Create Room for the New

Recently, I picked out an old Feng Shui book to read. Last week I organized a spring recycle party. When life is flowing with the natural rhythm we automatically act in accordance to nature. Springtime is the time to clean out the old and create room for the new. In Feng Shui as well as in Ayurveda, creating room for the new requires that we detach ourselves from old things, old thoughts and old habits that no longer serve us.

Springtime is Kapha time. Kapha represents earth and water or a mix of the two which results in mud. Physically, it gives structure and strength as well as softness and stickiness. This is the time of year we tend to experience cold, flues and allergies and produce more mucous and phlem or Kapha. Psychologically, Kapha represents sticky emotions or attachment to possessions and relationships. Hence, springtime is the time we should be sloughing off excess Kapha physically and mentally.

A few weeks ago I decided to clean out my closet and had put aside old clothes to give away to Goodwill. Later, during a hike with friends, one told me that she made a vow not to buy new clothes this year and if she needed to she would buy secondhand. I thought of my big bag of old clothes waiting to be donated and offered her something that would fit her, specifically a pink sweater. Later, as I had more time to ponder on my friend’s vow, I was inspired to make the same commitment.

My spring recycle party stemmed from that inspiration. After a yoga session and a simple dinner we laid all of our old clothes out and went to work. We had a great time picking and trying out clothes, shoes and even exchanging DVDs. We complimented each other on the new/ old outfits. Everybody went home with a big shopping bag they came with but were then filled with new/ old contents. Linda picked out my pink sweater I had imagined to suite her. She wore it home as she was chanting “this is a good life” on her way out. I wore my newfound favorite top the next day. There was still plenty left to be donated.

The idea of detachment is not about getting rid of the olds so we can buy new stuffs that we like more. It is about changing or refreshing our way of thinking and shifting our perception. How can we think, talk and act in the way that is fresh, creative and flowing like the rhythm of nature, the water current and the moment that comes and goes? How can we do it in the way that would ultimately serve our life purpose as well as all beings and the world?

Making space for new ideas requires that we make space in our thoughts. I have learned to never say never because the moment after I say it the universe sends me her gift of transformation. Detachment from our own thoughts and ideas give us space to flow with the law of nature. This does not mean that we have no idea at all. Rather, we are letting the natural creative force to flow through us and we become more than the thinker and the doer. We become a conduit to something larger than our imagination, perception and beliefs.

Someone said that it is not possible to live in a blissful state all the time because the world is not an ideal place. I say that a blissful state can be experienced all the time when we are not attached to our idea of what the world is and should be. If we are looking to live in a blissful state by making the world an ideal place we will most likely experience pain and suffering to different degrees depending on our level of expectation. The world as we see it may appear permanent and lasting through our senses but it is constantly undergoing changes, destruction and renew. Coming into term with the impermanent is creating room for the new.

One of my yoga teachers often says that future pain can and should be avoided. Creating room for the new is an important part of skillful living and is a tool to avoid future pain. Kapha imbalance results in stagnation, accumulative waste and toxicity. The opposite of Kapha qualities are lightness and mobility. Recycling our old clothes, thoughts and emotions allows us to flow with the natural rhythm. It is good for the planet and our own psyche. When our body is flexible, supple and adaptable we are blessed with good health and we can enjoy life. Similarly a flexible and adaptable mind can enjoy the dynamic beauty of the world and cultivate the blissful state that can be experienced in our daily living.