Would you rather wash the kitchen floor or have an Aromatherapy Cleaning Experience?
We have no wall to wall carpets at all in our home. I highly recommend this for any family who has allergy sufferers, pets, or just wants a cleaner, more sanitary and easier floor to maintain.
Nevertheless, floors still need to be cleaned on a regular basis and the best results for me come from the hands and knees approach.
I’m not a happy cleaner, in fact I hate to admit that most of the time I clean begrudgingly. This is a step in the right direction though, since for years I used to clean only when I was angry, directing all my negative energy onto scrubbing the grime from my home.
These days I’m happy to say I have a much saner and more enjoyable approach to cleaning my house.
Also when I learned how to incorporate natural cleaners, essential oils, mindfulness, and stretching into my cleaning projects, I became more disciplined with doing those tasks. And most importantly, I have taken on an entirely new perspective about doing them.
Before you knock it – give this cleaning solution a try. It takes no extra time since you have to clean anyway. And the total cost for cleaning materials is much cheaper than purchasing pre-made cleaning products, especially the expensive non-toxic types.
Step 1
Put on your comfiest yoga clothes. Doesn’t need to be your old clothes since there is no chance of staining. Turn on yoga music or choose to work in silence in which you will meditatively listen to your own breath, whichever you prefer.
Step 2
Grab two large towels (one to kneel on and another to use to dry your floor) along with a cleaning bucket, scrub brush and the items listed in step 3.
Step 3
Prepare the cleaning solution. Do these steps with awareness and mindfulness
- fill large bucket with warm water
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 tsp essential tea tree oil
- 10 drops either sweet orange or lemongrass essential oil
- Stir with your brush
Step 4
Take a big stretch to the sky, lower your hands to your heart, and with bare feet firmly planted on the earth and standing tall, set your intention for your cleaning practice today.
Here’s an example of an intention I mind use:
“My intention is to mindfully scrub my kitchen floor with gratitude for myself and my environment”
Step 5
Set up a rolled towel on the floor to protect your knees. Knelling on all fours, take a few Cat and Cow movements and breaths to open your mind and your spine.
How you do Cat and Cow (Marjaryasana to Bitilasana):
From kneeling on all fours, exhale all your breath while arching your back and spine in an upward position like a cat who is stretching. Then release your spine and inhale deeply, fill your lungs while letting your belly relax. Then exhale returning to the cat position and inhale back to cow – YouTube Video
This feels so great for your spine and it releases a store of emotional energy that you might not even realize you are carrying around. It also provides a great warm up for your body for the physical task of scrubbing the floors.
You can do Cat and Cow as long as you like and always know that you can return to it whenever you feel tension in your body or mind.
Step 6
With your bucket of water under your nose, breath in the scents while feeling the movement of your shoulder muscles, arm muscles and hands as they grip the brush with back and forth movements. Know you can always back into Cat and Cow movements when you start to feel stiff or uncomfortable in either your mind or body.
Step 7
Dry the floor with your towel, and move to a new spot, repeating the process.
If time allows, give yourself restful breaks in down dog posture on your clean floor areas. Keep going until you reach the end of your journey.
You’ve done it! Your floor is clean and you are not resentful! Enjoy a glass of water, mindfully pour out your bucket of water in the toilet bowl, give that a scrub, return the bucket and scrubber to their place and proceed with your day, bringing those feelings of peace and satisfaction with you from this process.