Boy George’s rituals in the I'm a Celebrity jungle explained: face yoga, chanting and more
The singer has been drawing upon various mindfulness techniques to calm his nerves on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Boy George has been intriguing viewers of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! with the unique rituals he incorporates into his day-to-day life.
Whether he’s waking up campmates with his chanting, teaching them face yoga or tapping to alleviate stress, he’s been drawing upon certain techniques to help him through.
Before heading into the jungle, the singer – real name George O’Dowd – told The Sun: “I’m going to obviously do yoga and I chant… So I can hopefully find a space where I can do that because I think that will keep me more sane.”
Chanting
George has been chanting in times of stress – for example, when he took part in a Bushtucker trial inside a box of critters and snakes.
“Chanting typically involves repeating a mantra or a prayer either silently or out loud,” explains yoga teacher Neeta Naidoo. (instagram.com/neetaniyamayoga).
“Mantra is a sound current which has a powerful positive effect on the mind.
“Chanting mantras is a conscious way of controlling and directing the mind and it is one of the quickest ways to transform your mood and your life.”
George is a Buddhist, and can be heard chanting ‘Nam Myoho Renge Kyo’, which roughly translates to ‘I devote myself to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra’.
“In Kundalini yoga, we often use mantras as a focus for the mind during meditation to control the thoughts,” Naidoo explains.
According to Naidoo, chanting can “strengthen the immune system, reduce anxiety and depression, improve the mood, [and] open intuition”.
Face yoga
Boy George has been introducing his campmates to a new type of yoga: face yoga. He’s not the only celebrity fan of the technique – the Duchess of Sussex and Madonna are also thought to love its face-firming benefits.
“Face yoga is an anatomy-based facial exercise routine that involves massages and exercises to stimulate specific facial muscle groups and aid lymphatic drainage,” says Dr Munir Somji, chief medical officer of Dr MediSpa (drmedispa.com).
According to Somji: “Face yoga will lift, tone and tighten the face. It can also ease tension as it strengthens and relaxes certain muscles, so improved posture, less headaches and reduced teeth grinding can also be benefits to face yoga.”
He suggests George has been using it in the jungle for its “calming benefits”, saying: “It will lower your stress and cortisol levels and calm your mind.”
Tapping
If you’ve spotted Boy George tapping on his face, it’s a common technique used to combat stress.
Manifestation coach and tapping specialist Poppy Delbridge, author of Tapping In (Piatkus, £16.99) says she’s seen a lot of things around tapping as “quite woo-woo and new age, but actually, it’s really rigorous”.
To unlock the power of tapping, Delbridge recommends learning the key points to tap with your fingers – predominantly around the face.