How to Practice Saucha, Purity

The yoga niyamas are the second limb of the eight-limbed path of yoga. Similar to the yamas, students should have a solid understanding and application of the niyamas before diving into the practice of yoga asana or yoga postures. While the yoga yamas are moral disciplines that focus on how you interact with the world around you, the niyamas are mental observances. As with each limb, the niyamas guide you deeper into the layers of your being, and closer to your core self.

The First Niyama, Saucha

Saucha means purity or cleanliness and is the first niyama of the eight-limbed path of yoga. Being the first yama, saucha effortlessly ties in the practice of yoga’s previous limb; the yoga yamas. The yamas are moral disciplines intended to guide the practitioner to a blissful state. This state of bliss, or equanimity comes with a decluttered mind.

Additionally, the yoga yamas play heavily into the philosophy of karma. Karma is the concept of your actions having an effect on your future experiences and can be accumulated throughout your current, and past lives. By practicing the yoga yamas, not only are you decluttering your mind, but you’re accumulating good karma and purifying your karmic energy. This makes Saucha the perfect segue as the first niyama in the second limb of the eight-limbed path of yoga.

4 Ways to Practice Saucha

While the niyamas are internal, mental disciplines, they can be observed in everyday life experiences and on your yoga mat in your personal practice. Here are five different ways you can actively observe and practice Saucha:

Keeping a clean space

Keeping your environment clean and clutter-free helps you focus and maintain a clear head. Start small here and work your way up. Remove clutter from your surfaces, organize your closet, clean out your junk drawer etc.

Daily hygiene habits

Your body is your temple and keeping your body clean, inside and out, will help you maintain your physical health and avoid disease. You don’t have to go all out with a juice cleanse or fad diet here. Instead, eat easy to digest foods that nourish your body and leave you feeling energized. Consider your dosha, or ayurvedic body type, and eat foods that pacify your body’s natural energy.

Mindfulness & meditation practices

Mindfulness techniques help you focus and ground you into the present moment. Through practicing mindfulness and meditation, you can clear your mind of any sticky thoughts that may be lingering. This doesn’t mean thoughts won’t occur, but your distraction by the thoughts will lessen as you continue to bring your focus back to the present moment.

Yoga asana

The yoga postures help purify your mind and body through cultivating mindfulness, removing physical and energetic blocks, and offering detoxifying your body’s soft tissues. It’s an internal practice of purification that works into the deeper layers of your physical, emotional, and energetic body.

Additional Resources on the Eight-Limbed Path of Yoga & the Yoga Niyamas:

Living Your Yoga by Judith Lasater

The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practices by Deborah Adele

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