A New Approach to Purging

A quick little reminder and invitation for this month's 9D Breathwork session coming up soon. It’s called the Origin and it’s one powerful journey. You’ll get your energy moving which means awakening your inner healer, accessing your creative flow, letting go of what no longer serves and unifying with the real you (the really powerful, loving and courageous one). Click here for details.

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that the last few posts have been about backpacking on the West Coast Trail. In keeping with the backpacking theme but departing from the WCT, I have some great ideas to share with you about clearing stuff out. 

Which doesn’t seem to be related. 

But it is in a roundabout way because we were supposed to go on another backpacking trek last week, this time in Jasper. 

Sadly, our trip got cancelled due to wildfires - sending some love out to all the people of Jasper. It’s such a gorgeous place and I imagine they are already moving forward rebuilding their special town and area. 

Here's a photo from our time there last year:

Reflecting on Fires

Of course, fires were on our minds (also from the smokey skies that have been making regular appearances this summer).

I got to thinking about our belongings and I had an idea. Three actually. 

In our home, we do regular purging and clearing stuff out. We’ve used the Marie Kondo method for years where you pick up a belonging, ask yourself if it brings you joy and then wait for your body’s response (rather than your mind’s). If you get a physical yes, you keep it, if not, you purge it. 

I had combed through my wardrobe at the beginning of the summer and found a few items to donate. 

Reflecting on things being destroyed in a fire, I wondered:

Would I even know if some of my possessions were destroyed? Probably not. 

Then I asked myself: 

If some of my belongings got burnt up in a fire, would I care? For some - definitely. For others - nope.

My third question was: 

If my items were destroyed, would I replace them? Some yes. Some no.

I really liked these three ideas so I went through my clothes and accessories with them in mind. I’m happy to report that with this new lens, I found a whole bunch of things to purge. Wow!

I had been certain that I needed everything that was left in my closet. Turns out I was wrong. 

I’ve been sharing my three new questions with my family and some clients and they’ve found them to be really useful too. 

Now it’s your turn. 

If you’re up for some purging, here are the three questions to ask:

1- If this item burnt in a fire, would I even know it was gone? (If not, you can probably let it go.)

2- If this item burnt in a fire would I even care? (If not, same thing… out it goes.)

3- If this item burnt in a fire, would I replace it? (If it’s irreplaceable then it’s up to you but if it’s a regular everyday thing and you wouldn’t replace, why would you keep it now?)

I’ve started going through my kitchen with these questions and they’re also handy there. Would I care if we had less than three spatulas? No - I would be relieved. How did we even end up with three spatulas? Apparently they make a great gift. 

So there you go. If you’ve got a hankering for more spaciousness, clearing out is the way to go. Try doing it with the three questions. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results. 

We’re just finishing up our last backpacking trip of the season. No fires in Yoho National Park and just a short 3 day excursion this time. I’ll get back to purging when we return. 

Happy clearing out!

With ample love and spacious courage, 

Christina

>Creator of Courageous Self-Care

>So grateful for running water (We just spent a day with our water turned off and as Joni Mitchell wisely put it: You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.)

>Back to dehydrating food for the final trip. Chana Masala aroma is wafting through the house.

PS - Today is our Remote Healing Open House so last chance to register. If you can’t make it live, you’ll get access to the replay for 48 hours as long as you’re registered. You can expect to feel peaceful, relaxed, whole and renewed (and all you have to do is lay there). It’s going to be fantastic.

Have you seen the movie The Fall Guy? It came out earlier this summer and has Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt starring. 

I love this movie for so many reasons. 

Firstly, it has something for everyone. My whole family loved it.

Secondly, it's hilarious.

Thirdly, it takes a step toward eradicating toxic masculinity (hooray!) The hero is strong, masculine, sensitive, emotional - he's all the things! 

Fourthly, the stunts are jaw-droppingly unreal. 

Fifthly, it gives a peek behind the scenes at all the work that goes into making a movie. Having been on sets with my kids, knowing the how-to of movie magic is one of my favourite things. 

I could go on, but lastly, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I've seen it twice now and the second time was just as good. I can't wait to go again!

So, The Fall Guy. Go see it. 

And by the way, Ryan Gosling is my birthday twin. Both November 12!

Oh my goodness. This song came up in the car the other day and I swooned. “I love this song,” I said emphatically to Paul. 

Then the next day, I heard beautiful music that he put on while making breakfast. 

“What is this?” I asked when I came downstairs. 

“It’s that new song,” he replied. 

“Oh! I knew I LOVED it!”

It’s a gorgeous instrumental piece called New Grass by Òlafur Arnalds. If this is what new grass sounds like then it’s pure magic. 

You can find it on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming services. (I learned that my emails probably have too many links so I’ll leave it up to you to do your searching on your favourite platform.)

Enjoy! Maybe you’ll swoon too.