By Kathleen Berry
The first of the Niyamas, or observances, is Saucha. Saucha relates to purity and cleanliness, inviting purification into our daily lives. I recall my first time reading Deborah Adele’s The Yamas & Niyamas (a staple on many yoga teacher training required reading lists), which contains reflections and homework at the end of each chapter. For Saucha, one of the main assignments was to set aside an entire hour to eat an orange.
My baby yogi brain practically exploded. A WHOLE hour?! I felt so intimidated and overwhelmed. Interestingly, this assignment immediately revealed both the potent power of Saucha and my own lack of it in my life. Beyond cleansing our bodies, Saucha also asks us to purify our minds through simple, pure presence in each moment.
As a society, we have an impossible amount of information and imagery available for consumption each day. We have taken busy schedules and health imbalances and attempted to “biohack” and “habit stack” everything we do in order to become more efficient and productive. It’s a noble cause. Yet, from every angle, we’re also hit with advertisements for things we don’t need, catastrophic news that wrenches the gut, and countless tasks that could “almost-definitely-if-only-we-had-the-discipline” change our lives for the better.
What, then, if Saucha enters the picture? This sneakily simple first Niyama asks that we commit to purity as a way of being. Certainly, yoga and Ayurveda offer incredible purification practices for the body, which in turn support the purity of the mind. Personally, my morning routine contains several Dinacharya (“daily routine”) practices that have, without a doubt, improved my well-being since I implemented them several years ago. Asana has been a grounding force for my mind and body for nearly a decade. And yet, the intention and mindset of purity, like the hour-long orange exercise, can overwhelm me more than the news.
So, as it often happens, my own intentional practice has become clearer through contemplation of Saucha. I wanted to share a few plans and ideas I have to simplify life and create more joy, space, and presence, as Saucha promises to deliver through sincere practice. As we head toward summer, I plan to:
- Intentionally disengage from my phone and specific apps. I purchased a Brick, which will, no kidding, help me limit screen time and increase my own creative practice.
- Participate in a challenge to practice 30 consecutive days of yoga (asana, pranayama, meditation, contemplation/reading, and journaling all count).
- Finally get rid of the big piles of clutter I’ve accumulated over the last year. Having lots of “stuff” has become a habit that consumes space in my mind, and letting it go will give me more freedom and contentment.
- Play less music while practicing and teaching yoga. While creating playlists is one of my favorite hobbies, it’s also incredibly powerful to practice without audible distractions.
Simple, as many of us know, does not mean easy. But it can lead to a form of liberation, which yoga encourages us to discover through the Yamas and Niyamas. Saucha creates space and possibility in our lives. It asks us to be present in body and mind, to declutter, and to let go of assumptions.
“Purity asks that we make full and honest contact with the moment so there is nothing lost and no regrets.”
— Deborah Adele