In the Sanskrit language there is a the word, Sauca; {sow.cha} meaning, to be pure, to be clean The Bible mentions Jesus washing feet and receiving a foot wash as not only a nightly ritual, but an act of loving service. Showers, baths, brushing teeth, steam rooms, Hydocolonics, cleansing diets, these are the cleansing rituals of our modern culture. Cleaning our selves is part of being a living being because everyday,we get dirty. In Yoga teachings, we learn that being clean is part of the Yogic path. It is just as revered as breathing and the Asanas (Yoga Postures), or study of scriptures. What gets us dirty is a lot. First there is the environment. Walking to the bank this morning 5-6 people blew cigarette smoke in my face, 2 trucks released big bouts of engine smoke in my path, and I walked by a car with a gas leak that was creating some major smell pollution. These experiences have an effect on the health of our bodies.
We also have the pollution of what we put in our own bodies. Our food choices, non organic foods, packaged foods full of preservatives, meats with hormones and the outcome of miserable, suffering animals, alcohol, pills, chemical sweeteners, the list could go on and on. Not even to mention the harmful chemicals in beauty products and household cleaning products and laundry detergents. Then there is the deeper layer of dirt. The emotional stuff. The anger, fear, hate, sorrow, loneliness. These emotions can be cleaned out too. We don't have to carry them around, nor the other poisons.
There are ways, practices and techniques to rid ourselves of these impurities. In light of my upcoming Detox Yoga Workshop on August 22nd at COIL, I will be writing about the reasons and solutions for these cleansings and fresh starts for our bodies and souls.
If you have any information to share, or questions to ask, please share them here on Blogger, or email me at: sarahbadorineyoga@gmail.com For now, lets take a cleansing breath, long and slow in the nose, push from your belly, out the mouth. Now that is a good start.
