When you hear the word “cleansing,” what comes to mind?
Taking a bath, drinking something that helps detoxify the body, spending time in the forest, working up a sweat through exercise, visiting a shrine…
And what about that feeling of being completely refreshed after a sauna? Could that be a form of cleansing, too?
I think many people refresh themselves through activities like these and recharge their energy for the day ahead.
When we live busy, hectic lives, fatigue and stress can gradually build up without us even realizing it.
That’s why I think it’s important to occasionally clear out some of that buildup and give ourselves a reset.
However, not many people may consciously think about “cleansing” as part of their everyday lives.
Today, I’d like to share some of my own experiences with cleansing and refreshing the body and mind.
So Many Ways to Cleanse and Refresh!
So, why did I become interested in cleansing in the first place?
It was largely because of my experiences with chemical sensitivity and allergies.
I tend to react to my surroundings a little more sensitively than other people, and I also feel that my body’s ability to detoxify isn’t particularly strong.
After developing chemical sensitivity, I felt as though my senses had become much sharper.
Because of this sensitivity, certain things I come into contact with or places I visit can make me feel unwell or cause symptoms to linger.
I find that consciously incorporating ways to detoxify and refresh myself can help reduce this discomfort.
Of course, taking care of the basics of everyday life—what I wear, what I eat, and the environment I live in—is important.
But I’ve found it very reassuring to have several simple ways of cleansing and refreshing myself that I can turn to whenever I need them.
Here are some examples.
[Simple Cleansing You Can Do Right Away]
- Tidy up and organize your surroundings
- Have something to drink
- Go to the bathroom
- Do some gentle exercises
- Go for a walk
[Cleansing You Can Do While Traveling]
- Take deep breaths
- Drink water
- Eat umeboshi, Japanese pickled plums
- Touch a stone
[Cleansing in Everyday Life]
- Clean the house
- Do the laundry
- Cook
- Take a bath
- Sleep
- Say kind or uplifting words
[Cleansing Through the Five Senses]
- Look at beautiful things, lovely scenery, things you like, or your favorite colors
- Listen to your favorite music, sounds of nature, or the comforting voice of someone you like
- Smell a favorite scent, or spend time in a fragrance-free space
- Savor delicious food
- Wear things with a pleasant texture, or spend time touching and interacting with family members or animals
[Cleansing Through the Power of Nature]
- Get some sunlight
- Look at the moon and stars
- Walk in the mountains
- Go swimming in the sea
- Take a sand bath
- Watch a fire, such as a campfire
- Feel the wind
- Touch plants
- Touch the earth
[Other Ways to Cleanse and Refresh]
- Use your voice or sing
- Play an instrument
- Dance
- Draw pictures or write
- Talk with someone
- Laugh
- Meditate
- Visit a shrine
- Do something kind for someone
- Take part in a fun event
There are so many!
It’s really useful to have a few favorite ways to cleanse and refresh yourself. ♪
My Top 3 Cleansing Experiences
Now, let me share the three experiences that made me feel the most strongly,
“Wow, I feel completely cleansed and refreshed!”
1. Looking at Snow-Covered Mountains
Tanigawadake Ichinokurasawa Deai, in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, is a relatively accessible place even for people who aren’t particularly confident in their physical fitness.
After walking for about an hour along a flat path surrounded by trees, an astonishing rocky mountain suddenly appears before you.
I went there in April.
The mountains were still covered in snow, and they looked incredibly majestic. I was so overwhelmed that I simply stood there, catching my breath.
The experience was so moving that I almost felt like kneeling down and bowing my head.
For a while, I stood there with my hands together, as if in prayer, gazing at the mountains and letting out deep sighs of awe.
From the bottom of my heart, I felt grateful simply to be alive.
2. Swimming in the Sea
Ever since I was a baby, I had been taken to the Nishiizu area of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, for a summer swim in the sea every year.
Even when I wasn’t feeling well, something strange happened when I got into the sea.
I would suddenly feel full of energy, as if my vitality and life force were coming back to me.
A few years ago, my family and I went to the beach again.
Later, my father sent me some photos from that day.
And there I was…
Smiling like a three-year-old!
My husband and I burst out laughing when we saw the photos.
Ever since then, whenever summer comes around, we say to each other:
“We’ve got to go wash the year’s troubles away in the sea again this year!”
3. Cleaning
Ever since I discovered minimalism, I’ve come to love cleaning.
When I’m cleaning, my mind becomes completely empty.
My daily cleaning routine has become an important part of keeping both my body and mind balanced.
When I once learned how to make osechi, traditional Japanese New Year’s dishes, at a healthy cooking class, I heard:
“Gods prefer beautiful things to merely correct things.”
Apparently, the gods don’t like dirty places, so they won’t come to a dirty house.
For some reason, those words stayed with me.
Since then, I’ve made an effort to keep my home—the place where I spend my everyday life—clean and orderly.
There is also a belief that garbage and dirt can become jaki, or negative energy, and bring unwanted thoughts into our minds.
When I clean with the intention of clearing away that negative energy and cleansing both my mind and body, I feel incredibly refreshed.
The atmosphere changes.
I also feel that the mindset we have while cleaning matters.
The Ultimate Form of Cleansing
I’ve talked about many different forms of cleansing, but if you ask me what the most powerful form of cleansing is, I would say:
“Gratitude.”
Whether I’m looking at snow-covered mountains or swimming in the sea, whenever I feel deeply cleansed and refreshed, a powerful sense of gratitude and joy naturally rises up from within me.
Gratitude for being alive.
But to be completely honest, can I say that I feel grateful all the time in my everyday life?
…No, I can’t.
I notice how easily I forget to be grateful when I get caught up in whatever is happening right in front of me.
Before I know it, I can become too focused on myself or feel stuck.
Still, gratitude is an emotion that naturally arises from within, so it’s not something we can simply force ourselves to feel because we think we should.
However, we can put a little heart into the ordinary things we do every day.
When taking a bath, we might silently thank the power of water and fire.
When cooking, we might thank the vegetables we are preparing.
Even little things like that seem to create a tiny spark of joy within me.
When you’re too busy to have much emotional space, or when you’re feeling unwell and don’t have the energy to do much, putting a little heart into what you’re already doing can be especially helpful.
That’s because it doesn’t require any extra time or effort.
By putting a little heart into an ordinary task, a simple “chore” can become a form of “cleansing.”
It may be something very small, but I’m curious to see what will happen when these little moments are accumulated over time. 🍀
Thank you so much for reading today! 😊