Before you begin, gather together all of the cleaning supplies that you will need.

Then center yourself by standing upright and watching your breath move in and out. Closing your eyes might help.

All of the rituals that you participate in on a regular basis carry with them the potential to become meaningful and almost sacred times for you.

The very motions of consistent, even seemingly mindless tasks

can be the perfect opportunity for you to link with them new associations.

They provide a consistent and predictable time that you can choose to spend focusing your mind.

You can use it in meditation,

or you can practice the skill of experiencing the now

or the present moment.

If you let them, these tasks can become the gateway

to connectedness, fulfillment, and enhanced peace.

If you hate housework, cleaning your home can offer a great opportunity to practice this mindfulness. As you work with attention in almost a meditative

state, your time spent cleaning can quickly turn into one of your most precious times of the day.

As you work, you also clear away sloth and lethargy, which are some of the most common hindrances to meditation.

At the end your mind will be as cleansed and clutter free as your home.

Go ahead and get started whenever you're ready. And as you sweep or polish, scrub and clear away, engage fully with the actions that you're doing.

Don't rush them or skip on them.

Keep your mind on the matter at hand.

Fully experience every sweep of the hand and flick of the wrist.

Eventually you will notice your breath, linking in with the actions.

Whenever you find thoughts and feelings grabbing the limelight, take a step back and become conscious of them.

Think about their underlying emotional tone,

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