Dear friends,

Last month, we focused on beginning anew, being the tracker in our own life to figure out what makes us come alive, and knowing when we’ve lost our way so that we can course correct.

I am on a path of doing inner work that is stirring up a lot of stuff I’ve been carrying for most of my life. I think I am moving towards being able to put it all (or much of it) down and walk away without looking back, but I’m not there yet. I’m on edge. I snap easily at work. I feel sad/angry/emotional/frustrated, but I also experience the opposite emotions of gratitude, joy and contentment every day. It is hard to navigate, and I feel myself leaning on that idea of beginning again in each moment, with each breath, especially after I’ve let my anger get the best of me.

Yoga offers us the yamas (restraints) and niyamas (observances) to help us navigate life in an ethical way. Somewhere between 200BCE and 200CE a sage in Ancient India named Patanjali wrote (or co-wrote) the Yoga Sutras, which include the yamas and niyamas, to compile existing teachings into a text that could be understood and shared widely.

Based on what I am experiencing in my own life and betting that you can relate to what I’ve shared, I’d like to focus on the niyama Saucha this month. Often translated as “cleanliness,” it goes much deeper than simple hygiene. It is more about purity of heart, mind, and body. When we practice Saucha, we get rid of the things that aren’t serving us. We clean house, so to speak. Let’s look at how we can apply the principle of saucha from outermost to innermost.

Declutter, organize, and share

We can start practicing saucha by clearing out our living space. While you don’t need to “Marie Kondo” your whole house, you can identify the things that might be helpful to someone else, that don’t spark joy any longer, or that you simply no longer need or want. Remember, you can bring anything but furniture to me and I will deliver it to A Wider Circle, which collects household items and clothing for people who are moving out of homelessness. I was there recently and saw a mom and her tween son who had just been shopping in the warehouse to outfit their first apartment. The joy on their faces as they stood with the beautiful lighting, bedding, and clothing they had chosen was life affirming.

Practice saucha by treating your home with the same reverence you treat your body.

Cleanse your body

Beyond daily hygiene, how can you practice saucha with the physical body? Think of each bit of food and drink you consume. Be aware of where it came from and how it will sustain you. Be grateful for it and send blessings to those who grew, harvested, and delivered it to you. Eat foods that make you feel light and strong, not sluggish and tired. Eat and drink in moderation.

Practice saucha by honoring your body as your temple.

Be clear, be intentional, be a witness

Continuing inward to the mind and the spirit, we know that the mind can be messy. Saucha can help us clean up our thoughts. What are we consuming that does not serve? Too much social media, too many news sources, and not enough intention and purpose behind what we read, do and say? For me, when I am on edge but am not aware, it comes out in ways that are unhealthy and unhelpful. However, when I can watch my thoughts with what author, therapist and Buddhist teacher Sylvia Boorstein calls spacious observation, I can feel what is happening in my body, I can feel the anger or frustration rising, and then pause. That pause can save me from saying something hurtful, or it can help me express my feelings in a way that they can be heard. Saucha helps us see what judgments, fears, anxieties, and self-criticisms need to be swept away so that we can live from a place of clear energy and calm.

Practice saucha by consuming media in moderation and observing your thoughts and feelings with clear eyes and heartfelt understanding of your Self.

Be grateful

“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” is Saucha’s game day chant! Gratitude is the ultimate tool to wipe our very messy, mixed-up slates clean. Every day, wake up and make a list in your head or write down the things, people, and experiences for which you’re grateful before your feet hit the floor. Purify your heart any chance you get with gratitude. Fill up on the stuff—no need for moderation in this area!

Practice saucha with active gratitude for who you are and all the blessings in your life.

On our mats, we will do breathwork that cleanses and we will key in on opening the hips.

I am always walking right beside you on this journey into Self, our divinity, our consciousness. So, so often I don’t get it right, but I keep going and I give myself as much TLC and forgiveness as I can. See you out there on the path—if it’s a little overgrown, do some sweeping, clear the cobwebs off, and keep walking.

Love,

Kate