There’s a reason for the rising popularity of the old phrase ‘Clean space, clear mind’ in recent years. “Minimalism” has gained a lot of media attention and critical acclaim with its resurgence.

With the rise of these organizational gurus, authors, and lifestyle experts repeating the fundamental truth ‘clean space, clear mind’, we learn that this notion is not new. Minimalism traces its roots back thousands of years with its origins in Zen Buddhism.

​Meditation is a core focus of the philosophy. Zen Buddhism seeks truth by revealing the “Ma” that lies within materials and objects. “Ma” is roughly translated as "gap", "space", "pause" or "the space between two structural parts”. Ma places inherent value on rejecting unnecessary materials + spaces to embrace life’s simple gifts + treasures. Revealing the essence of an object by removing the unnecessary is the fundamental principle the entire movement is based on. This movement has gone on to change the world in areas of art, design, psychology, spirituality, and philosophy.

Buddha taught us all about the “middle path” which deals with finding balance between two extremes in life – overindulgence and overly-exerted discipline - or asceticism. Overindulgence, meaning we have too much of one thing or asceticism meaning we cause deficiency through strict discipline that we cut ourselves off to the flow. These things can be experiences through our routine, our self talk, our relationship with objects, or through feelings. Clearing and decluttering our lives and spaces, like the Buddhist “middle path,” is about finding the right balance and removing the excess - only being aware of the objects, people and ideas that promote balance and equanimity in our lives and the greater world.

In today’s lightning-fast world, we don’t often give ourselves the ability to cultivate space for any semblance of mindfulness, presence, or downtime. We find ourselves constantly distracted by our full calendar and all the things we deem important that we “need” to do. For example, all of the things we need to buy and simply can’t live without, and our addictions to unhealthy patterns and things like social media and our phones.

When we leave ourselves with little room to breathe and be present, our minds will flit from one thought, inclination, or reaction to another. The ability to focus, be centered, and grounded with our days seems nearly impossible. This has lasting, detrimental effects on our minds, our bodies, the environment, and whatever we are bringing forth in the world.

​So let’s create space! We create space, not to fill the space, but to experience it. Space can feel really good.

“Clean space, clear mind.” They work together, inextricably linked.

Advances in the field of psychology tell us that when we experience adverse or traumatic experiences, we fare better and become more resilient when we can create a sense of clarity and autonomy over our lives. There are many instances in life where we cannot control our external circumstances, but we do have the power to control and organize our internal circumstances (our homes, our spaces + our minds.) As a result, with our inward sense, we have more agency to manage our thoughts, emotions, and mindset effectively. With this internal focus our outer worlds will begin to mirror what we create on the inside.

Below I’ve listed some major benefits of de-cluttering the mind + space to give you a few concrete examples:

As you continue reading, take a moment to pause and breathe deeply. I would like you to scan your life and think about what you could clean out: your car, your closet, the junk drawer in your kitchen, your pantry, your calendar, your computer?

I invite you to make a commitment between now and next week to clean at least one of these spaces to remove the clutter, to generate “Ma.” Create space to create space. We do not need to fill it. It is simply to create space. Period.

​We start with the home because it is tangible. For our logical mind, which is often intangible, it can be helpful to have something rooted, that we can interact with the practice of clearing so that when we move into the next phase of “clearing the cobwebs of the mind”. We can take our experiential practice of clearing our space and apply the same principles to our thoughts.

So let’s break down even more how to clear our space.

It is not just shuffling things around. It is picking up each item and using a phrase like “does this bring me joy?” a lesson from Marie Kondo, or “do I have room for this?” or even, “do I like this?” or “do I need this?”

We are not just collecting things, we are organizing like items. When you are looking for a pen, all of your pens are in the same place so you know just where to look. For the items you do keep, you are not just picking them up and putting them down. Clean them. Wipe the space down. See your items. Connect with them and put them back in their place.

For example, when you always put your keys in the same place, you can always find them. And when you know where our things are, your nervous system can relax. This internal locus of control sends signals to your brain that you are secure and safe, so you can ground yourself in your own sense of inner authority. Your parasympathetic nervous system signals that you can be more easeful, peaceful, and calm. So these practices go hand in hand.

So now we ask, how do we clear + clean our thoughts?

This concept is not about shoving our thoughts to the side, it’s about noticing them, acknowledging them full with nonjudgement and compassion, and then redirecting ourselves to right here, right now. Why is that important, the here and now? Because life doesn’t happen anywhere else but here now.

“The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There's only one moment for you to live, and that is the present moment.” - Buddha

The very first step is to notice when your mind starts to get busy, away from the here and now. This is best to do in a formal meditation practice - our Zen practice. When you notice your mind wandering, you learn to catch it. You can label it as “thinking” as Pema Chödrön suggests. Not “ughhhh, I am thinking what is wrong with me?” Just thinking, in a kind, compassionate way.

Once you notice that you are thinking, you clear the cobwebs literally by redirecting your thoughts to something here and now - the in-breath, the out-breath, sensations of the body, smell, hearing, taste, touch. Breathe and keep your attention there for 1,2,3 seconds. Inevitably, your mind will wander again, and you can bring yourself back. Seeing, hearing, the senses. You can even create an anchor for each meditation: a flicker of a candle, your own breath, hearing things within your space or your body, a mantra (repeating a phrase or song over and over, like “So Hum” or “I am.”)

The element ether, called “akasha” in Sanskrit is the first of the five great elements. It comes first because it is the most subtle of the elements. Often referred to as “space,” it is the essence of emptiness. According to the yogis, ”Ether creates the space for the other elements to fill. That which is the most subtle and difficult to perceive is a function of the element ether. The mind is composed of ether. It is formless and nearly impossible to contain. While the mind becomes easily disturbed, ether represents the substratum upon which thoughts and emotions ride like waves upon the ocean. "The sattvic or undisturbed mind is an expression of the essence of ether.” - Dr. Marc Halpern. And so you could imagine your thoughts catching a wave and riding away, knowing that they cannot stay forever.

You might be expecting me to give you many steps to clear the cobwebs, so here they are:

connect with an object + your thought about it. Then place it down again. Come back to the present moment. The in-breath and the out-breath, sensations, the mantra.

It is just sitting, noticing the thoughts, and redirecting your attention back to the here and now. In business and health, there are 6 to 10 steps, and I am going to give you three: 1) Sit in meditation 2) notice when your mind wanders 3) redirect to the here and now. It doesn’t matter how many times you mind trails off… that is not what’s important. What is important is kindness, remembering that you are learning, cultivating patience, and even a little play.

We do these practices so that when hard things happen, we are practiced in sitting in with ourselves - having developed and cultivated mindfulness - because we need these practices the most when everything is “going wrong” or when life feels the most challenging, overwhelming, or out of control.

We also practice in the simple moments so the harder ones have a strong foundation from which we can approach them with clarity. With consistent practice and discipline, we give ourselves enough evidence to support our inner strength - that we can tackle the more difficult things that come our way. As another old adage goes - “pain is temporary, suffering is optional” and we have the power to choose.

Our team at The Makaranda Method is here to support you in the practice. Join our next round of The Magic of Meditation in 2023 or set up a Connection Call to learn more about our one-one offerings.


With Metta (Loving-Kindness),

The Makaranda Method Team