16 Leggings

I bought myself another pair of leggings recently. The excuse I gave myself is that I do quite a bit of yoga and practically live in leggings. To make myself feel better about buying another thing I don’t need, I trawled through my collection of leggings - I counted 16 in total - probably more than any human (even a yoga teacher) needs. And gave a pair away to make room for my new addition.

What are your personal decluttering strategies - one in, one out, as above? How about this one - if it hasn’t been used or worn in a year, it goes? Do you do a mammoth Spring clean once a year, or tried committing to a no-spend month? What about squashing everything in a cupboard and pretending it doesn’t exist (the problem is, you still know it’s there)?

Whatever you do when you have a clear-out, doesn’t it feel oh so good? I don’t know about you, but the process and outcome of decluttering give me an indescribable feeling of, well, lightness.

Life-Changing Magic…

I enjoy the pleasure that stuff brings (I love my shiny new leggings), but I also love decluttering.

Tidying, clearing, and decluttering have always given me an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Still, I hadn’t ever really examined why exactly until I read Marie Kondo’s hugely popular book when it came out years ago, ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying’. A friend who does minimalism far better than me aptly handed me her copy, waxing lyrical.

Although I haven’t been able to perfectly ‘Kondo’ my life in the way a Konmari purist might hope (stuff has a way of creeping back in - the leggings, a case in point!), the ideas in this book about what our stuff means and how to handle it stayed with me. I’ve since taken larger pauses when thinking about stuff - acquiring, as well as the getting rid of.

Asking ourselves why we need all that stuff, what role material things play and how attached or addicted we are to our stuff is an interesting contemplation. Ultimately, the messages in the book for me boiled down to

a) think about your stuff and what it means, including how stuff can hold you back

b) be super mindful of your stuff - surround yourself only with the things that you need, love or find meaningful

c) get rid of stuff, happily and gratefully and see what space it creates in your life (not just in your home).

A fairly radical decluttering forces you to examine and decide what matters to you. One big act of self-reflection, no? And what happens when we ever act purposefully from a place of self-reflection - life can certainly change, like magic.

Non-Grasping, the Fifth Yama

Someone asked me recently, “if you had to save one thing from your house if it was burning down, what would it be?” Perhaps it speaks to my cold and unsentimental personality, but I took a beat to think and then replied, “either my laptop (so I can sort my life out) or my bike” I was surprised nothing else in my collection of possessions came to mind immediately to be saved from the flames. Maybe this was more a thought experiment and an idealised version of me at my non-attached best - truthfully speaking, I’d more likely be screaming and lamenting all sorts of losses in the event of a real fire.

Non-attachment or non-grasping is known as Aparigraha in Sanskrit. It’s one of the five Yamas (or restraints) - yogic codes of observances and behaviours described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Grasping can perhaps be thought of easiest in relation to greediness for possessions, hoarding and excessive wealth. However, in the yogic sense, possessiveness can also extend to food, ideas, relationships, goals, coveting and jealousy. So why is non-grasping important for the yogi whose interest lies in deep self-inquiry?

Clearing space

A monk will shed the entirety of his earthly possessions when he enters the monastery, keeping not even the hair on his head. Releasing his grasp on objects, vanity, and identity. Removing all potential distractions, he can begin the hard graft of decluttering the most crowded space of all - the mind.

The mind responds and reacts to the things and stimuli we have around us. The suggestion to cultivate an attitude of Aparigraha seems to realise this - that grasping and possessiveness are barriers to the quietening of the mind and that relinquishing our attachment to physical and intellectual property can be very helpful, not just for earthly mental well-being but for spiritual progression. A glut of stuff depletes energy, pulling our attention needlessly. When we cleanse our surroundings, simplify and let things go, decluttering the spaces in our field of perception, we give the mind a helping hand to settle.

Although I doubt I shall ever become a monk, I can relate to the need for clearing spaces. For me and my practice, stuff too often seems to get in the way. When I wake up in the morning, feeling the urge to practice, it feels impossible to move or meditate when dishes in the kitchen are calling, and papers and clothes are discarded on the living room floor from the night before. Only once I’ve cleared the physical space to some extent can I lay down my mat and start an inward journey without distraction.

You could argue that more enlightened yogis aren’t bothered by the stuff around them - that that’s proper non-attachment. I’m not there yet. I need all the help I can get - clearing space helps me to clear my mind.

Breathing Space

Working with the breath is fundamental to yoga practice and serves as a powerful and ever-present tool to experience both a physical clearing and the experience of space. Not only can the breath convey a tidal ‘washing out’ of sorts - a constant receiving and then letting go with each cycle - but the breath cycle contains spaces of expansion, release and pause.

There is nothing to grasp or hold onto tightly when we lightly focus on the rhythm of our breathing. We do not own the breath, it graces us with its effortless presence. There needs to be no excess, grasping or coveting when we become quiet observers of its gentle movements and spacious pauses. It’s the thing we all share, universal and free.

With Spring cleaning underway, it feels like an excellent time to shed what needs to be cleared. Space creation is the name of the game. As external clearing lends itself to internal clearing, body and breath invite you to continue the exploration of space.

Let’s practise.