Clean

At worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived. —Rose Macaulay

Did you know that the last week of March is National Cleaning Week? Apparently we need a special week designated to remind us that it is spring cleaning time. I didn't even know that "spring cleaning" was still a thing folks do. I remember watching my grandmother pulling down all her heavy drapes every spring in the 1970s. She would wash the inside of the windows, then open every one wide no matter how cold it still was outside, in order to "air out" the house. Do you remember this yearly ritual?

If you have been in my house, you know I'm not a big fan of cleaning at any time of year. I think I will need much longer than a week......











1. Imagine you could breathe in through one nostril then exhale through the other. Picture your breath cycle as drawing the breath up from base of your spine and up the left side of your body as you inhale through your left nostril. Then picture the exhale leaving your right nostril and traveling down the right side of your body back down to the base of your spine, where is continues into the next inhale up the left side again. Use this visualization for 3 cycles of breath then reverse direction: inhale up the right side and exhale down the left.

2. Sitting up tall in your chair with the lower belly firm, inhale your arms straight out to the sides. Exhale and bring your fingertips to your shoulders. Continue this movement for 5 breath cycles, bending at the elbow with upper arms parallel to the floor.

3. Bring hands to rest hands in your lap, still sitting up tall, lift right foot off the floor as you straighten the knee. Ankle is flexed with toes pointing up, lift the thigh right off the chair just an inch or so, using the belly muscles and holding 3 breaths. Repeat with left leg.

4.  Camel: Slide a few inches forward away from the back of your chair, bring the palms of your hands to your lower back. Look up at the ceiling as you arch your back and come into a gentle, supported back bend, hands on lower back, letting your head and neck relax and drop back. Breathe for 3 breath cycles. Slowly use your hands to come back up, then shift hands to your knees, folding at the hips to rest your belly on your thighs in a forward fold. Take 3 breaths then use your hands to push to sitting,

5. Eagle: Cross your right thigh over your left thigh. If you can, wrap the right foot all the way around the left calf. Cross your left arm over the right one at the elbow. Bend the elbows and bring your palms to touch.  Lift the elbows while dropping the shoulders away from the ears. Hold three to five breaths. Repeat with left thigh over right thigh this time.

6. Repeat #1 for 3 cycles each side, then rest for a few minutes with your natural breathing.