I have always believed that an upgrade of your physical space can up your game, calm your mind, and help you become more creative and inspired. In the same way that we strive to surround ourselves with inspiring and positive people in order to evolve, our physical space is as much “our company” as the people around us.

If you own a yoga studio, offering your students a clean and beautiful space will not only benefit you and your staff, it will touch every student who walks through your doors with the same calm and creative spirit! And if you don’t own a studio, you have a home, so this one’s for you too!

There are three main ways to upgrade your space…Decluttering, Redecorating and Remodeling.

Decluttering

There is no way to occupy a space without “stuff” accumulating and decluttering a space is the quickest, most inexpensive way to upgrade and is needed regardless if you choose to go to the next level and re-decorate or remodel.

My friend and Feng Shui expert, Ariele Joseph Towne, once shared a saying:

“What’s going on in your space is what’s going on in your life.”

If you’re sitting in a cluttered space, it’s likely you’ll have less energy, lack creativity, and even suffer from poor self-esteem. A messy cabinet can cause you to spend 15 minutes looking for a misplaced pair of scissors when you could have already been in the lounge conversing with students or on your mat practicing.

When you have decluttered your space, your body actually releases natural endorphins that give you a surge of mental, physical and emotional energy!

Besides the spiritual benefits, some of the additional mental benefits include feeling a sense of accomplishment, increased focus vs. confusion, more space, openness to possibility, freed up time, enthusiasm and much more energy.

Here are some of the organizing ideas that have worked best for me at the studio. They will help you kick start a powerful decluttering mission at home too:

1.    First, identify the items you tend to accumulate.

•    Books, magazines, greeting cards
•    Dead flowers from the past weekend workshop
•    Burned-out candles or incense
•    Expired food
•    Lost and found items
•    Business cards
•    Unread mail
•    Outdated sticky notes, bills and receipts
•    Old, broken items you’ll never get around to fixing
•    Unwanted gifts you feel guilty re-gifting or donating

2.    Use it or Lose it – Don’t be a Hoarder! If you’re not using it, ask why.

Figure out what area is depleting you the most and ask yourself – is this draining me or inspiring me? Sort items according to whether they need to be repaired, replaced or donated.

Is there food in the space that is past its expiration date, is unhealthy or simply does not make you feel your best? In your home, are there clothes you have not worn in over a year?

Each time you bring something new into the space, eliminate two objects you don’t use. Remember that getting rid of things requires a lot of energy on the front end but the pay off in increased energy is totally worth the initial time investment!

3.    Dive into it, but gradually.

•    Take on elimination projects gradually – if you try to embark on the entire space in one day, you’ll be overwhelmed.
•    Commit to one shelf in a cabinet, a drawer or one pile of papers so you’re doing a little bit each day.
•    Have a trash bag for items that can only go to the landfill.
•    Get out a box or two for donation items.
•    Prepare boxes for stuff you plan to store.
•    Start by sorting like items together; rubber bands with rubber bands, pens with pens, etc..
•    Allow for open space on shelves in your cabinets, drawers and fridge if you have one.

Once you’ve purged and sorted your items, be prepared to organize the things you plan to keep so they are easy to find. Everything should have its place so you can put them away where they belong. If what you keep doesn’t have a place, make one.

I’m a huge fan of organizing supplies such as labels, canvas boxes in different colors, and divider trays for every kind of knick knack possible.

It may seem counter intuitive to buy more stuff to hold your stuff, but you don’t need fancy equipment to get organized. Reuse and label jars, shoe boxes, plastic food containers and other container-like items to store your stuff. Cover them in paper if you want them to look more polished.

Organizing might seem like a chore, but if you look at it as part of your overall health and well being, it’s easier to take ownership of the process and embrace it as part of what it takes to manage and live in a home or work in an office. The more you embrace it, the easier it will be!

Redecorating or Redesigning 

Although it will cost more than decluttering, a redesign can bring in a surge of energy and new life that might be just the thing you or your studio needs to grow and transform.

To get started on a redecorating project:

•    Set a clear budget
•    Pick a style of design that matches your taste or studio branding (Rustic, shabby chic, modern, artsy, funky spiritual)
•    Start browsing catalogs online that match your style and budget
•    Shop at local furniture, gift shops and décor stores and get to know local vendors
•    Take careful measurements to make sure that items you find online would work in the space

What if you’re design clueless? Is is worth hiring an expert? Our Story

A year ago 90 Monkeys opened its brick and mortar location, our yoga school & filming studio in downtown Boulder. For many months as we got established we lived with its bare bones decor and mis-matched furnishings until there was a moment to spruce things up. We wanted a cozy lounge where students and community could gather – something raw and modern.

Pictured above: Before the re-design. Laying out where the new furniture would go.

With a B.A. in studio art, I’ve always had an eye for color and beauty. But when it comes to my own style or design for physical spaces I am definitely a bit of a lost cause.

After some major hesitation about budget and whether a professionally designed yoga lounge was necessary (and the realization that it would never get done if I did not ask for help!), I decided that yes, it was time to defer to an expert.

We called upon Liz Finkelstein of Mile High Style, a local design guru in town.  She is without a doubt a master, sovereign in the realm of personal style, eye-appeal, and graceful spaces.

Within the first 2 hours of surveying and measuring the space, Liz had already designed the entire lounge via a Pinterest board.
Liz managed to scout the perfect flooring and pieces and she was great at advising us to stick to our budget even when I wanted to choose the more spendy options (I have a tendency to want only the best!) but she also knew exactly when it would be ideal to splurge on the more expensive items because they would deliver the right outcome in the long run.

Before you knew it, magic was brewing at 90 Monkeys.

Through her strong ties to local businesses and connections with vendors in Boulder, we gained access to fantastic deals, charming items we never otherwise would have found, and great service professionals who helped with some light construction, hanging art, and more.

Everything came together and voila! The space was utterly transformed into a bustling yoga lounge and we could not be happier to welcome our students and see them enjoying the space.

Perhaps the sweetest thing of all is that every time I sit in the lounge with students and friends, I can feel the love and care that has been put into the space and I have a deep confidence that designing this environment with an expert was definitely the right thing to do!

Hiring a designer might just be the way to go if you’re not naturally inclined in the interior design department.

Renovation or Remodeling

Renovation is only necessary if the bare bones of your space are beyond sprucing up or repainting. It could be that the space is so outdated it appears grungy, in disrepair, or the “old charming” look is not in line with your branding. With renovation be prepared not only to purge and declutter your belongings, but also to have a budget for the construction and the decorating once the raw space has been remodeled.

The best way to get a remodel started is to:

•    Ask your landlord to make sure you’re able to do construction in the space
•    Determine if it’s worth remodeling in a space you don’t necessarily own
•    Set a clear budget
•    Ask around to friends and other local businesses about favorite local contractors and architects
•    You can also ask your landlord who they feel comfortable working with
•    Work with architect and contractor on design and come up with a timeline for the project
•    Start shopping for cabinetry, paint colors, flooring, tile, and be prepared to watch over the project as it gets completed!

If a 90 Monkeys in person workshop or training is in your future, we hope to welcome you to our home someday soon!