Beth Bradford
Jan 5, 2023
As you go through your day, it is important to take a few moments to reflect on the health of your actions.
Are you living in a way that is aligned with your values? Are you treating yourself and others with respect? If not, then it might be time to consider practicing saucha, one of the niyamas (observances) of yoga.
Saucha means cleanliness, both physically and mentally. It is about creating a lifestyle that is free from toxins, both internally and externally. This can be done through simple things such as eating healthy foods, meditating daily, and taking breaks from electronics. Saucha also means your thoughts, words, and actions are pure. After all, you can eat as clean as you like, but do you stain your relationships, your community, or the environment with unclean words and actions?
When you practice saucha, you begin to see the world in a new way. You become more aware of the choices you make, both big and small, and how they impact yourself and others. You also develop a greater sense of self-awareness and self-respect.
Benefits of Practicing Saucha
So why is Saucha such an important part of living a healthy life? Simply put, it is because everything is connected. If we want to be healthy and happy, we need to make sure our minds, bodies and spirits are all in alignment. And the best way to do that is by practicing Saucha.
Saucha also encourages the release of emotional trauma that has been stored in the body. This can be done through cleaning and purifying your inner self, as well as your surroundings. With a regular practice of saucha, you can create a more peaceful and harmonious lifestyle for yourself.
Steps to Cleanse Your Space and Yourself With Saucha
To practice saucha in your life, you must declutter your physical and inner spaces. This means getting rid of excess clutter and living a more minimalist lifestyle. It also means purifying your thoughts, words, and actions.
Saucha also includes wearing clean clothes and keeping a clean and dedicated yoga space. This helps to reduce the amount of impurities that you come into contact with on a daily basis.
The Mindful Benefits of Living a Clean and Simple Life
Practicing Saucha encourages us to live a clean and simple life in ways that connect with and practice mindfulness. Saucha asks us to not only keep our bodies and minds clean, but also to remove the debris of our thoughts, words, emotions, and actions that do not align with living a life according to integrity. It is about creating lasting positive and affirming conditions for ourselves. Therefore, saucha calls us to be more mindful of how aligned all aspects of our lives are with one another. In other words, it makes no sense to advocate clean eating when you use foul language when in conflict with another.
Incorporating Saucha Into Your Everyday Routine
Incorporating saucha into your everyday routine is a great way to be mindful of your actions and align yourself with healthy living. Start by taking a few minutes each day to create an area of peace and cleanliness. This can be as simple as cleaning up the clutter on your desk, washing dishes, or just taking the time to air out your house. As you complete these tasks, take the opportunity to reflect on the power of intention and how you can use it for positive transformation. When you start paying attention to how cleanliness affects your mood and energy, you will find that making efforts towards saucha will become second nature.
Optimizing the Benefits of Practicing the Saucha Niyama
As you practice the Saucha Niyama, you can optimize the benefits you feel by taking things one step further. To do so, make sure to incorporate mindfulness and conscious choices into your practice. Be aware of your thoughts, beliefs, and actions - including how they affect others - and strive to bring them into alignment with your desired outcome of healthy living. Also think about ways that you can take small yet meaningful steps towards greater purity in all dimensions of life - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
Conclusion
Saucha is one of the five yoga observances (niyamas) and is an essential practice for purifying and cleansing the body, mind, and spirit. When you practice saucha, you create an environment of cleanliness and purity inside and around you, which supports your overall health and well-being. Saucha is also a keystone habit that can help you to align yourself with healthy living and create positive change in your life.