Hygge (pronounced Hoo Gah) is a Danish term that has been overly used as a marketing tool to sell anything that creates in the mind a cosy, affluent wellbeing lifestyle. Advertising campaigns bombard us with images of cosy throws and blankets, soft fluffy pillows, expensive candles, hot chocolate, real fires etc. And yes you can include each of these things to help you to create the Hygge ambience, but true Hygge comes from within. It is a feeling that is expressed when you feel true contentment and gratitude for all that you are and all that is. It is connecting with your soul at the deepest level.
It can be as simple as curling up with your favourite book for an hour, a 20 minute meditation or Yoga session, or holding hands with your loved one as you stroll through the park, to an expensive spa treatment with full-on pampering or an overnight stay in a fancy hotel. You can do any of these things and not get the Hygge feeling; you can still feel lonely in a room full of people. Hygge isn’t something money can buy, or something another can give to you. You have to open yourself up to and be willing to receive this gift into your heart and allow it to resonate with your very being.
The Scandinavian way of life is totally geared around the energy of Hygge, drawing loved ones together and seeing friends, family, colleagues and strangers all as one. Spending quality time investing in a conversation with someone they are sat next to on the train to work as they would their partner, creating beautiful energy soul connections with everyone they come into contact with.
Creating rituals is a beautiful way to open up to this feeling of inner nurturing and wellbeing. Lighting candles, listening to beautiful ambient music, burning incense just to enjoy reading your favourite book for an hour is a much better way of feeding your soul than hunching over your mobile phone and trawling through social media sites, while half heartedly listening to your partner or child telling you about their day and cooking a meal. Hygge is about turning everything you do into a conscious mindful experience, being truly present in the moment, being open to inspiration and the flow of all the different energies around you.
One of my favourite Hygge things is family movie night. We turn off the lights, bring our snugly blankets, share snacks and drinks light scented candles and watch, laugh, discuss and enjoy the movie together.
Another thing I love to do is to walk up to Scarborough Castle on the cliff tops near us and open myself up to the flow of different elemental energies. I can sit and look out to sea watching the ebb and flow of the tide and feeling it drawing within me. I feel my feet firmly planted in the ground connecting me with the earth, moving my hands through the long grass and wildflowers. I close my eyes and turn my face to the sun enjoying the warmth and life giving energy filling me. I tune into the breeze swirling around me, clearing and cleansing my mind and body. I open myself up to spirit and feel myself filled with light, love and inspiration, the very essence of Hygge.
Hygge is freedom from the negative energy of stress, anxiety and the day to day cares and worries. It isn’t escapism; it is having the ability to see everything in its rightful place and being centred, grounded and open to all possibilities. To be at One with nature, the world, and the universe.
