By regularly checking in with our Unihipili (asking, “How are you feeling?”), we can cultivate an astonishing sense of vitality.
When we face significant challenges, such as financial struggles, health issues, or family problems, we tend to believe that all our suffering and limitations stem from these big issues. We become desperate to solve or clean with those problems.
For me, the key to cleaning is to focus even more on tiny specks of dust—not even proper debris—right in front of me. These are the small things that often go unnoticed but can still be cleaned.
For example, when I feel tired after a conversation with someone, or when I start feeling irritated by videos I used to enjoy, or when dining with my parents—which used to feel natural—now feels off. These minor discomforts, so easy to ignore, are precisely what I clean with whenever I notice them.
The bigger the problem, and the more desperate we are to resolve it, the more essential it becomes to check in with ourselves in the present moment. Ask yourself, “How do I feel?” or “Does this feel right?” Then, simply clean with whatever sensations or voices arise in that moment.
Sometimes, cleaning might be as easy as sweeping away dust. Other times, emotions might become overwhelming and seem to pull you under. The key is not to pick and choose, criticize, or analyze whatever comes up. Simply accept it and clean with it.
We often rank problems as big or small. However, the memories that surface in the present moment are shown to us by our Unihipili as the cleaning that we need right now.
This is why, even if it seems trivial or unrelated, by cleaning with what’s in front of us, we ultimately experience sacred transformations. These changes, often unexpected, can melt away the burdens that once constrained us, just like the thawing of snow.
Peace,
Christine Leimakamae Chu
