While cleaning our home and decluttering, as per the decluttering norm, we let go of things that don’t spark joy or happiness, and keep only the things that do.

That is on a material level.

What about on a mental and emotional level? The mind is full of thoughts, like a full pantry. Many thoughts are hidden away on the back shelves, making them almost inaccessible, but still they take up space. To find clarity and focus, we must first clear up and declutter the mind.

First of all, how do we know what is in our mental pantry? How do we take stock little by little?

The Pratyahara practice of witnessing the mind.

When we are able to sit quietly and start to observe the nuances of the mind, our mental pantry will slowly start emptying itself. But just as we can’t clean and cook simultaneously, when we find that old spice (read thought) we no longer need, we let it go, and not get tangled with it.

Once we begin this practice of witnessing and clearing out the mental shelves, we can then start to choose what to put back on the shelf. If the thought is negative or unpleasant, it’s time to release it. We can choose what we want, and replace the negative thought with a positive one.

Just as decluttering our home, makes our house more messy at first. This process of decluttering may bring up a lot of past trauma or emotions attached to those thoughts. It is important to keep the process objective. We have to remind ourselves to be the declutterer, and not get lost in all the spices or foods in the pantry. We stay rooted in being the witness or the observer, at no point let the thoughts take over.

Also just like we have to keep decluttering the home from time to time, we need to keep cleansing the mind from time to time. The same way joy of a clean home can be felt, the joy of a clear mind is a focused and happy one!