The law of attraction, yoga and decluttering your life

by | Nov 15, 2017 | Books, Decluttering, family, Happiness, Sara Intonato, Yoga

Decluttering your life is an integral part of your yoga practice.

It always has been for me, and the concept of saucha, or cleanliness/purity as set forth in the niyama (the second limb of yoga) is a really vital point.

We can’t have a clear mind or any sort of clarity if our surroundings are messy, because it’s a constant distraction.

This is a concept I’ve always believed in but to be totally honest, it’s also something I’ve always wanted to be better at. This is deeper than keeping your mat clean or your house tidy. It’s about really organizing and cultivating a home you love.

 

For months now, whenever I’ve sat down to write in my journal, I’ve let the universe know that I’m open to receiving a home that I love – a renovated, decorated, organized, beautiful home that I love. (I’ve also let the universe know that I’d be open to receiving a national spot on a TV morning show, but we’ll get to that later.)

After recently reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, I became inspired to seek some help. I really wanted to walk the walk, not just talk about cleanliness and purity from a yogic standpoint, but really live it. So I went over to the KonMari website and found a certified consultant in my town who could come over and help me.

 

I booked an appointment with Patty so that together we could go through my home and bring it new energy and new life. When she called me up to confirm, she said “Oh by the way, I’m not going to charge you for this appointment.” And I thought, great. “Why not?” And she said, “Because I have a really big request. I want to bring This Morning, the national morning show anchored by Gayle King, Oprah’s BFF, to your house to film the decluttering process.”

And, of course, I said yes (see how the universe always delivers?). This past Wednesday that’s exactly what we did.

We gave the cameras a tour of my home. I talked about my yoga. I talked about how the practice influences me. I spoke about how it makes me live, and what it does for my family, and my vision for each room, and how it all works together. And then we went through each object that I own, one at a time.

 

We started with clothing and just picked each item up, one at a time and thought about whether it truly brought me joy. If it did, we kept it. If it didn’t, we tossed it. I ended up donating bags and bags of things. And I should probably mention that I’m a regular declutterer so I was shocked to see how much stuff I could get rid off once I realized it no longer brought me joy.

Maybe each of those items had just fulfilled their purpose.

 

What really astounded me was how fun this process was. I’d imagined being surrounded by the organization police, there to point out everything I’d been doing wrong, but it wasn’t like that at all. It was very powerful, it was very joyful, and it was much more emotional than I thought it would be.
There are parts, I think, of everyone’s home that they don’t love, or that they might be wanting to improve. Those parts might make you feel a little embarrassed. Patty, my consultant, was very perceptive of that. When we got to my son’s room, I was pointing out all the things I wanted to redecorate and all the things that made me feel like I’ve been living in a frat house (read, ugly blinds, chipped paint). She turned to me and said, “You know Sara, I know you don’t love the way this is decorated, but when I come into this room I see a lot of love in here. I see how thoughtful you are of his needs. I see how much you care about him.”

Thankfully, the cameras weren’t on me at the time, because I burst into tears, as you can imagine. It just made me feel so connected to the love in my home, and the space that we have for my family. It was eye opening in a way that I had never experienced before.

 

So I let everyone film me. We went through all of my clothes. My closet now looks amazing and I feel so light and joyful. And when everyone left, after being in my home for probably six hours, I sat in my chair and I cried. Like a big cathartic cry. The kind of cry you have after really deep yoga practice. The kind of cry you have after you have a profound experience in nature.

 

It just felt so good to just clear it out and let it go. And I love that, for me, it makes me feel like, not only am I walking the walk, I’m living in accordance with the principles of what I practice and what I preach, cleanliness, purity, shoucha.

It also made me feel much more thankful for my home and the things I already have, instead of focusing on the things that are not perfect about it.

This experience, while intense, really helped drive an important point home: if you wish for something, you’re going to get it. When you can get really clear, all those seed you’re planting come to fruition. That national TV spot? I got it. It might not have been about yoga per se, but my wish still came true and it was great.

 

We are in the business of co-creating our lives, and we come from a place of clarity, connection and love, when we come from a place of ownership and empowerment… we are unstoppable.

 

If you’ve tried decluttering with the KonMari method, or have a law of attraction story to tell, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.