SPRING CLEAN YOUR LIFE

Spring has sprung. It’s the perfect time to clean out our lives physically, mentally and emotionally. Humans (like all animals) are heavily influenced by the seasons and once upon a time lived in complete synchronicity with nature, and we still have this within us. If we can remember and relearn this intuitive instinct and relax into each season; we’ll find life far more easeful.

We may have found ourselves stagnating over winter; hibernating and hoarding. Heavy emotions might have surfaced and now, in the Spring months it’s time to lighten up, to shift and release so we can create space for this fresh time of year.

Here are some tips for clearing some mental and emotional space to make room for new and wonderful things:

1. PRESENCE

How you start your morning will have a trickle-down effect into the hours ahead. If we can create some space in-between waking and commencing our day, we’ll have a chance to be more grounded and relaxed with what the day throws at us. This can be done with something as simple as sitting up in bed and trying five minutes of conscious breathing and observing your body without judgment or attachment. If you really tune in and become aware of what’s happening internally, you’ll be far more likely to be able to work in communion with what you really need.

2. MOVE

Whether it's going for a walk, jog, yoga, Pilates, or boxing; movement is life. Sweating and getting the blood flowing carries waste and toxins out of the system, it also makes us connect with our bodies and become present. It's hard to stay caught up in the monkey-mind when you're sweating and moving.

3. APPRECIATION

The power of gratitude is awe-inspiring. Start small and simple, think of a few things you appreciate in your life. It could be having a comfy pillow to sleep on, a fresh coffee to drink in the morning, the smile of someone as you walk to work. Humans, especially here in the western world get so caught up on the Hedonistic treadmill of wanting more and more that we don’t stop to actually appreciate what we have. Take a moment to appreciate something you are thankful for about yourself too. Like anything we practice over and over, gratitude can become a habit.

4. HONESTY

Make telling the truth a non-negotiable. No more white lies, fibs or exaggerations to anyone, particularly yourself. Honesty is simple and pure and it requires far less mental energy, as you don't have to keep up any stories or remember what you said. Honesty is cleansing, clearing and immediately can make us feel lighter.

5. DISCOMFORT

The things/people/situations that make you feel uncomfortable are your greatest teachers. Make a note of what you’re avoiding feeling in your life. What sensations/emotions/feelings are you numbing with food, gossip, shopping, smoking, cell-phone use…the list of human coping mechanisms is endless. The feelings you are avoiding provide the key to your liberation and evolution. If you can learn to be with them and actually ‘feel’ them, they will no longer control your life.

Article supplied by Claire Robbie. 

Claire is a meditation teacher who moonlights as a TV news presenter and is also the founder of No Beers? Who Cares! Claire has taught hundreds of people how to develop a daily meditation practice, as this has been the foundation of some incredible shifts in her life over the past deacde. Claire teaches from her meditation space in Grey Lynn, Auckland, and runs retreats and workshops around the world. You can contact Claire about learning to meditate here