It seems only fitting for January to be a month about cleansing. It's a New Year and we have the capacity to bring forth new energy. But in order to bring in anything new, we must first remove some of the old. This is a perfect time to consider all of the areas of your life and how you can cleanse them.
Home: Start by smudging your entire home with White Sage or Palo Santo. This removes negative and stagnated energy that can get caught up in the corners and clutter of your sacred space. After you smudge the home, clean your closets, drawers and anywhere else that you've been avoiding. Throw things out. Give things away. And when you have removed everything that you can, give it a good, full cleaning from top to bottom. Then, smudge again!
Work: Since smudging may not be allowed in the office-place (although it may really need it), start with cleaning off your desk and rearranging your work space. Clean up old work that you have been avoiding by knuckling down and just getting it done. File things, throw out old papers, and do a computer check-up too. You can buy Palo Santo or White Sage sprays to avoid the smoke so you can also cleanse your work area in a friendly way.
Computer: If you spend a lot of time on it, then you need to clear it up. Perform a system scan. Remove unecessary files or photos. Then tackle social media. Want to get rid of it? Why not!? Or go through your contact and "friends" list and remove anyone who you need to cleanse out of your space. And hey, get something to wipe down your screen and keyboard!
Body: How about your body? Do you need to make some doctor's appointments? Is there a physical issue that needs attending to? What about considering a short cleanse or detox. You can start with something simple and hold off on bigger detoxes for the Spring. Get the skin brush out and brush off old skin and get the lymphatic system moving. Consider getting a facial.
Mind: Yogi Bhahan says to cleanse the mind so that your soul can shine through. The mind carries huge burdens and worries. You can let them go. Stay grounded and attend to everyday business, but let go of needless worry. Not sure
how? Start a meditation practice.
Soul: Try this Karma Cleanse:
If you look around, you can see ways to cleanse every aspect of your life. Take some time this month and reflect on what you can cleanse to clean up the energy - which then creates room for new and more profound energy to enter this year.
Blessings on a happy and healthy 2017 - full of love and peace.
OYC Founder, Tracey L. Ulshafer & your OYC Teaching Staff
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Each month I cleanse my entire house and the studio. If you walk into the yoga studio and smell "White Sage," then you know I just smudged. I do this as a ritual because we have a lot of energy that we come in contact with, and sometimes unbeknownst to anyone negative energy can hitchhike in and hide out in the corners...and I don't want it. I make cleansing my energy and surroundings commonplace because I know too well what happens when I don't.
I also go through my closet 2-3 times a year and get rid of things I am not wearing or that are out of style. I like to clear areas that have "stuff" sitting to cleanse the energy too. In fact, I am always cleansing many areas of my life because I like to keep energy flowing in a positive direction. This is why I remove garbage quickly, do not let "stuff" clutter up counters and corners, and am always rearranging things to unearth and cleanse energy that may be hiding. This past year and a half has even been a big one of cleansing past traumas, poor mindsets, and judgements. There is still one area that I am in dire need of cleansing: my body. Well, of course I shower daily and have good grooming rituals, but I need to put a little more energy into cleansing my internal body - detoxing the years of gluten, sugar, and sludge. So I am going to confess something: I don't know if I want to. I like gluten and sugar and sludge like Coca-Cola. And although I don't make a habit of eating it everyday...I could. Yes, I know I need to commit to cleansing these unhealthy things, and I have intentions on making it a priority this year. I don't know if I can commit to a full detox. But I can commit to looking into what I can do and maybe starting small - baby steps.
With our upcoming yoga and meditation retreat, this gives me a great opportunity to start off a healthier internal diet. I'm excited to have Joe Scarola cook for us again at the retreat this year before he heads off to parts unknown on his quest for self-realization. There are still a few spots left for the retreat if anyone wants to join us in kicking off the New Year right by eating whole, organic foods, having daily yoga practices and meditations and rituals for cleansing and renewal.
For January, maybe start your own dialogue about cleansing...where do you have energy that needs to be cleared out? It's a perfect time of year to look into it.
In Love & Light.
Tracey L. Ulshafer,
Founder/Director, One Yoga Center
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