Sojido

For the past couple of years, I’ve been practicing my own version of the ancient Japanese practice of Sojido.  It’s my own personal movement of one.

Sojido is the way of the cleaning.  Some dojos around the world still use it after each class, where the students participate in cleaning up the mats.

Students in many Japanese schools are part of the cleaning process.

It’s about ownership of our spaces, of giving some order to our lives, to participation in our own education and in our process of getting better.

It’s the opposite of outsourcing.  It’s insourcing one small thing each day, taking responsibility for adding a little more order and cleanliness to my life.  It’s also insourcing responsibility for the things I own, and doing addition by subtraction.  Adding to my life by examining the things in it, and letting go of the things that are no longer adding joy or value.

I’m all for outsourcing (link), but not in this regard.  This one is for me and my family.

I think it extends beyond the physical space, and into the mental and emotional.  It’s a small daily promise to ourselves.  And if we wish to our families and household.  But mostly to ourselves.  It’s by one little consciouences action per day, we can elevate ourselves, regain some control, and improve ourselves and our surroundings.  A simple, but powerful concept.

I’ve written more about this (here), and you can find my introductory video (here).

If you’d like to join me, and thousands of others, in this collective daily practice (got a feeling), please click (here).