My new life goal is to completely skip the entire month of February… or at least spend it vacating on a warm beach, somewhere far far away from blizzards (and adult life decision making.) I think of vacation as a refreshing re-set: a time for me to tune out in order to tune in. And, interestingly, it’s an important aspect of Yoga Philosophy; the personal practice of saucha is basically a mental vacation.
At its core, saucha (one of the five niyamas) is an invitation to clean out mental and physical clutter to get clear about what really matters. In English, it translates to “clarity, purity and purposeful self-care.”
Saucha asks us to take a step back from the chaotic lifestyle of information overload that we are accustomed to and the copious acquisition of more, more, more that our society promotes. It asks us to take a breather, organize our living space with care, clean our yoga mats with deliberate consideration and most importantly, limit interaction with information input that leads to chaotic thinking (hello, 24 hour news cycle).
In my previous post, I asked you to do your spring cleaning early. Cleaning house is just one expression of saucha.
This week, I challenge you to practice saucha in these ways:
- turn off your phone for 1 hour
- take a 24 hour break from news media
- take a week sabbatical from TV
- make your “to-do list” before you go to bed at night to mentally clear your mind for better sleep
- dedicate a Power Hour one day a week where you complete all the “5 minute tasks” that tend to build up (renew your license plates, finish the laundry, write that thank you note, plan your weekly work-outs)
- commit to 15 minutes of silent time daily for 1 week; try starting your silent time with the mantra “I tune out, to tune in. I am grateful for this mental space.”
Give yourself permission to take a mental vacation; notice how you feel after trying these saucha practices. Appreciate the rare and treasured moments of clarity that arise.
Happy mental cleaning,
-lisa
More about saucha:
saucha: the one-minute rule of tidiness.