In my Norwegian Fjords yoga retreat, myself and some of the participants were sitting in a floating sauna that was rocking on the waves, when I spotted a little book in the corner of a wooden bench. It was brought along to the sauna by one of the retreat participants, and was called “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, and while I got intrigued by the title, it wasn’t until almost half a year later that the booked popped up in my life again. And the second time around it finally got the attention it deserved.

While I’m not an expert on Konmari method of organising life described in this book, I can truly relate to the message. The author insists on us only keeping things that spark joy - both in our homes and in our lives. This idea appears to be both as extremely revolutionary and almost unrealistic, and at the same time one of the most natural things to do that I’ve been gravitating to for many years now.

You don’t have to suddenly become a minimalist, although probably if you do stick with an intention to go through all your belongings one by one and let go of all the doesn’t spark joy, you are likely to end up with a fraction of your posessions.

I choose to systematically apply this principle to my lifestyle, the way I work, the way I organize my day, the way I plan yoga retreats, the way I do my practice of yoga and meditation. My experience is when you only keep what sparks joy, you end up letting go of so many attachments and fears, and having a much easier time focusing on the positive - because this is most of what surrounds you. It came to a point where I have re-aligned my priorities in life to give attention to what truly matters: growing and evolving in areas of my work and life that spark joy, spending more time with people in my life that spark joy. My mind feels clearer and more spacious as my home and life are free from clutter and mess. Even meditation practice feels somehow lighter and more effortless.

Attaining simplicity and clarity is an ongoing effort. It is a healing, inspirational process, an ongoing quest for what sparks joy. And it’s a reminder of how simple, rich and beautiful life really is.