(शौच)
Any entanglement of consciousness in things or
circumstances which have no constructive relationship with the goal of Yoga is
to be regarded as an impurity. This is the essential meaning behind the term Saucha.- Swami Krishnananda
Saucha is an
intention of cleanliness, literally “purity” in body thought and action. In the description of reality presented by
yoga, only the self, Purusha, is
pure and only Avidya, false
perception is impure. Saucha is used as a powerful tool to dissolve ego
identification and the illusion of “the other”. Saucha is the
practice of removing everything that is not essential to the paradigm. A clean
body and mind are able to maintain a satvic frequency, or a frequency conducive to awareness of
subtle resonations and Yoga.
It is important to acknowledge that “pure” and “impure” are
ultimately judgments, or distinctions of the mind. No particular “dirt” is necessarily good or bad, rather Saucha explores our relationship to this “dirt”. Saucha can perhaps best be understood as a sign post,
orientation or directional intention pointing towards ultimate liberation.
Saucha is a natural
directional force in the body, evidenced in the concept of metabolism. The
physical body takes in molecules in the form of food and air. In ideal circumstances what is useful
is integrated and what is not is eliminated. So to, this metabolism functions in the mental and emotional
bodies. We take in information and
in ideal circumstance what is useful is integrated, and everything else we let
go of. Many forms of dis-ease then
can be understood as our inability to let go of toxic molecules, thoughts or
emotions.
Join Me Tomorrow, Sunday for an inspirational and empowering look at how the science of purification can take your practice to the next level.
Saucha (शौच) for the Modern Yogi
Date: Sunday April 22nd (Earthday)
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm
Where: One Yoga
