Relaxation Shui
When I was a kid I loved the colours pink and purple. I remember being allowed to choose the colours to paint my bedroom and the furniture in it when I was around ten. I chose (with help, I’m sure) a light purple with a dark purple trim. I hung a disco ball from the ceiling which reflected the sunlight and projected shiny squares all over the wall. At night I had a purple glitter lava lamp and wrapped myself in a purple mosquito net too.
I was so happy in that room.
I remember wanting to keep my room neat, tidy and organised (although I probably, actually didn’t) because I felt this room was mine, it was me, and it felt good when everything was clean and in its right place.
Many of us know the importance of the space we inhabit but can make excuses about why it doesn’t feel special, comfortable or inspiring to us. We might say we don’t have the time to keep it clean, we don’t have the money to purchase the items we love, or it has to do with the people we live with, messy children, partners or flatmates, or simply people who have different taste to us.
Despite all of this, you can still claim a room, a corner, a desk; one small space that belongs fully to you. A space that you respect and ask others to respect too. A space you can decorate, keep tidy and act perhaps, as a marker of claiming more in time to come. Before your home becomes, essentially, a vision board for the life you want, you first have to clean it up, and clear it out.
DECLUTTER
Yes, actually do the Marie Kondo thing. Read the book and follow the formula (yes, even for your books). Do your best not to cut corners. If there is one area of the house where you’re all like, I’ll follow the book except for that cupboard under the stairs, or spare bedroom or garage or whatever - know that place is EXACTLY where you need to start.
INVITE LIFE IN
To declutter and remove what does not support you or bring joy, does not mean you become a stark minimalist (unless that lights you up). Sure, houseplants are about as millennial as avocado toast, but they clean the air, they bring life indoors, and they offset the harshness of a home filled with appliances, gadgets, wifi, etc. Also, they look super cute. Try not to bring the ‘unfinished’ vibe into your home, don’t leave plants in the plastic they came in. Choose a cute pot and give her a proper home, too. If a plant has passed on with no chance of being revived, kindly escort her to the green bin, avoid developing a plant graveyard; dead plants do not make for good savasana vibes.
FIND A HOME FOR EVERYTHING
This follows on with Marie Kondo’s work. Give all of your precious things a home. When you know where they belong, how to store them, and your cupboards aren’t exploding with shit you don’t actually like or need, putting stuff away is a non-issue. It’s breezy. It doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a thousand plastic tubs (unless that is your #aesthetic), instead it might be a straw basket for dirty clothes, a cute little dish for jewellery or a favourite jar from an old candle to store pens or toothbrushes. Meghan Wallace James (modern feng shui oracle) also stresses the importance of getting your stuff up off the floor. Store your books on a shelf. Buy a shower caddy instead of keeping your shampoo on the shower floor. When everything has a home there is more space, you feel like an actual adult, and the nervous system can soften.
CLEANSE
Open all the windows to let fresh air in, especially while raining (unless it means your carpet gets soaked, note to self). Regularly cleanse with ethically harvested sage or palo santo, copal or sandalwood incense. This might be every morning or evening, once a week, or whenever you feel there is stagnation or something that needs shifting. Especially nice to finish a deep clean of the house with open windows and a smoke cleanse.
CLAIM YOUR RELAXATION SPACE
Not everyone has space for a yoga room, but everyone has space for a teeny tiny alter or a shelf in the cupboard for yoga props. We can all say we are forever short on time, space and money, but in the end, it’s what we have chosen to prioritise. Investing a few extra dollars in a blanket or eye pillow you love instead of just buying the cheapest you can find, or taking the time to organise your home so you can have a little chill out corner - or even better - a whole house that encourages and reminds you to be in the space of rest and relaxation, has an impact that reaches far beyond just having a nice house.