A chef-turned-CEO shares the secret to activating your inner muse

While self care is highly personal in terms of what it means, often it’s built on rituals. Whether that’s a small morning ritual (your 7 a.m. yoga class) or an evening ritual (your five-step, pre-bed skin-care routine), the idea is that you’re carving out some amount of time within the day for yourself. But, rather than sticking to the daily continuum, have you ever considered a seasonal ritual for self care? Well, since the change of seasons is upon us, you can take a pro’s word for its efficacy: In the latest episode of Well+Good’s YouTube series Self-Care Nation, Sarah Ashley Schiear, chef and founder of Salt House, discusses the small ways her go-to fall equinox rituals help her tap into her “inner muse.”

“At the beginning of each season, I really like to design a creative ritual for myself,” Schiear says. “The idea behind that is that I’m taking something that is really personal to me and that puts me in a state of inspiration, creativity, and joy.”

“At the beginning of each season, I really like to design a creative ritual for myself. I’m taking something that is really personal to me and that puts me in a state of inspiration, creativity, and joy.” —Sarah Ashley Schiear, Salt House founder

So what’s on Schiear’s slate for her fall equinox rituals? She first focuses on body movement, and then adds a little bit of exercise to summon those creative forces. It doesn’t have to be anything structured—even putting on music and dancing like a “wild woman” does the trick, she says. Then to further unwind, she meditates. (Schiear’s a big fan of the Calm app.)

Then it’s all about sparking the senses, whether that means sipping the perfect turmeric latte, selecting a visually pleasing polka-dot pattern to guide her fall style, or diffusing an essential oil to aromatically manifest a cozy environment.

“For this season, I’m choosing this sort of rose-scented oil that’s really beautiful, and then for scenting my home or my space, I’m really into copal incense right now,” Schiear says. “Just kind of pick a scent, and you can work with it for as long as you want, but I would recommend really repeating it for this ritual so you associate the scent with this mental space that you’re working toward.” To get all the specifics about Schiear’s fall equinox rituals, watch the full episode of Self Care Nation here.

Or, watch the other rituals that soothe wellness pros, like this beauty entrepreneur’s mixable face mask or this toxic-exposure expert’s guide to detoxing her home.