Spring Cleaning!

My yoga training reflects the philosophy of Pattabhi Jois's Ashtanga Yoga, including the Eight Limbs of Yoga.  While yoga is not considered religious, the Eight Limbs are akin to the Bible's Ten Commandments, and are the foundation of Yoga on and off the mat.  The first two limbs are the Yamas and the Niyamas.

Practiced together, according to author Charlotte Bell ("Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life") they form a "solid, fertile foundation in which to cultivate the settled mind." While the Yamas are the way we perceive the environment, the Niyamas are now how we perceive ourselves. They are daily practices that only enhance our lives and complement our yoga practice. The Niyamas are Saucha (purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (discipline), Svadhyaya (self-study) and Isvarapranidana (surrender to Grace). We will cover one each week.

The first of the niyamas is Saucha, or cleanliness. And as I have stated to my class before, since you all are in charge of your own hygiene this will not be a lecture on how to smell sweet and pretty for your classmates (but please do!). Saucha, for me means cleanliness of the mind - where we learn to take only what we need and get rid of what we don't. Decluttering. In the Spring, we dust off the winter, and turn over a new leaf by practicing the semi-annual Spring cleaning.  Spring is a good time to think about Saucha from a nutritional perspective. Here are some ways to practice Saucha at home:

• Think about eating clean, unprocessed foods. Note the difference you feel with you eat a fresh plum (one ingredient) vs a bag of Doritos (39 ingredients).
• Practice making your plate at least 50% fruits and veggies.
• Clean out the clutter - start by opening up the house, airing it out, then go to the cabinets - purge the Christmas candy and the jar of fluff.  Once you have conquered that, get rid of the emotional clutter that you don't need. 
• Is something eating away at you that is making you snap at the kids or your spouse? Can you let it go? Or resolve it and move on? Those "dirty" thoughts are dirtying up your actions.
• Decide not to be burdened by someone whose actions way you down. Sometimes it feels really good to say "No."

Saucha is about cleaning up your actions, and more about being mindful - paying attention to your thoughts and cleaning them up. Without them, your life will feel lighter, freer, and ready for warmer weather.

"Simplicity, clarity, singleness - these are things that give life power and vividness and joy." Richard Hallowell