Cleanliness & minimalism / essentialism
By Tati von Yoga, August 2023
Today I’ll be sharing with you a bit more info on what saucha is, and how you can add it to your yoga practice and life.
Saucha, meaning cleanliness or purity, and refers to cleanliness of our body, mind, spirit and surroundings, all of which help to direct us towards a pure and positive life.
Saucha is one of the five Niyamas, which form one of the 8 limbs of yoga. Niyamas are like "jewels" (as author Deborah Adele likes to call them), poiting out the way to a well lived life.
According to the ancient yogis, the impurities in our surroundings can affect our state of mind and prevent us from attaining wisdom and spiritual liberation (moksha).
I'm sure we can all relate to that fresh perspective and mood boost we get when we are in a clean environment, walking around after a heavy rain, sliding into freshly laundered bedsheets, getting a haircut, or a shower after a particularly strenuous day.
Minimalism is quite trendy at the moment, and although I do try to live with only the essentials, I don’t actively try to possess as little as possible. That said, it can be enormously freeing to declutter and minimise some of your possessions. Science is now showing that having a clean and ordered home can actually reduce stress levels and lead to more harmonious relationships with your cohabitants. Go check out Youtube for some minimalism and decluttering inspiration!
Saucha can be achieved through external and internal purification.
Here are a few ideas of how you can practice saucha externally:
🧼Deep clean your home: tidy up, clean all those neglected areas, wash the windows, mirrors etc.
🧼 Clothing: mend items and depill, get the dry cleaning done, and rehome / recycle / donate anything that needs letting go of.
🧼 Health: Book all your yearly checkups - dentist, GP, optometrist etc.
🧼 Sweat it out: cleansing the body by helping the detoxification processes in the body through rigorous exercise or sweating it out in the sauna or steam room.
🧼Home remedies: there are so many effective and simple ayurvedic skin and body care practices you can do (that are also relatively cheap). Things like dry brushing, gua sha and jade rollers, homemade treatments like an exfoliating oatmeal body scrub, castor oil packs, bath or foot soak with epsom salts, and if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, using a neti pot.
🧼 Nourishment: try an ayurvedic cleanse or detox. This one is great as you’re not restricting as with many juice detoxes and fad diets, but rather focusing on nourishing the body with healthy and vitalising foods. There are also specific foods you can incorporate that help the liver in detoxifying the body.
Here are a few ideas of how you can practice saucha internally:
🧼Digital detox: minimise / go technology free for a day or 2. This one is definitely a challenging one, but its a great way to switch off, and if you’re prone to getting stuck in the comparison trap, this can really be a beneficial practice.
🧼Journal after a yoga nidra: of course you can do either or, but having them in combination is such a great way to get in touch with your emotional body and explore limiting beliefs, set new goals, and generally do a bit of mental and emotional housekeeping. You can find my free yoga nidras here.
🧼Gratitude and positive affirmations: such simple yet effective practices. They can help us cultivate pure intentions, focus on the positives in our life and bring awareness to the associated emotions (love and compassion), as well as clean up any stagnant thought patterns we might be stuck in.
🧼Having a good cry: emotions are energy in motion, and by allowing ourselves to feel them fully, we can release and let them go.
How to practice saucha on the mat?
Pranayama is a great way to cleanse the nadis, or energy channels. My favourite is alternate nostril breathing and lions breath.
Legs up the wall (or any other inversion) which helps the lymph flow. This is a great way to aid the detoxification processes of the body.
Meditation
I would love to see you in the comments below with some of your favourite ways to practice saucha, and what benefits it has had on your life.
