In the past 10 years I have become familiar with the yamas and niyamas. I would pick one out of a book, read it in my yoga classes and try to teach myself and others in the class about what they are. (For those that aren’t aware, the yamas and niyamas are rules or ways to live as yogis.) I have to admit, some seemed to just sink in…like the niyama – saucha. This has always been a favorite of mine.
Saucha is the first of the five niyamas. It means purity or cleanliness. As a system in whole, yoga is a practice that unifies body, mind and spirit. Therefore saucha can be explored from a physical, mental, or emotional standpoint. The easiest way to understand saucha from a physical standpoint is to cleanse or detox your body. I don’t always eat right. I have to admit it. And there are a lot of times that I feel weighted down, bloated and just out of sorts from overeating or eating too many of the wrong things. Everybody is different when it comes to food. I very often don’t get the fruits and vegetables I need. I know that when I pay more attention and eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains that my body feels better overall. This is saucha… to take away the junk, to cleanse the body. Spring is a great time to detox the body. But the niyama saucha means we should strive to live this way also. So consider a detox or cleanse as the weather starts to change and we move into Spring. Then after the detox or cleanse, notice how you feel. I think you’ll notice a nice change for your body, mind and spirit.