How to make space for joy and growth in life
When I was younger, I loved spending Saturday morning happily watching cartoons. One Saturday per year, my mom would suddenly declare that it was time for “spring cleaning”. I dreaded hearing that seemingly sudden announcement.
As I have gotten older, I have realised that spring cleaning is more than just a day of mandatory house cleaning. Spring cleaning represents a time to open things up, air out all of the stuff that has gotten stagnant, cluttered and musty over the winter months and to make space for and invite the clean, fresh air to breeze through and reinvigorate life. I’ve grown to reframe it as an intentional rhythm for living life. It’s about the choice to regularly take a look around and let go of the things that aren't serving you anymore while creating space for something new and fresh.
Shake out the old to make room for the new
This year, I'm choosing to embrace a rhythm for my life that encourages renewal.
One benefit of this rhythm is the chance to evaluate how I spend my time and energy. The question for me becomes: Are there things that need to be let go or gotten rid of for the next bit of time?
Try this exercise
We can't get rid of all of the time/energy takers in our lives but we can work with them intentionally. A short exercise to try is:
Fold a piece of paper in half and make 2 columns: energy/time takers and energy/time givers. Spend a few minutes putting down the things in your life into the columns.
Reflect on these questions:
What one thing might you be able to shift or take away for the next season that could free up some time or energy for something new?
What is one thing that you would love to add to give you more energy?
Setting Intentions
Another benefit of this rhythm is the chance to bring some more intention into my life. I don't usually set New Year's intentions because I tend to still be in hibernation mode at that time. This year I have chosen to create some springtime intentions. I have chosen a couple of intentions that speak to me at this moment. Intentions that represent the direction that I am committed to head towards in the near future. For example, one of my spring intentions is "I am making choices to honour my wellbeing."
If you would like some ideas and journal prompts for developing your own spring intentions, download our free Setting Intentions PDF.
If you did set New Year's intentions or resolutions, it is a good time to revisit them. Are your intentions still serving you? Do they need to be updated? Is there a way you can align further with them? Is there something else that feels more critical at this moment? What other ways can you work more with the intentions that you have?
Using Intentions
Once you have an intention, how do you use it? There are several ways that I like to use my intentions.
I work with my intentions during my meditation practices including Yoga Nidra. For example, I state my intention when guided during a Yoga Nidra which keeps it in my subconscious throughout the practice.
In visual journaling, I write my intention before I begin to center myself and start creating. Throughout the process, it is intriguing to see my intention manifest itself through the creation, and then, as I process afterwards, sometimes I am able to identify little ways to concretely bring my intention into my daily life.
At the beginning of yoga asana practices or any physical activity, I internally state my intention, and then return to it throughout the practice as it becomes embodied through my movement and breath.
I write my intention down and have it visible during my day. This can be particularly helpful as I make choices of how I spend my time and energy throughout the day. Being able to see my intention helps me remember to embody it in the choices that I am making.
I pair an essential oil with a specific intention. Then I diffuse the oil when I want to bring that intention to mind.
Working with intentions can be a powerful way to align your daily life with your values. When you are choosing to live more aligned with your values, you are able to bring more meaning into your activities which can improve your overall sense of happiness and wellbeing.
Like cleaning a house, this rhythm of making space and aligning with/creating intentions takes some conscious time and effort. The benefits, however, are incredibly satisfying: a life with less stagnation, more freedom, space to enjoy what we already have and space for new things to grow.