I am on a journey. Every day I wake up with the intention of “clearing out the living room, decluttering my bedroom closet or just shifting one of the stuffed boxes from the garden shed.
If you are like me and have a house full of stuff – memories of children growing up, their art work proudly framed and displayed, images of past birthday parties tucked away, scraps of material from ideas started, discarded and put down as interest waned and the next new idea came into play; how do you begin to decide what to keep, what to recycle and give away?
Books Galore
And what about the books? Volume of books. Yours and your children’s. How do you know which edition of Snow White and the Seven drafts to keep? Maybe one day you will be a grandmother and your grandbabies would like to hear you read this story from that book. How do you decipher which ‘How-to-play –the- piano- for beginners” and ‘The easiest piano course, Part 3” is the one to keep. Just in case, your children, now teenagers, decide one day to pick up piano lessons again.
Some Sunday’s my home resembles’ Little Women’- all of us sitting contently reading, drawing, knitting, and other days…all hell breaks loose as the living room is transformed into some kind of Rock Concert, as the girls strut along and become Rock Chicks playing guitar hero, or snowball down the latest WiiFit Game. …Possessions, memories, symbols of joy all sitting side by side, till …I take a deep breath and say enough is enough.
Is Less More?
I have come to realise and appreciate the simplicity of Zen.
Clear, simple lines of living.
Less Is More.
I crave silence, calm, peace in and around my physical environment.
How do I reconcile my desire for peace, inner peace and calm yet still allow my children space to be, space to have their games, books, DVDs, school projects and the like in a place which suits them?
How do I allow myself and others who I live with, the space to breathe and be, when as far as I can see, all I see is “stuff”? Your stuff. My stuff. Every body’s stuff. Too much stuff in one room –let alone in a three bedroom house with a conservatory and loft; whilst so many people in the world exist in a make-shift home in occupied territory or natural disaster zone.
It all seems too much. Too much for one soul to bear and clear away.
Meditation Is The Answer – One Breathe At A Time
In yoga you are taught the joy of breathing. Deep inhalations and slow steady exhalations.
The breath is your gateway to peace. To calm and inner serenity.
One breath at a time is all we have.
Where Do You Start To Declutter?
A Five Minute Meditation To Boost Your Energy and Clear Your Mind
If you are feeling stuck, surrounded by clutter and don’t know where to start. Take a few minutes and try this Five Minute Mini Meditation
1. Find a quiet comfortable space
2. Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out through your nose. Allow your thoughts to settle and slow down.
3. Slowly allow images, desires, dreams on how you want your space to be. Fill the inner crevices of your heart with these images as you sit still.
4. Breathe in and out. Breathe in the essence, the love and vibrancy. Take it all in and slowly exhale. Empty; empty your lungs, your body of stuck debris, items gone past their sell-by-date. Just sit still. Breathe and Be.
5. Stay connected with the breath and allow your thought to settle,
6. Chose a point of focus, maybe your third eye or heart chakra and consciously return your awareness to that point.
7. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in goodness, love and light. Exhale tension, sadness, sorrow.
8. Just breathe, one breath at a time. In and out through your nose.
9. Stay focused on your breath for 3-7 more rounds of calm centering deep breathing.
10. Slowly open your eyes. Keep a soft gaze as you lovingly gaze around your space and Give Thanks.
Thanks for all cherished memories and possessions which make you who you are. Thanks for all scars and bruises from loves lost, share and won. Keep on Giving Thanks for it all.
11. And know it is safe. You are safe to release and let go of your attachment to the memory, to the object, safe in the knowledge that you are more than a collection of clothes, books, shoes, handbags and empty plastic bags. You are more. You are a divine light. You are all knowledge. All love. All bliss. Hold onto this vibe in your heart as you slowly pick up one item and give it room to breathe, permission to leave your home.
12. Be blessed and continue one breath at a time to shift and declutter your home.
Namaste
I enjoyed sharing this meditation with you. I look forward to introducing you to other meditation techniques I use as part of my personal stress relief and self-care programme in my new free seven day ecourse Marvellous You! – coming soon.
I hope you are filled with insights and more able to move on and declutter. I would love to hear how your experiences when you de-clutter. Write your thoughts and comments in the box below. Stay Blessed and Thank You.
Thanks, and yes after decluttering perhaps go even further into minimizing possessions. As a long-time meditator myself I have found that being a minimalist goes together naturally with my meditation practice!
Totally agree! Thanks for sharing your thougts
Thanks for a new way of enabling me to declutter my life. I make a start and then the 'what if I need it's' start to take over. I could start my own charity shop and still have stuff to share. I'm not even the person who wears those styles anymore and don't mention the shoes which now count as vintage.
I'm going to give it a go and maybe play 'please release me' as I start clearing.
Hilarious post! I never thought one could declutter by meditating! Maybe we will go add this to our list : http://www.mega-quick-sale.co.uk/blog/ways-declut…
Smiles and hugs Marc…your list is very thorough. So easy to accumulate stuff and so hard to let go. Thanks for sharing and passing by. Take care.
What a relief to find a yoga website that is not overly cautious about introducing some simple meditations at an early stage. Congrats. Fulfillment is too often linked to aquisition – you know – being able to stand on your head – straight spine – Sanskrit terms – a flashy studio – books on philosophy. This is one of my favourite meditations for "emptying out" all that spiritiual materialism that tends to stick to us as we journey on:-
LIKE A HOLLOW BAMBOO REST AT EASE WITH YOUR BODY http://yoga-eu.net/AYogaBook/HollowNess
Enjoy !!
Cheri, I am sorry to hear about your mom's death. My prayers are with you. I remember going through my cousin's things when she passed away…yes it is a sobering thought thinking about the amount of possessions we accumulate, having a dream about thinking what you will need in Puerto Rico is a wonderful incentive to help you decide "do we keep this or not"….keep on doing the work and sunshine blessings for the future.