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For some, the annual ritual of spring cleaning is associated with a surge of enthusiasm that accompanies a reprieve from the sullen days of winter. For others, it looms as a daunting task that keeps getting pushed off for weeks or forgotten altogether. But from either perspective, decluttering your home is regarded as an annual audit, a single moment (or weekend) of clarity into how you navigate life followed by the inevitable return to the usual rhythm of acquiring and doing.
In her book Declutter Your Home, Declutter Your Soul: The South Asian Art of Organizing Your Life, Meghna Desai proposes an alternative through the lens of tradition. Desai believes that decluttering shouldn’t be another thing to do every once in a while. Rather, it can be a holistic way of approaching life, one that is inherently yogic.
“In Hindu thought, our external environment is nothing more than a reflection of our inner state,” explains Desai. “The relationship works both ways. Thus, clean, orderly spaces promote harmonious qualities in our minds, and harmonious minds promote clean and orderly spaces.”
That means the overflowing closets, the piles of unopened mail, the disorganized desktop on your laptop as well as the mental load of keeping track of it all continually distract your focus and draw energy away from what truly matters.
Rather than recommending decluttering your home for the sake of minimalism or to “spark joy,” Desai focuses on how the practice can be a means of ridding yourself not only of excess possessions but also outdated habits, emotional burdens, and beliefs. The pervasive calm that results, she suggests, will last long after the enthusiasm of spring organizing has faded.
She also encourages approaching decluttering with compassion and not self-judgment. “Rather than feeling hatred or anger stir within us, we are able to look at ourselves with compassion and understanding and to accept that we did the best we could with where we were in life,” says Desai. “But we’ve reached a point where we’re capable of doing better.”
How to Declutter Your Home + Your Life
Here’s what Desai suggests about the art of mindful decluttering your home—a practice that extends beyond your physical spaces and into all aspects of your life. You may recognize some of these principles from your yoga practice.
Non-Violence | Ahimsa
Most of us don’t think of clutter as violent. Desai suggests otherwise. Ahimsa, often translated as non-violence, is typically associated with refraining from harm toward others. Desai expands its meaning to include how we approach ourselves—our thoughts, our habits, and our living spaces.
When we consider our home as an extension of our inner world, then clutter isn’t just a pile of things or an inconvenience, it’s an act of self-neglect. From this perspective, accumulated items can reflect anxieties, attachments, and the ways you resist change. Desai suggests that the act of decluttering isn’t just about letting go, but about noticing what makes it difficult to do so.
“Cluttering seems to be an outward manifestation of various fears we harbor within ourselves, whether consciously or not,” Desai writes. “The things that we refuse to let go of are quite often directly related to the causes of our suffering.”
Holding onto items out of guilt or scarcity mindset mirrors the emotional baggage we carry internally. Rather than forcing yourself to throw out something, consider, Does this item carry unresolved emotions? Does it represent a version of myself that I’m reluctant to release?
By consciously clearing space, you can cultivate a more compassionate relationship with yourself—one that acknowledges what you’re truly holding onto and why.
Your Next Step: Start by decluttering one small space—maybe your nightstand or workspace—with self-compassion as you set aside anything that no longer supports your well-being. Notice how you feel as you let it go. Is there resistance? Relief? Something deeper? Stay curious about what’s behind the clutter and let that awareness teach you more about yourself.
Non-Attachment | Aparigraha
In a world that constantly equates worth with wealth, the concept of non-attachment offers a radical counterpoint: You are not what you own.
Desai supports this application of aparigraha and suggests that true freedom begins when we release our attachment to material possessions—especially those that we accumulate in search of validation, status, or security. No amount of shopping will ever fill the void of insecurity.
“The first step toward a practical adoption of aparigraha is to actively work on severing the link between who you are and what you own,” explains Desai. “The only way to resist outside influences, whether advertising or other social pressure, is to know who you are at your core.”
The way to better understand yourself and your values, she explains in her book, “is to just sit with yourself, to grow familiar with your tendencies, to observe your emotional responses to different situations, and to develop a general understanding of who you are as a human being.”
When we release the need to define ourselves by what we have, we create space for something far greater—genuine contentment.
Your Next Step: Choose something you once felt you had to have but never used or needed. Practice letting it go with gratitude, recognizing that your worth isn’t tied to the things you own.
Renunciation | Tyaga
If aparigraha teaches detachment, tyaga is the act of consciously letting go.
Desai argues that true freedom doesn’t come from simply organizing what we have—it comes from making peace with what we no longer need. Too often, we cling to things—both physical and emotional—out of fear or a sense of obligation. Desai reminds us that attachment to the past can hinder our ability to fully experience the present.
Contrary to the notion of severe austerity in the quest of righteousness, tyaga offers us a middle path. Renunciation doesn’t mean deprivation; it means creating space for what matters.
Letting go, then, becomes an act of growth rather than loss. When you release what no longer aligns with you, you make room for clarity, peace, and greater self-awareness. It’s about freeing yourself not only from unnecessary objects but the weight of unnecessary expectations, regrets, and outdated versions of who you thought you had to be.
Your Next Step: Identify one habit, mindset, or physical item that no longer serves you. Become curious about what it means to you and how that may relate to a version of yourself that are no longer aligns with you. When you’re ready, see if you can make the conscious decision to release it.
Truthfulness | Satya
But satya, or truthfulness, asks you to be radically honest about what you need versus what you are afraid to release.
We all tell ourselves stories about our possessions. I’ll use this someday. I might regret letting this go. This was too expensive to get rid of. Desai suggests that these justifications are sometimes less about practicality and more about fear—fear of waste, fear of change, fear of confronting the past.
“Our attachment to things is rarely about their usefulness,” she writes. “It’s about the stories we’ve woven around them.” Satya challenges our assumptions. Is this actually useful or do I just feel guilty letting it go? Do I truly love this or am I holding onto it out of obligation? Am I keeping this for my current self or for the person I used to be—or wish I was?
The more honest you can be in answering these questions and considering the truth about what you need, the more clarity you will experience. Then you can create a space—and a life—built on authenticity rather than accumulation.
Your Next Step: As you sort through your belongings, ask yourself honestly: Do I use this? Do I love this? Or am I simply afraid to let it go?
Contentment | Santosha
True santosha—contentment—comes not from getting more but from shifting your mindset to appreciate what you already have.
Although consumer culture tries to convince you that fulfillment is always one more purchase away. Desai challenges this belief, arguing the pursuit of more is inherently empty.
“To me, the essence of santosha is an ability to embrace a sort of dynamic powerlessness within our lives,” Desai writes. “To cultivate a willingness to learn and accept that there is often a firm boundary between what we think we want and what we should have.”
Santosha invites you to reframe your approach—not just to your belongings but to your entire way of living. “When we are ready, we can confront our clutter, piece by piece, item by item, and determine what we need, what we want, and what is superfluous,” Desai explains. “We can say thank you to those items that we no longer need, for they served a purpose once upon a time.”
Instead of endlessly striving for something new, santosha nudges you toward a quieter, deeper satisfaction—the kind that isn’t dependent on what you own but on how you experience the world around you.
Your Next Step: Take a moment to appreciate what you already have—whether it’s a treasured book, a comfortable home, or meaningful relationships—before seeking something new.
Purpose | Dharma
The act of finding a place in the world and living in harmony with it is dharma. Desai describes it as the natural order of the universe, a guiding principle that shapes not just the world at large but your individual role within it.
But when life becomes cluttered—physically, mentally, emotionally—it becomes nearly impossible to see your role and your way ahead clearly.
“Cluttering, like other emotional disorders, skews our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world,” writes Desai. “It warps reality and whispers insidiously into our ears, telling us false stories about who we are.” The constant background noise of clutter—both physical and mental—can also quietly drain your energy, leaving you feeling scattered and stuck. It keeps you busy but not purposeful, overwhelmed but not fulfilled.
At its essence, dharma is about alignment. “When we’re finally able to recover and rediscover ourselves, we can put ourselves back into our proper place and resume our life’s journey,” writes Desai. Dharma asks us to strip away the excess so that we can focus on our true work, the roles we are meant to play in the larger human story.
Your Next Step: Clear your workspace or a specific space where you frequently lounge. Curate your environment in whatever way supports your goals, focus, and personal growth, whether functionally or by creating a feeling.
Action and Consequence | Karma
In Hindu philosophy, karma—which translates to “action”—reminds you that nothing exists in isolation. Each decision you make and action you take sends ripples outward.
“Every action creates a reaction,” says Desai. “This means that we ourselves need to confront and deal with our consumption habits.”
Each purchase, each undiscarded item, and each unconscious habit carries consequences. Your clutter isn’t just about you—it’s part of a larger cycle. The mass-produced items you accumulate come from somewhere, created by someone, and don’t simply disappear once you’re done with them. They end up in landfills, in oceans, even in the hands of someone else who will eventually have to make the same decision to keep or discard them. Karma asks you to take responsibility for your role in this cycle.
The principle of karma challenges you to be more intentional about what you bring into your life, how you care for what you own, and how you release what no longer serves you.
Decluttering isn’t just about making space in your home, it’s about breaking free from patterns of unconscious consumption and choosing a way of living that aligns with both your values and the well-being of the world.
Your Next Step: The next time you consider making a purchase, pause and consider. Do I truly need this? What impact could it have beyond my own life? And when letting go of something, ask yourself, Could someone else benefit from this? Instead of tossing it in the trash, consider donating to a local thrift store, charity, or community organization.
