Australian_Yoga_Journal_October_2017

54

october 2017

yogajournal.com.au

PHOTO:JACOB AMMENTORP LUND; MICROGEN/ ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Reassess relationships

Friendships greatly influence our ability to grow, so use this rejuvenating

time to re-evaluate, reignite — perhaps release — relationships. Counsellor

and co-author of Mindful Relationships (Exisle Publishing, 2016), Margie

Ulbrick, shares some warning signs of potentially toxic relationships and

wisdom regarding clearing the air:

Red flags:

• Spends time with your ex to your
  exclusion


• Doesn’t reciprocate your efforts


• Seemingly uses you to look good


• Critical


• Draining


• Reverts conversations back to
  themselves

Conflict resolution:

• Quietly confront, beginning
  positively with something you
  appreciate


• Ask questions, listen well to their
  perspective


• Let go of blame: stay present, sense
  into feelings, experience situations
  as they are rather than through a
  fog of judgements to respond with
  clarity and wisdom.

Unfortunately, efforts may be unfruitful if your friend is inclined to justify,

blame or deny — know when to let go. Surround yourself with souls who

energise and value you, and reciprocate well — and nurture the art of self-

love, as how we relate to ourselves is how we relate to others.

Declutter home (and head!)

Amid ‘more is better’ messages, homes easily become cluttered: paperwork

littering benches, drawers jammed with who-knows-what, clothes piled like

haystacks. Prioritise getting organised, as clearing your home organically

clears your head. “Clutter robs us of life, physically, psychologically, socially,

emotionally and financially. Decluttering allows us to focus and feel

motivated,” says organisational expert and author of Let It Go: Downsizing

Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life (Rodale 2017), Peter Walsh, who shares

some solutions to common clutter zones:

Nourish your sacred space

Nobody likes leaning forward in pigeon and

sniffing dust or spending Savasana struggling

not to sneeze beneath an unloved blanket!

Vacuuming incense residue, revamping

playlists, offering fresh flowers and general

TLC can replenish your space and the comfort

practitioners experience within it.

Yoga Australia member and registered yoga

professional, Cate Peterson, suggests these

sparkling spring-cleaning gems:

• Blankets:Cleaningwith natural soap nuts
  (www.soapnuts.net.au) leaves no residue and
  smell


• Eye pillows:Wash sleeves and refill with
  buckwheat.


• Mats (ideally non-PVC): Use a gentle
  scrubbing brush with WyldMyrtle or
  weakened blend of eucalyptus washing liquid.
  Dry in shade as sun corrupts rubber.

Wardrobe:

• Discard ‘wish’ clothes you hope
  eventually fit.


• Turn clothes so hangers face
  back-to-front, returning items
  the correct way only when worn.
  After six months, discard unworn
  clothes still facing back-to-front.


• Donate pre-loved items or host a
  clothesswap party.

Kitchen:

• Empty utensil drawers into a
  cardboard box. For one month,
  only return used utensils to the
  drawer. Whatever remains in the
  box, toss.

Paperwork:

• Create paperwork zones:
  label filing systems for mail,
  magazines, school bulletins
  and office-related functions.


• Organise bills in 12-month
  expanding files: cull all
  paperwork annually, discarding
  anything unneeded.


• Clean your wallet daily:
  place receipts on one spike
  until full and then start on
  another, discarding unneeded
  receipts on first spike once
  second is filled ... repeat!

Donate, reincarnate and save pre-loved mats from landfill for a feel-good

double whammy. LovEarth (www.lovearth.com.au/donate) offers drop-off

points for redistribution to community classes and karma projects, as does Yoga

Australia (www.yogaaustralia.org.au/recycling-iniative). If your mat really can’t

be revived, put it to use as drawer liners, extra padding beneath sleeping bags

or other crafty ideas (www.lovearth.com.au/donate/reincarnate).