Spring Cleaning for the Mind & Body
It’s that time of year again… the days are getting brighter, warmer and longer.
That’s right - spring has finally arrived. Who is excited?!
Do you feel the urge to do some Spring Cleaning?
You know the feeling you get when you clean and organize your home?
It’s that sense of order where everything is in its place and the clutter is gone.
Imagine having that kind of order not only in your physical environment, but also in your Body and with the thoughts in your Mind!
-----
This time of year is especially exciting because it offers the opportunity to dust off what has been hidden under layer upon layer all winter. This is especially true for those of us who live in the cold climates and layer on clothing to stay warm.
I love the energy that comes with spring. It feels open and encourages us to open up and wake up to nature - kind of like a flower blooming when you think about it. Many of us may experience an awakening of sorts as nature comes out of hibernation and we witness our landscapes transition from grey and dark to beautiful and vibrant.
This is also my favorite time of year to do a cleansing of my home, my environment and my body. A gentle food cleanse, for instance, is a lovely way to cleanse the digestive system and show ourselves some self-love.
I like to take it a step further though and cleanse my space from the outside in. What I mean by this is that your immediate physical environment affects your health whether you are consciously aware of this or not. Therefore, dedicating some time to cleanse your space is essential to your well-being.
I was recently introduced to a term used to describe the energetic cleansing of our environment - ‘Space Healing’. My dear friend, Yola, is an expert at this and helped me realize how my immediate home and the things that I keep in my space may be draining my energy and affecting my health. With this knowledge, I decided to embark on an intentional cleansing journey that focuses on energetically cleansing my body and mind. But first, I needed to address my space and my home.
This is not a ‘clean your house from top to bottom’ kind of cleanse, meaning that I am not simply talking about physical cleaning. While that is also beneficial and you may choose to do that typical sort of spring cleaning of your home, this exercise in particular is about noticing the energy that you hold in your space, your body and your mind.
Here are a few points to consider:
1. ‘Space Healing’
Your immediate environment (a.k.a your space or your home) directly affects your health. The objects and things you keep hold energy which affects your mental/emotional state. Essentially, if you feel anything less than joyful in your space, and about the things in your space, you need to pay attention. Overwhelm comes from holding onto unnecessary energy.
This is a perfect time for you to take a look at your environment as well as your physical, mental and emotional space and release what no longer serves you. It’s just like the old saying goes: out with the old and in with the new! Making space for the new will allow you to feel happier, healthier, prettier, sexier, and more in your zone of genius.
I don’t want any more happiness… said no one ever!
Action Steps:
Take a walk around your home and notice how you feel about each room. Notice what comes up. Anything that doesn't bring you JOY needs your awareness because it might be draining your energy.
Take a good look at what is under your kitchen/bathroom sink. Are you keeping harsh toxic items around JUST IN CASE? What else are you keeping ‘just in case’? Be aware of those items too and evaluate whether they really serve a purpose or are just creating clutter.
Take a basket and collect ALL chachkis lying around your space. This is what my friend Yola refers to as little decorative pieces - you know the ones. Hide them away where you won’t be able to see them for a week. At the end of the week, reflect on which of those items you truly missed and consider tossing (i.e. give away, donate, sell) the rest.
2. Cleansing the Body
I cannot reiterate this enough: Your Body is your FIRST home. Every cell of your body holds information, experiences, memory and energy from the time you were born. This is why it is so incredibly important to know how to release energy that no longer serves you and create space for new, fresh and inspiring energy to flow in. This is why a Mind-Body cleanse can be so rewarding during the Spring season.
Action Steps:
BREATHE! Taking deep, conscious diaphragmatic breaths is essential. This will help to create much needed space in your body. Simply stop what you are doing, straighten your back, drop your shoulders and inhale into your core (belly and chest area) a few times. That's all. Just let your lungs fill up with air and then exhale fully. That’s it! Make it a point to do this daily! You will not disappoint your body.
Get a haircut! I recently chopped off some major inches and I felt like a million bucks. Seriously, even if it’s not a whole new look, a little trim of your hair will make you feel brand new. Think of it like pruning a plant: in order to make room for fresh new leaves, you need to trim the dead ends.
Buy yourself some new underwear! I know, this might not be what you expected to read, but seriously, if you haven’t bought yourself new undies lately, you are missing out on some serious TLC. This simple act can send a message to your body that says I love you and I want you to look and feel your best.
3. Cleansing the Mind
Some studies show that our brains process about 70,000 thoughts per day - that’s 3,000 per hour and about 50 per minute. Pretty crazy if you think about it.. (see what I did there).
The truth is that we are barely aware of 20% of those thoughts and the ones that we are aware of are not always positive and supportive. The mind has a tendency to repeat thought patterns and those thought patterns are what creates your reality. Those thought patterns are what manifests into the objects you have and experiences you live.
If you find yourself living in a world that does not truly reflect who YOU are and how you desire to live your life, then it’s time for a mind cleanse. The thing is, you can’t just do this once. This is a practice that you’ll want to repeat often, especially when you find yourself in a funk.
Action Steps:
Take out a blank piece of paper, set your timer for anywhere from 5 to 25 mins and write out whatever comes to mind in that time. Literally write out anything and everything. You might surprise yourself with the things that your mind produces when given a chance to be noticed.
Then, take that list and if there are important things, take action on them or make it a point to remember; if not... let go and shred that paper. Now, you have some room to consciously create.
Now, take another blank piece of paper and write out HOW you want to feel. What emotions do you want to experience on daily basis? Once you have a list of your intentional feelings, plant it. For real. Plant it with the seeds of a flower or a plant. Or just plant it somewhere near the roots of a big tree.
4. Clearing your Connection to Source
Last but not least, let’s wipe the lens to your source. The source of your energy, that is. Otherwise known as the voice of your intuition, your inner guidance, your spirit, your soul. Having a clear connection with that non-physical part of you is essential. It is so important that without this connection you’ll feel lost in material things that may not mean much to you. The connection to your divine self will make you feel stronger, more in tune with life and you’ll feel much more comfortable making decisions. If this is your first time reading about your non physical source energy, just stay open. If this is not your first time, go ahead and do whatever you need to do to allow that connection to reemerge. Pray. Meditate. Talk to yourself in the mirror. Whatever it takes!
Action Steps:
If you could ask your wiser inner guidance any question what would it be? Open ended questions like: ‘What do I need to know/do/say/ about…’ are great entry points. Write it down.
Then, from that all knowing perspective, answer that question. If your first instinct is to say ‘I don’t know’, it’s okay! Imagine you DO KNOW and write down your thoughts in your private journal. Have fun!
I hope this message finds you well. Let me know in a comments below What is your favourite way to Spring Cleanse and release what no longer serves you...
This post was written by Petya Hristova, RMT. For more information on her services, programs and treatments, email us at info@continuumwellness.ca