Un-slump Yourself – through Saucha or Cleanliness

Hello Friends!  How are you feeling?  Last month I was definitely feeling off-kilter.  I was grouchy, snapping at my kids for any misbehavior, rude towards my dad, and not as compassionate as I wanted to be towards my mother and husband.  I had a realization recently – I was in a Slump.  But good news, I’m almost out of it. Today, I am sharing my `experience and growth, for any of you that may struggle with this occasionally too.  Or maybe you’re perfectly content but your partner or neighbor is?  (I mean, I could use this for a friend….) Save this post, forward to him or her, and read on to learn how Saucha, which is Sanskrit for Cleanliness, can help overcome your or your friend’s slump. 

What is a Slump?

Let’s start with the definition of a Slump, one of which means ‘to fail or decline substantially.’  Ouch.  Its origin is Norwegian slumpe meaning to fall and was later used in the 17^th century in the sense ‘to fall into a bog.’  But where I first learned the word, was in my favorite Dr. Seuss book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

“And, when you’re in a Slump,

you’re not in for much fun.

Un-slumping yourself

is not easily done.”

Dr seuss, “Oh the places you’ll go”

Before I depress anyone, let’s skip to the end of the book,

“And will you Succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4″ percent guaranteed.)

KID YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!”

DR SEUSS, “OH THE PLACES YOU’LL GO”

That’s pretty good odds, right?  And after taking action following this read, you’ll eliminate the 1 and 1/4” percent off-chance. 

You have the tools

Today we are not going to discuss what our slump is, or why it is.  We’re not going to problem solve any of our challenges or search for solutions.  There’s a time and place for that, but it’s not today.  Your slump may be caused by circumstances that are out of your control, or a mess you’ve made up all by yourself.  I’ve experienced both situations.  And for our purposes today, it doesn’t matter, let it go.

I am a firm believer that You are the only person who can get you out of your slump.  We are not waiting for a Prince or a knight in shining armor, or a promotion, or our proverbial ship to come in.  You have all the tools to dig your way out of the bog.  I like how the author of one of my favorite devotionals, “Simple Abundance,” puts it,

“We are all given a choice each day. We can react negatively to the demands made on us or we can choose to live abundantly, to transform the negative into the meaningful. Attitude is all.”

Sarah ban breathnach, “simple abundance”

There are many tools or tactics we can use to uplift ourselves, and boy do I have a lot of ideas, but today I’m narrowing it down to one – Saucha. 

The 8 limbs of Yoga and Saucha

When I went through Yoga Teacher Training, one of our lessons was dedicated to the 8 Limbs of Yoga.  What I learned, was that traditional Yogis follow these guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. The 8 limbs are written about in detail in the “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” which is a collection of Sanksrit sutras on the theory and practice of yoga. 

The first two limbs describe the Yamas (restraints) and Niyamas (observances). This blog in Yoga International describes it well, explaining,

“These are sometimes collectively referred to as the “Ten Commandments of Yoga”…The Yamas are often said to be about our relationship to the world, the Niyamas about our relationship with ourselves.”

The first Niyama is Saucha, or Cleanliness.  There are several layers, and different ways you can practice Saucha.  I’ll describe a few here. 

Saucha – Physical Cleanliness

One way is through physical cleanliness like bathing, washing hands, or keeping a clean environment.  Let’s take a poll, how clean is your house right now?  Do the following quotes ring true for you like it does for me? 

“Like it or not, the personalities of our homes are accurate barometers that reflect…what’s going on in our lives and who we are – today this moment – not where we’re heading”

“The house is strewn with real-life refuse, reflecting outwardly the disarray of my mind at the moment.”

Sarah ban breathnach, author of “simple abundance”

This was, I believe, the root of my slump last month.  And like I said, while the reason doesn’t matter, I will briefly describe my home situation to set the scene.  I am a working mother, and wife of a small-business-owner who works A Lot.  Together we have a 2 and 5-year-old whose life missions are dedicated to making our house a disaster.

 Every morning, after I pack my kids into their car seats, rushing to get them to school and me to work on time, with lunches, backpacks, homework and diapers.  After, I return to the door to lock it, and stare at the mess I leave inside, with such disappointment. 

2 months ago, completely exhausted, I enlisted my parents, who live in NY, to fly out to visit and help with the household management.  After the first week, my mother fell and broke her hip.  I could write a lot about the stress and scare that was for all of us, but for our purpose here, I will just say, our house was doubly messy after!  Their 2-week stay turned into 5 weeks, where my mom was confined to a wheelchair.  Not only could she not help out with our normal cleaning duties, my dad and I actually had to help keep her clean.  I helped her shower, and my dad facilitated with her bodily functions, lets leave it at that.  One day I dropped the kids off and went back home and put on my earphones and scrubbed the floor with such intensity, I probably scared my parents. Work had to wait that day. I had a desperate need to control something.   And I’ll tell you, afterwards, I felt much better!

Sarah, the author I quoted earlier writes a lot about reframing the way you think about cleaning and lists great personages of history who believed similarly like Anthony Lawlor,

“The most immediate way of deepening soulfulness in a home is through cleaning and repair…In the rush of modern living, cleaning can be a technique for settling down and engaging in the simple pleasures of bringing order to our personal corner of the world.” 

Amen.  I couldn’t solve my mom’s hip fracture.  I can’t make her walk and I can’t make my dad hear.  My options were to succumb to the disappointment…or I could clean and control the one thing that’s available to me.  So, as Sarah suggests, the next time you see the dishes piled high, turn your sigh into a smile and reframe your chore to an act of reverence.  Easier said than done, I know.   

 

Saucha – Bodily cleanliness

There are 2 great ways to achieve bodily cleanliness – Proper nutrition and Yoga (my favorite!).  Nutrition is self-explanatory – you get out what you put in.  I feel terrible in weeks when I overindulge in coffee and wine.  But when I make the effort to eat more whole foods and vegetables and drink more water, it shows in my skin, my stomach feels better, and I just feel, well, healthier.  

In yoga we practice Asana, or postures, and Pranayama or intentional breathing, both of which cleanse the body.  BKS Iyengar writes in his book, “Light on Yoga,”

“The practice of asanas tone the entire body and remove the toxins and impurities caused by overindulgence. Pranayama cleanses and aerates the lungs, oxygenates the blood and purifies the nerves. “

Did you think yoga just stretched you out?  Oh no, there are so many more benefits!  Throughout the month of May, in the yoga classes I teach, our intention will be Saucha.  Our sequence will incorporate many twisting postures to cleanse our body from the inside out.  I’ll stop here before I get carried away.  Come take a class!  Details here.  

Saucha – Mental Cleanliness

For a deeper dive into Saucha, consider reflecting on the cleanliness of the Mind also.  Iyengar also writes,

“But more important than the physical cleansing of the body is the cleansing of the mind of its disturbing emotions…and the cleansing of the intellect of impure thoughts. This internal cleansing gives radiance and joy.”

BKS Iyengar, auther of “light on yoga”

Some ways to do this would be to review what you’re your mind is consuming and how you feel after.  This could be TV, News, social media, friends, etc.  If there are sources of stimuli that drain you or upset you, can you step away from them for a while?  Or are there sources that energize you?  Pastors, podcasts, books, music?  Can you lean into those more?  What you consume affects your thoughts, and thoughts are powerful.  Have you heard the quote by Mahatma Gandhi,

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,

Your thoughts become your words,

Your words become your actions,

Your actions become your habits,

Your habits become your values,

Your values become your destiny.”

Destiny, wow.  That makes me want to decline a raunchy Netflix binge and listen to a meditation instead. 

Saucha – Energetic cleanse

Okay this next tip is admittedly, a little out there.  And I just started this practice myself. But I think it works!  What if I told you, the energy around you can be cleansed?  Well, many cultures believe this emphatically, and do so regularly by Smudging.  This is a practice that is believed to dispel the negative energy away from an environment or cleanse specific objects.  

Different cultures have different processes, but the gist of is, that you open the windows, and light a sage bundle, or smudge stick, and wave the smoke around the space you want cleansed.  The smoke whisks the negativity out the window, and then your environment is prepared for you to go about your business, meditation, self-care, event, etc.  I am certainly not an expert, but I’ve recently consulted some. Last month, in preparation for my blog post about the Chakra energy centers, I researched the subject by reading the book, “Chakras and Self-Care,” visiting the store The Chakra Shack in Laguna Beach, talking with the energy healers there, and also, maybe easier for you, reading this blog which lists the many benefits, some of which have scientific papers written on it!  For example,  

“Burning sage is thought to release negative ions.  This is said to help neutralize positive ions… allergens like pet dander, pollution, dust, mold.”

If the energy cleanse isn’t impactful, maybe you’ll just sneeze less, win-win!

Conclusion

When you’re in a slump, or feeling off, I hope I’ve given you a few tools to reclaim your positivity.  Life throws us so many curve balls.  But I challenge us all to maintain a can-do attitude and proactively search for ways to uplift ourselves.  What’s your takeaway from this read?  Will you practice Saucha by getting out the swiffer to clean your floors, or buying a smudge stick to cleanse your energy?  Maybe reserving the Dr. Seuss book from the library?  It’s super powerful – confession – I still tear up sometimes when I read this book to my daughter.  Leave a comment below and share your Saucha commitment!  And I’ll leave you with one more quote from the book.  Thanks for visiting, friends, and I hope to see your happy face soon.