How to Heal Your Ancestral Patterns Using Ayurveda, with Sarita Rocco
“Honoring your ancestors is the first step in reclaiming your spiritual heritage. As you begin to recover your ancestral memories, you will also uncover unconscious, troubled memories that prevent you from knowing the truth of who you are. According to the Vedic sages, we humans are the only species which has the power of intuition. Yet too easily we forfeit our sacred birthright and with it the ability to change and grow, create, and strive for inner freedom. We have largely forgotten the joy, love, and wellness that are intrinsic to human nature.”
— Maya Tiwari
Sarita Rocco, Maya Tiwari’s right-hand woman during ancestral ceremonies, brings us a greater perspective on ancestral healing rituals. Engaging in a healing ceremonies help you connect with your ancestors and process the emotional patterns they’ve transferred to you.
Rituals are back and more needed than any other time in our human history. The more plugged in we get, the more our nerves crave the rhythmic, healing spaces of ritual. Our ancestors used rituals to celebrate, honor, and heal their ancestors — even and especially the ones who were dead and gone.
This seems far out in our forward-moving modern culture. The problem is that, when we don’t create the time and space to honor our ancestors, we carry their baggage into our future. This means our dharma, our kids, and our lives are all influenced by what we’re not taking the time to process.
As you get started in your healing after reading this post, ask around. Who of your core peeps does ritualized honoring of their ancestors? Ask them what it gives back to them, why they do it, and how they do it. What rituals have they fallen into? If none of your core peeps has ventured into ancestral terrain — be the ripple, and it will grow.
Honoring Your Ancestors: The Ancestral Healing Process
We all carry unprocessed ancestral memories until we digest them. These memories unconsciously affect our habits and may prevent us from acting and living in integrity with our true desires. Engaging in this ritual allows us to connect with and honor our ancestors on a deep level while processing and healing the issues or trauma they’ve passed on to us.
Below are the ritual steps to creating healing harmony for your ancestors and breaking their patterns within you. Before you get started, gather black sesame seeds or uncooked rice, water or organic milk, a large bowl, and a pitcher.
- Write down as many of your ancestors’ names as you know.
- Place a small handful of black sesame seeds or uncooked rice into the bowl. Try to use black rice or wild rice, if possible.
- Fill the pitcher with water or organic milk.
- Sit in a clean space — inside or outdoors — and face south.
- Mix more rice or seeds with the liquid in the pitcher.
- Create jnana mudra with your thumb and forefinger touching in a circle with your right hand. Pour the liquid mixture through the mudra and into the bowl. Recite the names of your ancestors aloud as you pour.
- Take the liquid outdoors and leave it as an offering for wild birds and animals. Do not discard the mixture in the garbage.
- Repeat the Mantra for Healing Ancestral Memories — om namo vah pitris saumyah — 108 times. Use mala beads to keep count. Stay mindful of your ancestors known and unknown. Pray for their safe travel in the celestial sphere, for their entry into the abode of the Pitris, and for their well-being and nourishment.
This ritual releases the ancestral energy that’s deeply embedded in our tissues, freeing us of the need to re-enact their memory patterns. You may want to do multiple sessions of healing to free trapped energies.
About Sarita:
Sarita has been studying and practicing Ayurveda since 1996. She is personally trained by Maya Tiwari, world spiritual leader and founder of the Wise Earth School of Ayurveda. Maya Tiwari is famous for her work on ancestral healing. Sarita has assisted Maya in conducting numerous workshops and ceremonies to walk people through their journeys of ancestral healing.
