Welcome to the Lunar Year of the Tiger! 

In the Chinese tradition, Tiger years are said to be forward-facing, abundant, successful, powerful, and vivacious. The legend says that the Jade Emperor challenged all the animals in the Kingdom to a “Great Race” where the winner would win his favor. During the race, the Tiger was sure he would win, but ended up placing third after the Rat and the Ox. 

In the story, Tigers are said to be competitive and ambitious, but extremely generous. This year is associated with Yang energy, known for its masculinity and high level of activity, which can lead to rapid changes, sudden disruptions and a new outlook on life (not bad coming out of 2021). 

As we get deeper into this year, it’s important that you set yourself and your home up to handle the changes with grace and ease by clearing out bad and old energy. These steps can make your home feel lighter and brighter, and in turn set your mind and body up for a successful 2022.

When to cleanse your home’s energy

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” ― Aristotle, The Philosophy of Aristotle

While the start of a new year is a great time to recharge and reset your living space, there are other times when this practice can be useful. 

• During a major life transition
• If you feel stuck
• After a bad day
• After getting over a sickness
• After a breakup or argument
• Before a yoga class

Cleansing your energy is especially important if you’re taking our online yoga classes! Having too much mental and physical clutter and negative energy in your home can keep you from having a truly successful class. 

Before I practice, I clean my space (if I see dust on the floor, I can’t focus on anything else!) burn a stick of incense and play relaxing music. This can help cleanse the room’s energy while also helping get my mind in a space where I can really let go and give in to what the class has to give me. 

7 Ways To Cleanse Your Home’s Energy

• Set a new intention – Think about how you want to feel in your home. Some of us prefer comfort because we come home after a long day of work and want a space to relax. Others work from home and need to feel inspired and creative in their space. Choose what feels right for you in this new year. For me, it’s peace. I have a brand new baby at home and I’m learning now to be a mom; feeling peace in my home will help me feel quiet, confident and happy. 
• Use smoke – Burning dried herbs, palo santo or incense can help clear negative energy in your home. Palo santo and incense are two relatively easy ways to use smoke to cleanse a space and can be bought nearly anywhere. If you’re looking to try burning herbs, here’s a list of 10 sacred options.
• Air out your space – Sometimes, all it takes is opening a window to rid a room of a funk. Fresh air can quite literally change the energy of a space, even (and sometimes, especially) if it’s freezing outside. For an added cleanse, take your rugs, towels, pillows and blankets outside and shake them as well. Together, these two acts can make a room feel cleaner and more renewed.
• Place crystals outside your home – Strategically putting the right crystals around your house can help create positive and cleanse negative energy. Black Tourmaline at your front door can help protect your threshold from bad energy coming through. Pyrite and carnelian at the front door can help invite positivity and abundance. Here’s a list of 17 crystals to consider placing in your home this year.
• Remove clutter – For me, a cluttered home leads to a cluttered mind. Having things out that don’t bring joy, or even worse cause anger or frustration, can keep me from feeling at ease in my home. Clutter can create blocks in our energy and focus that can make us tired, stressed and unhappy. So, take some time to rid your space of clutter this year.
• Make some noise – Certain sounds can help break up bad energy in your home, including singing bowls, OMs, and clapping. Do an at-home sound ritual to give your home a new lease on life. Don’t have sound bowls or gongs laying around? Here’s a YouTube video titled Music to Cleanse of Negative Energy at Home Space.designed to make this as easy as possible!
• Visualize through meditation – The art of visualization has long been a powerful tool for cleansing energy. Spend 5-10 minutes in the heart of your home visualizing bad energy leaving your space. Take deep, concentrated breaths as you then visualize light and good energy entering and filling your home. 

Try one, or all, of these tips and feel the difference in your home! I promise you’ll feel lighter, brighter and ready to tackle anything 2022 sends your way.