Huddled inside my home during this incredible winter storm, for days, I found myself rearranging the furniture and completely clearing the kitchen counters. Everything in the kitchen was edited to yield a zen-like spread of counter-space. Bottles of sauces that had never been opened, but long expired, were tossed, and the juicer, Vitamix, and toaster all found new homes that were handy but out of site. What remained were my tried-and-true favorite plain white dishes, a candle to light while chopping, the fresh herbs in pots by the window, and a basket full of fresh fruit. It was almost magic how I was utterly compelled towards editing and re-editing the kitchen. It was not that I put any thought into it, instead it arose as I settled into the quiet of being alone (my husband was trapped in Kansas for days from the severe winter weather). Sure, I had set some goals this year like…. cook more using whole foods and fresh herbs, simplify, build awareness, consider my stewardship to the environment, exercise…. but this process felt spontaneous and inspired not chore- like at all.
I do believe that is what I and others strive for with regular yoga practice- a decluttering, a bringing of the mind’s canvas back to white or blue or whatever your mind’s canvas looks like when it is clear. It is the practice of getting stripped down to the present where your thinking, judging mind is suspended and you are only thinking: breathe in, exhale, bend, inhale. After an hour of that clarifying process, somehow, almost magically, my actions arise in a fashion that conveys the distillation of what is essential, really essential. From this, clarity flows along with right action and thought that propels me towards my true life’s purpose.
I must remember to tell my husband when he finally is able to fly home that he shouldn’t walk through the house with the lights off (because everything is rearranged). Who knows, maybe he will find the new pristine simplicity inspiring as well.
Riya
