Clearing and Cleansing
January is the perfect time to begin again, and that requires clearing out the old—bad energy, emotional baggage, anything that weighs you down—before you can bring in the new. I asked the very wise Dr. Habib Sadeghi, DO, LA-based author of the engaging new book, The Clarity Cleanse: 12 Steps to Finding Renewed Energy, Spiritual Fulfillment and Emotional Healing (Goop Press, with foreword by Gwyneth Paltrow) to share his wisdom. Here are his top five tips for discovering and/or releasing unresolved emotional issues!
1. Freeform Writing: Set a timer for 10-12 minutes. Focus on what’s bothering you and write whatever comes to mind onto the page without censoring it. This is an emotional release, so your handwriting doesn’t need to be pretty or even legible. When finished, do not read the pages but burn them in a safe location like a barbeque grill or on a back patio. Fire is transformative to physical matter and has a powerful impact on the subconscious mind in terms of cleansing and closure.
2. Having Your Say: Set a timer for 10-12 minutes. Imagine the person that’s upsetting you sitting in an empty chair in the room. If it helps, place a photo of this person on a table or shelf and focus your attention there. Speak whatever comes to mind without holding back. Allow the energy to flow and get your body into it. This is your side of the story. Afterward, take a walk or listen to music you love to rebalance your energy.
3. Up and Away: On a piece of paper, answer these three questions: What could it be within me that allowed this person or circumstance into my life? How has this person been my teacher, and what am I supposed to learn from this experience? What changes will I make to my thoughts and behavior so I can grow from this? Fold up the paper, tie it to a helium balloon and release it in a beautiful location. Feel the sense of lightness and release increase as the balloon moves further and further away until it and the problem are out of sight. The note can also be tied to a rock and thrown into a lake or the ocean.
4. Emotional Association: Write out on separate index cards various unfinished sentences such as: My body is…My mother is…Sex is…Money is…My job is…Men are…Women are…I can…I can’t…I should…I shouldn’t…etc. Mix them up. Go through them like flashcards, answering as quickly as possible so the conscious mind doesn’t have time to self-censor. Your answers may surprise you and help you discover areas of unresolved emotions in your life.
5. Meditate: Ten minutes per day helps clear the mind of clutter and noise, and creates conscious space for new realizations to enter. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Sit comfortably with eyes closed where you’re free of distractions. Focus on your breathing. On each inhale think but don’t say, “So.” On each exhale, think “Hum.” So Hum means I am that. You can also choose two words such as “peace” and “now” or any mantra that’s comforting.