Crown Chakra Sweep

You know that feeling where all of the ideas and thoughts are swirling in your head and you feel completely overwhelmed? 

I know that all too well and for a long time I really struggled with trying to remember every little detail...and also being productive. This might not sound like yoga but trust me, if you can’t get your ideas and thoughts processed, you’ll have a much harder time meditating or relaxing in an asana.

I have what is lovingly called an “entrepreneur mind”, that means that all day, every day, I am producing new creative ideas. It’s something I was born with but didn’t know how to handle the information overload for many years.

This doesn’t sound like a hard problem to have right? New ideas every day? But by having new ideas, this means my to-do list never gets done. It makes even notifications on my phone feel stressful because I already have so many alerts in my head!The problem is that there are SO many things coming IN, new ideas, papers, notifications, correspondence, chores, tasks, routines-- and instead of doing these things...I would avoid them COMPLETELY because I couldn’t “process” them.

I wanted to share with you my process in hopes that if you do relate to this problem at least you can see that there is another way of living, this doesn’t mean you have to follow my routine--you probably shouldn't, it may not work for you, but it does mean that there is a better way than avoidance. Also by clearing up these inbox items you can have more space in your head for...Meditation? Yoga? Writing? All of the above?

So...things come in from all directions: mail, notifications, voicemails, emails, etc. and we have to funnel them into wherever they need to go.  Does it have an action involved? No? Toss it/Recycle it. There is no need to hold onto clutter whether it's physical or mental. Let it go. If you want to live by the Marie Kondo method of seeing if it sparks joy first, be my guest. Her book “The Art of Tidying Up” was one of the pivotal moments in realizing that I needed to release what no longer serves me, even if I once loved it.

If the incoming task at hand DOES have an action involved we need to move it along the funnel to its destination. Every task/idea/notification goes into this funneling machine and gets sorted into a category for how it will be done. Will it take 2 minutes? Do it now. Even if you have 20 things that take 2 minutes, do them now. Don’t stick them on a to-do list.

If it will take longer than two minutes, keep moving it along the funnel. Is it applicable to a certain day or deadline? It gets put on the calendar. If not, is it part of your routine? Put it on your routines and responsibilities list. Is it part of a bigger project you’re working on? What is the next action? When will you do this next action? Can you delegate? Does this have supporting materials such as papers involved? Where do we put those?

It might seem like a lot of steps, it’s really more of a flow chart designed to make sure nothing slips through the cracks but also allows you to get it out of your head and make more space for the good things to live in there. I can’t tell you how many yoga classes i’ve spent trying to remember to grab a case of water on my way home or reminding myself to pay a bill. I would repeat these things over and over in my head like a mantra so that I wouldn’t forget but it wouldn’t allow me to be present in my practice.

Once you have your system in place for all of the incoming “stuff” you need to do what I call a Crown Chakra Sweep. It’s a brain dump. Take 10-20 minutes and sit down and write down everything on your mind that could possibly need to be taken care of. Dentist appointments, cleaning the car, selling the book case, all of it. Get it out of your head and onto paper! Then categorize it by family, work, home, kids, whatever fits into your lifestyle.

Some of the things on your list may be non-actionable items, that’s okay! Cross them off. They were there for a reason. Everything else gets funneled through. Can I do this in 2 minutes? Does this have a deadline? What are the next action steps for this? When will I do them? Is this part of my routine? Do I need to review this? File it? Put it somewhere for a specific date?

Your list might be PAGES long, that’s good. That means you have cleared a lot of things out and made space to focus. Think of this as wiping off a full desk of junk onto the floor and creating a clean slate. Consider keeping a small index card with you daily or a notepad/digital notepad to jot down incoming thoughts and “capture them”. By doing this you will be able to free up space and know that everything is taken care of or will be done at a later date.

I personally recommend doing one of these crown chakra sweeps at least once a month if not more. The more you keep in your head, the less room you have! The less room you have, the faster the thoughts will enter into your head and you may feel like your schedule is fuller than it is--or repeat your to-do’s like a mantra.

“Sometimes answers come to you in ways that only you can understand. That is why it is so important to have a clear mind to receive and understand the message.”

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