Spring Cleaning
When the weather is warmer and the flowers are blooming, you may begin thinking about doing some spring cleaning. Spring is the time for a fresh start. As yogis, we may have heard our teachers talk about the Yamas, bramacharya (non-excess) and aparigraha (non-possessiveness). Along those lines, we may want to do some cleaning of our environment, bodies and/or minds.
Whatever form of spring cleaning you choose, there are great benefits from doing this ritualistic exercise. Cleaning our homes of clutter enhances our home, and it frees our minds. Clutter around us stops the flow of energy. When we are trying to relax and there are papers and junk mail strewn about, or clothing not put away, it is very difficult to mentally let go of everything surrounding us. Following are some ideas:
Go through your clothing and consider donating anything you haven’t worn in a year to a charitable organization.
Take a look at your children’s old toys and books. Any gently used toys can be washed and donated. Books are great to pass on.
On a warmer day, consider doing some vintage family activity such as washing and waxing your car together.
Another family activity to consider is clearing out the garage… there’s usually lots of stuff that collects there which can be disposed of.
A spring cleanse for our body gets rid of toxins that we ingest and helps us to feel healthier in that we breathe easier, think more clearly, sleep better, and enhance our sense of taste and smell. An Ayurveda cleanse consists of eating kitchari (a tasty and nutritious combination of mung dal, similar to lentils, and rice along with a lot of detoxifying herbs and spices). I love this cleanse, as I always feel FANTASTIC afterwards! It’s worth considering if you have never done it. Interested? I’d love to meet with you to talk about how to get started.
There are ways to live and have a huge positive impact on our environment:
Live with as small a footprint as possible. – Recycle, reuse and refurbish as often as you can. Even though the media doesn’t talk about our environment as much as it once did, we still have a problem.
Fill your own water bottles and don’t buy bottled water – Empty water bottles continue to be a HUGE problem in our landfills, and you have no idea how long the water has been inside the plastic or how much plastic you are drinking. If you use a single cup coffee maker, look into reusable or compostable pods.
Last but not least, in addition to clearing our bodies and surroundings, we can take a personal inventory of our minds and let go of some “junk”.
Let go of the need to always be right – Allow someone else be right. We all know someone who needs to be right… do we care more for them when they are always right?
Let go of the desire to impress and please everyone – Many of us try to please others but try living your own truth even with someone’s disapproval.
Let go of “negative” emotions a little better. Grief, fear, shame, embarrassment, and despair all play a role in our lives. Allow yourself to feel and process these emotions rather than stuffing them down with food, exercise or venting at our loved ones.
Spring is a great time to start fresh. Let go of some old bad habits and incorporate some new healthy ones. Happy spring cleaning!!
