Saucha

Purity. Cleanliness. Clearness. 

Does this mean we have to use EVEN MORE hand sanitizer? Gosh... my skin is already so dry from months of using it probably too frequently. Covid-19 has turned us all into extreme cleaners - using bleach and peroxide and 70%-plus alcohol on every one of our belongings and throughout our houses. But have we cleaned up our own lives? 

Can purity be a real thing? Of course cleanliness and tidying is a real part of our lives. But can a person be purely pure? I have some trouble with this concept. No matter what we do, we affect other parts of the world, our lives. But in yoga, we always strive to be better than we are. Are we taking care of ourselves and our spaces in which we live? 

What parts of your life do you feel you could tidy up or clean? Maybe your closet is full of unworn clothes: maybe some could go to a women's shelter or non-profit trying to help people find work? Is your garden full of weeds because your life is too busy to do the outdoor work? Maybe you need to find time for yourself AND your garden. 

What about your calendar? How cluttered is that? 

Before Covid-19 shut everything down, my calendar was always full with very little room for myself. I realized self-care is part of ahimsa - non-violence, not harming myself. But is our daily thinking overly full? How can we tidy up our lives in order to give ourselves space to think, to clear our head-space? 

Saucha is not just purity of body. It's not all about eating nothing but kale and shaving our head... it's about clearing the cobwebs in our lives so we can think pure thoughts. It's about making sure we are organized in a way that allows us to better serve others. It helps us stay connected to our inner well-being in order to live a more emotionally full life and finding contentment, the ultimate goal of our yoga practice. 

Sources: 
​How Tidying Up can improve our Mental Health
Ways Cleaning Can Alleviate Stress
Emily Ley (creator of Simplified Planners) Grace Not Perfection