Saucha

With my exploration of the Yamas complete, I'll now start looking at the Niyamas. Whereas the five Yamas are personal restraints or abstinences, the five Niyamas are observances.

The first Niyama is Saucha, meaning cleanliness or purity. It's important to keep our minds, bodies, and environments clean and tidy. I like to think of Saucha directly referencing the last Yama, Aparigraha or non-possession. With Aparigraha, we take time to declutter and release. Now we are instructed to keep those spaces in our lives clean and tidy. And when it comes to replacing mental and emotional though processes and habit, only take on what is pure, clean, and positive.

When I have an important project to complete, one of the top things on my project prep list is to clean my space. When my environment is organized and uncluttered, my mind is too. I'm able to focus on the task at hand. That's Saucha at work.