Saucha

Saucha the first of the niyamas (integrating attitude and action into your life.) Saucha means purity or simplification. We can better hear our bodies intuition and become more aware with less distraction.

In a world filled with distraction it can seem overwhelming to find a way to purify or simplify life. What a time to do that but during social distancing? Maybe we can find the gifts in this difficult time? I used to look around at the moms on my street some with 2-4 kids, some running around like crazy caring for 3 under 3 or running around quite literally in their cars taking this one and that one to all the activities, I wonder why they do this to themselves. Their over activity and complexity of life leads to more and more stress and tension and not just for them, but their kids too. They are eating on the run and sitting on their phones and I-pads on the car rides to and fro. They don’t pay attention to where they are going and the moms often arriving with so much on their mind, they don’t even remember how they got there. Eventually something will give. The multi-tasking, the consumerism, the over-saturation of information, the saying yes to everything, the keeping up with the Jones’ reeks havoc on our adrenals, our nervous system, our health until we self-induce stress related illness. Maybe this time of social distancing is a gift of a break from forcing ourselves to be on the go all the time? How do you feel about it? It’s stressful, but if we give in to the moment of rest, what happens?

How can we find ways to function in this world, find peace among chaos? How can we purify the mental and physical stimulation and learn to enjoy boredom? How can we go back to a life of enjoying simple pleasures without immediate gratification?

First we have to eliminate clutter. Clutter in our homes, in our activities, and in our minds. What can you drop from your life, say no to, in order to focus more clearly on one thing at a time? Can you clean out a drawer, a closet? Maybe you already have with nothing else to do at home?
Do something that costs nothing like a mediation walk without a goal in mind? Instead of reaching for your phone or the remote or food sit with your breath and your senses?

For me, it’s shutting off the radio and podcasts and audio books when I’m in the car for short trips and just listening to my breaths. Being fully aware of the sensations in my body and the life whirling around me. It’s taking a bath without a book or my phone. It’s taking a walk without my phone, without taking pictures of the things I find beautiful. It is simply being in the moment fully present. It’s teaching my kid when he says, “I’m bored” that being bored is actually a blessing in disguise.