How To Make Spring Cleaning A Meditative Practice
Updated: Feb 1, 2024
Written by: Aubry Alvarez & Dirk Bakker, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Spring Equinox marks the first day of astronomical spring. And as we usher in a new, hopeful season, many of us have spring cleaning on our minds this month. We understand the mountain of research that makes clear the psychological and emotional value of a clean home. We know that when we clean our homes, our minds and hearts will follow.
And yet, for many of us, the act of cleaning usually doesn’t feel more than a chore.
Here are three favorite ideas, inspired by centuries of spiritual traditions, to create a meditative practice out of cleaning your home.
1. Re-define what cleaning your home represents.
When we clean, we intentionally and lovingly remove old energy from the spaces and objects we love. The act of cleaning exposes the beauty, the gratitude, the truth, and the potential of everything it touches. It gives us the chance to connect with the past, curate the present, and create the future in a tangible way that is elusive in most living areas. The physical act of cleaning, of meeting resistance and clearing it away, is symbolic for all the pathways we have to power to create for ourselves. The repetitive motions of cleaning help shut down our overthinking and turns on the creative areas of our brain. Together, these reconsiderations can help re-orient your perspective on cleaning.
2. Embrace the “now.”
When we clean, we’re forced to focus on one simple act and one simple goal at a time. Through this process, we can more easily release worry or anxiety about anything outside of the now and can more easily enter a state of meditation. With enough practice, we can learn to embody this meditative state no matter where we find ourselves. Embracing the present in this way is a true skill and is known to lead the some of our best ideas, biggest internal shifts, and happiest moods.
3. Learn to see your world both literally and figuratively.
Cleaning the physical mess around us is a direct path to cleaning the internal, figurative messes we want or must face. Our bravery and intention in one realm can represent bravery and intention in the other if we let it. The act of cleaning is choosing to bring our world – both externally and internally – into a state of balance in a way that aligns with how we wish to see and experience our world. Choosing to literally create such a world is a powerful path to create such a world figuratively.
These ideas represent, but a few ways and reasons to can rekindle your relationship with cleaning. When we begin to see and feel the transformative effect of a clean home, we discover endless ways and reasons more. For proof-backed ideas for embarking on your own cleaning journey, check out our blog at The Frequency Spiritual Maid Service. Happy spring cleaning!
Aubry Alvarez, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Aubry Alvarez, Ph.D., is a therapist and mindset coach with 15 years of experience guiding women and teenage girls into the highest, most authentic version of themselves. A Master Life Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, and NLP Practitioner, she is also the founder of the MOVMNT Method™. Dr. Alvarez earned her doctorate at Northwestern University and completed her postdoctoral training in neurofeedback therapy and holistic wellness. Dirk Bakker, M.Sc., is a computer scientist. During the first 10 years of his career, he built software tools to serve businesses' needs and now consults on bringing people and technology together. He completed his Master’s work at the University of Brussels. Together, they are the Co-CEOs of MOVMNT. Penpals for over 20 years, the husband and wife team now raises a blended family of five across two continents.
