06 | May | 2019 | Breathe. Sweat. Smile.

Good morning and Happy Monday, dearest mindful ones!

My goodness, this weather is out of sight!

It gets you up and moving and out and about! I hope you were able to enjoy this gorgeous spring weather over the weekend.

Time for some spring cleaning of your soul! Let’s take inventory of where we are and get rid of all of the heaviness we no longer need. Isn’t it so satisfying when we purge and shed and scrub and polish new life back into our homes? Imagine how that will feel with your life!

My spring cleaning is next level this year! My son is graduating and turning 18 and I’m moving all – And it’s all happening on a single day: May 24!

Wouldn’t it be great if it was as simple as just sweeping through everything and purging? It would be amazing if I could just hit the suspend emotions button and get rid of all of my son’s childhood memorabilia. Well the physical act is in fact the easy part! It’s navigating our attachments and emotional needs that get all tangled up with all of the stuff in the garage!

So our spring cleansing becomes the greatest opportunity to look within and see where we need some inner soul cleaning. As we declutter our tangled emotions and release fears and past narratives, it becomes easy and so satisfying to clear out the physical manifestations of our cluttered souls.

First, start with the physical. Your actual physical body. A three day juice fast is on tap for me this year! I’ve never done one before! I’ve always had 1 million reasons about why I love to eat too much to do a juice fast. I’m ready this year! You may like to do one as well. Or perhaps you just decide to give up some of the more heavy, starchy foods that have been a staple of your winter diet. A few days without processed sugar or heavy animal proteins is a great gift to body and soul! It creates more clarity in your mind and life.

Next, take inventory of how you spend your time. Your time is your greatest wealth. Unlike money and material things which come and go and are readily accessible in our society, your time is finite and non renewable. You cannot ever get it back! Check out how much time you spend on social media. And how do you feel after you squander an hour seeing what Becky from third grade had to eat for lunch and how horrible/wonderful her boss/husband is? Social media definitely has a purpose in life – are you using it for the wonderful tool that it is to keep connected with loved ones and find inspiration? Take inventory of your friends list, unfollow or defriend those who don’t elevate you!

And that’s just social media. People come into your life for a reason or a season. Perhaps this new season helps lighten your load of the energy vampires in your life. Or those who are convenient but not really bringing you joy. Take a look at those who you invest your actual time with. How do you feel after interacting with them? This one is all about energy. Does your energy flow and vibe higher? Or does it feel heavy and trigger unhealthy behaviors and reactions?

Nature is literally a master class in self-love, self-help and self-improvement. And we as human beings are an integral part of nature! Yet we go through great trouble and time and expense to shelter ourselves from it! Huge homes, HVAC systems, expensive coats and boots. Put down your phone and other devices, and spend some time outdoors. Breathe in deeply (be mindful if you have allergies). Do some earthing. Close your eyes and feel the warm sun on your face, listen to the symphony of the outdoors and feel the buzzing of nature. You are an important part of this planet’s ecosystem!

Now, focus the next few moments on recapturing your post-yoga feels. And then think about how it feels when you’ve done three classes a week. How does your life flow when yoga is a consistent part of it? Have you been practicing? Are you making time for yourself? Especially as the weather warms up, it will be very tempting to skip out on a practice to go sit outside and have a nice beverage. Recommit to yourself and to your practice this season!

In this quieted space, revisit your new year’s resolutions or affirmations. Have you accomplished them? If so, great. ✅ Time to create new focal points for your growth. If not: is it something that is still relevant to you? Have you made progress? How can you reframe or freshen up your approach?

After taking inventory, ask yourself what am I most looking forward to this season? Where do I want to effect some shifts? Take a moment to visualize yourself living at your highest and best. What do you suspect you must purge in order to get there?

Our ultimate pursuit in life is to feel happy! All efforts that we take in life our ultimately to reach that elusive state of happiness. As we declutter our souls, we’re creating a new space for happiness to flow within.

We start to see we won’t find it in the external: more and more and more makes us less and less and less.