Spring Cleaning for Body, Mind, Spirit and Creativity

I recently embarked on the JJ Virgin diet in an effort to cleanse and lose weight. I’d never done anything like this. JJ virgin asked that I give up 7 foods – gluten, soy, corn, peanuts, dairy, eggs, and sugar – for three weeks and then slowly reintroduce them, one weekly, to see how each affected my body. It’s been an amazingly enlightening journey. Through this process I’ve learned a lot about my willpower, what I crave, how I think, and what does and doesn’t work for my body. As a result, I’ve made significant adjustments in my eating habits that have subtly, and unexpectedly, shifted other habits and ways of being in my life.

Given that today is the Vernal Equinox and marks the first day of spring, I began to link the cleansing that I had done, to “spring cleaning” and how we might look at the areas of our life that need cleaning out, or at least readjusting. Perhaps for you it’s not what you eat, but maybe what you think, what you do repeatedly, or how you feel in your body. While cleaning out is about getting rid of, it also relates to revaluing, reorganizing, assessing what we want to keep, and about moving things around to better serve us.

In the South Bay area of Los Angeles, there is a marvelous little vegetarian restaurant called The Green Temple. They have an amazing space filled with color and life. One day I complimented the owner on her space, how it changes constantly, and how good it makes me feel. She thanked me, and told me that it was intentional; they routinely rearrange, clear, and clean, because it keeps the energy moving, and reinvigorates. Perhaps there is a way to apply this philosophy to our lives, to our body, mind and spirit, and the way we engage with our creativity and inner wisdom.

Consider the following as you enter the first day of spring, where night and day are of equal length – tomorrow we move into bringing more light into the world.

• Mind – What do you think about? Are your thoughts filled with doubt and fear, or your inner critic ridiculing you? Do you focus on the future, hold onto regrets concerning the past, or stay centered on present moment?

What if you became aware of the type of thoughts you hold throughout the day? What would it look like if you took control of your thoughts and cleared out the ones that don’t serve you?

• Body – How do you feel - healthy, or not so good? Tired, bloated, energy-less? Are you happy with your weight, the amount of exercise you get, what you eat?

What if you revalued your body, the very temple that enables your marvelous imagination to manifest its dreams - housing your wonderful brain, the arms and hands that help you to do your creative work, the legs that support you as you dance? Have you given your body the credit it deserves? Not because you “should”, but rather out of gratitude?

• Spirit – Are you experiencing synchronicity, feeling enthusiastic, joyous and overflowing, or dragging, feeling disconnected and discontent? Have you been meditating, creating art, allowing time for self-expression, taking care of self?

What if you cleared your calendar or rearranged meetings to accommodate taking care of you longings, cravings, and inner stirrings?

• Creativity – When was the last time you gave into a creative yearning? Perhaps you have a series of unfinished projects, or maybe you’ve written tons of ideas, but never started them. What about cleaning those out – either do something with them or let them go?

Get rid of, let go, shed, so that what’s underneath can blossom, emerge and spring forth. Rearrange, reconsider, renegotiate, reinvigorate.

Shine light on the area of your life that you want to address. No need to take it all on at once. Allow the first thought – the first thing you think of - to be the best thought, and act on that – start small, but start!

Embrace the wonder that is you!

Are you taking care of yourself, truly loving and valuing your magnificence? I hope so. If you are in the Los Angeles area and need a creative boost, check out my upcoming workshops and classes, consider walking the candlelit labyrinth with me tonight to meditate on what the next several months will bring into being.

Happy Spring!