Purity in Silence

Tonight's niyama conversation was about saucha - purity. 

Lots of ideas, observations and questions on purity and being pure with something (rather than making something pure) tossed around, but the end result was a collective group homework assignment.

We talked about how easy it is to jump right in and say something when we are in conversation with each other, rather than allowing ourselves to be comfortable with silence.  We talked about meeting people where they are (for realsies!) without giving consideration to any past knowledge we have of one another - showing up to be present for what is true right now for the people we love and interact with.

We talked about how hard that is... to be pure with what is.  What skill of attention and focus and how all of the other yamas will impact our ability to do this.

We got to talking about silent retreats and how a simple step toward purity in observation can be to remove words altogether.

So, as a group, we developed a homework assignment to sit in silence for four hours.  

Rules are:

1.  No words allowed.  No writing, no reading, (None - not on the milk carton, not on the spines to the books on your bookshelf.  Not in lyrics to songs.  No being talked to, no texting, no computer.  No place that words might come up.) Put a sheet over your bookshelf, don't open the fridge. 

2.  Do whatever you want (painting, gardening, walking, sleeping, etc.) but recognize if you're doing that thing to avoid sitting with yourself.  Only allow the need for 'doing' to be whatever it is, and try to limit the time you're 'doing'. 

3.  Journal or take notes about your experience when you're done. 

We agreed we'd all take four hours to do this, and then see what comes up.  We're planning to share our experiences with one another when we meet again to talk about santosha (contentment) in August.

If you're interested in joining the silence, let us know by adding a comment.  I'd love to have more of our community sharing in this exercise of exploration.

In service,
Tracy

Saucha

Saucha

Saucha is a Sanskrit term which translates to purity and cleanliness.

"Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well." - Mohandas Gandhi

Bring cleanliness and order into your environment. The more you treat your surroundings as a temple, the more you welcome the Divine. At the yoga studio, we encourage you to clean your mats and props (rental or otherwise) and then put them away in an orderly fashion. This gives us all a sense of environment. The studio is yours, after all! 

Bring cleanliness and order into your body. The old adage 'you are what you eat' is true! Our physical body is built from the fuel we give it. Mindful eating might bring you to a greater sense of cleanliness and order internally. We encourage you to come to the yoga studio with a clean body, free from heavy perfumes to help us keep the air in the studio clear.

In your asana practice, you can practice saucha by focusing on your breath. The breath is the key to the cleasing benefits of yoga. Deep spinal twists help as well.

Bring cleanliness to your thoughts and deeds. Choose positive thoughts, as our brains can only hold one thought at a time. consider for yourself your intentions in your actions. Are you going through your day with a clear and pure intention? Is there some ulterior motive behind your behaviour? Setting an intention before your asana practice also is a way to practice saucha.

Visit the BYS Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BristolYogaStudioRI and read about how other members of our community
incorporate saucha into their lives. 

This month’s discussion is Tuesday, July 17, 7:30pm.

Join us to talk about the study of saucha and extending yoga from your mat and into your life.