How to Elevate Your Home into a Temple

I went to my first auction last week…just to satisfy my curiosity – or so I thought. Although I didn’t expect to buy anything, I found myself unable to resist this cathedral mirror with caged front.

It got me thinking about cathedrals, temples, and other places of worship…and how they’re not that different from our homes.

Home As A Temple

Perhaps you’ve heard that the body is the temple of the soul, and should be treated with honor and respect. Well, if our body is the temple of our soul, then our home is the temple of our body, and should be treated that way.

Your body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.
–B.K.S. Iyengar

Like the temples in which people worship, our home should be honored and respected – so that it can help us flourish and evolve. Do you treat your home as if it were a temple for you and your family?

You wouldn’t leave clothes on the floor of a temple. Or stack paperwork on every flat surface. That would be disrespectful of a revered place.

The peace one feels in a temple – that’s the peace you deserve to feel in your home.

Home As A Reflection of You

The state of your home reflects who you are in this very moment. If you feel it’s not an accurate representation of how much you value yourself and others that reside in it, it’s not too late to make some changes. Feeling overwhelmed by that prospect?

Start Small

Start with just one room. In fact, start with just one corner of a room. Shift your perspective from a place of fear and scarcity (“What if I need this someday and regret getting rid of it?”) to a higher place of trust and abundance (“I have all I need and it is enough. If I need it again, I trust I’ll have the resources to attain it”).

How do you go about creating a space that feels good for you? Begin by decluttering. Remove the items that are suffocating you. Open up some breathing room. This is not about getting rid of everything. Not at all. This is about honoring what you love.

Once that’s done, give surfaces a good scrub with the same loving care you would give a baby you’re bathing. Then elevate the sanctuary you’ve created by adding a soft touch: a luxurious blanket, quality candles, fresh flowers or beautiful artwork. My added touch – the cathedral mirror that I fell in love with and brought home. It elevates our dining experience immensely. Special touches make a world of difference in how our home makes us feel.

Visit the ‘feel good’ area everyday – you’ll likely feel drawn to it several times a day. Admire your work; see it as the accomplishment it truly is. Then choose the next area. Little by little until you’ve touched every area of your sacred home. And just like visiting a temple, you will not only grow to respect and value your home, you will also respect and value yourself more.

Just like our bodies if we ignore them, a neglected home will fail us. Treat your home with the love, care and dignity it deserves and you do the same for yourself too.