Housework Meditation

I was talking to one of the meditation class members the other day, and she was mentioning to me how she had started doing her own housework again (as opposed to getting a cleaner in), and what a grounding and positive effect she had found it had on her. I have also found that cleaning forms a regular part of my overall weekly routine, and that it is a great way of doing a little bit of active meditation. This is because when you are cleaning the movements are simple enough such that you can combine them with being mindful of the present moment, and of your body. An hour of mindful cleaning work can really bring your mind into a wonderfully relaxed and calm state. When I was a Buddhist monk cleaning was very much a part of my meditation practice, and in many of the different Buddhist traditions mindful cleaning is a central part of the path to enlightenment. There are quite a few stories in the Tibetan and Zen traditions of people attaining spontaneous and profound spiritual insights in the midst of sweeping this or cleaning that!

Recently quite a few of the machines in my house have been breaking down. One of them was the vacuum cleaner. Initially I was a bit irritated, as I had intended to vacuum and mop the house on that particular day. I picked up a dustpan and broom and started sweeping the floor of dust. Very quickly I was quite glad that the vacuum cleaner had broken, as I found the activity of sweeping in silence much more conducive to mindful cleaning. One hour later the floor was swept and mopped (actually it was about the same time as doing it with a vacuum cleaner, surprising but true!), and I felt truly grounded and happy. Needless to say, my vacuum cleaner is still sitting unrepaired in the cupboard!

Cleaning meditation is as simple as can be; just keep present, focus on what you are doing, don't go too fast or too slow. You'll be truly surprised how many worries and anxieties can be let go of through this process, and how much natural, uninhibited peace and happiness can be generated without much effort. In these days of trying to cram all our activities into too little time, and also in a maid-culture like Singapore where it is all too easy to get others to do it for us, maybe it is time to integrate a little mindful cleaning into our routine?