. If enjoying with a group, allow space for everyone to vocalize their intentions if desired.

4. Enjoy sipping on your cacao drink and savoring each sip with your intention in mind

5. Journal + Yoga Nidra

   1. Take time to journal and enjoy this free Heart-Warming Yoga Nidra if it calls to you.

6. Closing your Ceremony

   1. Enjoy a moment of silence and gratitude. Place your hands on your heart and enjoy whatever heart expansion you feel in this moment.

   2. Picture yourself carrying this forward into the rest of the day. If you are guiding a group through this process, you may choose to close with a short meditation.

If you'd like to learn more about holding your own sacred ceremonies or invite me to host one for you, feel free to get in touch!