“Yoga is designed to bring you more and more awareness of not only your body but also your thoughts.   While the Yamas translates as “restraints”, the niyamas means “observances”. - yoga - awareness, awareness without judgement" - Gurumukh

 

Last week I introduced, or refreshed your memory of, the 1st Niyama: Saucha.  Remember there are 5 Niyamas which are rules of personal behavior.  They are things to do, or observances.  The personal practices that relate to our inner world. Saucha translates as purity.  Together we can purify and cleanse our bodies, our thoughts, our words and our actions.  In doing so we give ourselves the opportunity to clear toxins, distractions and scatteredness.  As well as feeling less cluttered and heavy, bringing about a clarity and a brightness.  

 

Our intention - Poke, Provoke, Confront and Elevate is perfect!  In class today we did a lot of forward folds as I prompted everyone to get comfortable with going inside and doing the self study work for the purpose of discovering what needs to be “cleansed” - is it physical? Emotional and mental?, spiritual? or all of the above??!!  We also twisted quite a bit as I prompted us to let go of what we uncovered - this opens up space for the “elevate” part of the intention.  We identify the heaviness, confront it and then let it go and move on into our bigger lives, bigger because we are no longer bogged down by our burdens.  This is very helpful this month for all of us as we transition from summer to fall, possibly no routine to routine, maybe we changed jobs or locations or maybe life is exactly the same as it was last month which is uncomfortable because we “should” be transitioning but COVID is holding us back.  Wherever you are right now and wherever you are going, this work can support you as much or as little as you want it to.  

 

Here are a few questions from the spring cleanse during our Saucha studies:

 

1.Does your body feel sluggish? 

 

2.If so, what can you do to help yourself in this area?

 

3.Do you need to purify your thoughts and speech?

 

4.If so, what can you do to help yourself in this area?

 

5.Do you need to purify your relationship with yourself? - leave yourself alone! 

 

6.If so, what can you do to help yourself in this area?

 

7.Do you need to purify the moment?

 

8.If so, what can you do to help yourself in this area?

 

9.Do you need to purify your physical space?

 

10.If so, what can you do to help yourself in this area?

 

Take a few moments to reread and write some answers to these questions as you comfortably dive deep into self study this month - Poke, Provoke, Confront and Elevate.