By Elizabeth Herman | Posted: June 17, 2019

Planning to clear away the clutter from your home? Why use your valuable space as a container for overflowing, unneeded objects? Disorder resulting from meaningless material accumulation isn’t true wealth. Unused possessions gather dust, fill basements, garages and closets, and take up too much space in our lives.

For instance, U.S. Department of Energy states that 25% of all 2 car garages can’t accommodate even one vehicle because they’re too full of miscellaneous stuff. The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) states that one year of each of our lives is devoted to seeking objects that we’ve misplaced. The National Soap and Detergent Association estimates that clearing away excess could reduce our housework by 40%.

So many easy ways to simplify

I find these statistics amazing, especially when I talk to family members about their years of procrastination when it comes to simplifying their space. So much progress happens when eliminating unnecessary possessions one step at a time. Often, objects getting in the way were identified as worn out many years ago.

I recently gave up on listening to my dear cousin rage against keeping a living room chair, and offered to haul it away from her home right then and there. She took me up on it, and the problem was quickly and easily solved! We loaded the tattered chair into her car within 5 minutes of my decision to devote a few minutes to the cause.

Joshua Becker offers 19 ways to get rid of your clutter and re-energize your space. They include donating clothes you no longer wear and decorations that no longer inspire you, and setting clear priorities in your life. Understanding what matters most to you and what doesn’t matter as much can help a lot towards winnowing down your possessions and freeing up your mental energy.

The time-tested value of non-accumulation

Simplifying your home life won’t just help you feel better, but it’s also in line with one of the key guiding values in the ancient wisdom philosophy of yoga. The 5 yamas, a series of social ethics that guides practitioners of a yogic lifestyle, has practical ideas about non-accumulation, also known in Sanskrit as aparigraha. The ancient sage Patanjali, also known as the father of yoga, included these values in his Yoga Sutras, writings about the 8 limbs of yoga, of which physical postures are only one aspect.

In addition, ways to implement non-accumulation are prominent in both vastu shastra and feng shui, classical bodies of knowledge about architecture and how to live in harmony with nature in a way that supports life. Vastu comes from ancient India, and feng shui comes from ancient China. While their specific recommendations differ, they’re both motivated by the same interest in effective use of space for the purpose of improving overall physical, mental and emotional health for humans who use the space.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “Non-accumulating simply means confidence in one's existence and in one's abilities. It’s knowledge of one's self. You know how to make bread and know you can earn it. So you won’t make bread for a whole year and then store it. It will become stale.” Having started to bake bread as a young person, I can really relate to how wonderful fresh bread is. I also know that moving unneeded things out of my home makes me much more open to my talents for gardening, weaving, writing, and engagement in other activities. The future potential of those pursuits matters more than keeping my old stuff where it sat for ages.

Space in your home, time in your day

In addition to making a place for peaceful activities such as reading and meditation, finding time for self-care is another way to simplify. Do you go outside for a walk every day? Do you write in a journal regularly? If you haven’t had a voice call with a loved one recently, now is the time. Organizing your living space to be more beautiful and user-friendly will help you make time for what really matters.

The kitchen can be the most functional room of the home. Vastu recommends that it be placed in the southeast corner of the space if possible, where the sun rises for those of us who live north of the tropics. The intense energy of the sun in the morning naturally lights up our resources for creating delicious food for the sake of our loved ones and ourselves. Nourishment, nurturing, and conversation go together, so to create better relationships and a happier life, devote some time to cook real food.

Space for a yoga practice and exercise routine will also help you acknowledge the sustaining influence of nature in your life. In yoga, the sun salutation flow of postures (surya namaskar in Sanskrit) provides a balanced combination of full body exercise and spiritual understanding of the source of our earth’s energy. By physically connecting with the sun through our body’s solar plexus first thing in the morning, we ready ourselves for successfully taking on each new challenge vigorously and enthusiastically.

Take the first step, another step, and another

You can learn more about how to maintain an ordered, harmonious life at any of the Art of Living Foundation’s programs on breathing, meditation, and developing a yoga practice. Starting to empower yourself at home may be the first step, but when you’re ready you can go further very easily, by finding Happiness Programs, Sahaj Samadhi Meditation, and Sri Sri Yoga courses near you.

All the best on reaching your goals of empowerment over your own space, time, and energy!

By Elizabeth Herman - PhD in English, with concentrations in Rhetoric and Composition, and Literature, she offers writing support to clients, teaches locally, lives in Boone, NC, and volunteers for a better world.