The Original Detox
The 1st Niyama: Saucha
In our exploration of the philosophy and lifestyle practice of yoga, we’ve arrived at the niyamas: the five precepts that essentially lay out the principles of yogic self-care.
The first niyama is saucha /SHAW-chuh or SHO-chuh/ (also spelled sauca or shaucha - in Sanskrit, there’s a dot under the ‘s’ that indicates a SHH sound). Saucha is translated as purity, cleanliness, or clarity. It is, essentially, the practice of detoxifying the body and mind to create a comfortable home for the spirit.
In this day and age, saucha can be a tricky path to navigate because the concepts of cleansing, detoxing, or purifying oneself are loaded with cultural baggage. Regardless of how times have changed and what we each personally believe, American culture is rooted in Puritanical ideology that has embedded within the collective unconscious the idea that cleanliness is next to godliness: that purity is the path to perfection. The way these concepts - cleansing, detoxifying, and purification - are used in our commercial culture speaks to this desire to not just be well, but perfect.
Major commercial industries sell the idea of attainable perfection by screaming “detox” to promote everything from cosmetics to clothing to vacations. There’s an entire industry devoted to vitamins, supplements, and packaged cleanses. Some people are so fully on the bandwagon of purifying their bodies that they jump from one cleanse to the next and develop deep anxieties about their health and self-worth. Numerous cults (as well as many major religions) have employed the concept of self-purification as a means of attaining and controlling members. In our culture, the words “cleanliness” and “purity” have a distinctly toxic ring to them.
This is largely due to intention. We’re encouraged to “be our best selves” and “live our best lives” - ideas that are incongruous with the yogic philosophies of acceptance and presence. These ideas encourage us to see ourselves as not quite good enough and take us out of the moment-to-moment appreciation for what IS. We lose our sense of true self when we strive to become something else, something pure. The goal ends up being purity or cleanliness for the sake of purity and cleanliness - because these are “perfect” states of being.
So, how do we practice saucha in way that maintains the original yogic intention and serves us in our life journey? We gain persepective on our intention! We practice cleanliness in a way that develops self-awareness, integration, and mindfulness. Instead of striving to “be our best selves”, we strive to “cleanse” ourselves of our conditioning, behavioral patterns, and egos to see who we really are and what this life really means to us. We engage in bodily cleansing and detoxifying practices because they feel good while letting go of the toxic subconscious belief that living “clean” will turn us into better people.
That said, let’s get into the ways that saucha was traditionally practiced by yogis and how we can apply this practice in modern life!
Cleansing the Body
B.K.S. Iyengar’s famous quote lays out the intention of saucha in simple terms:
“The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.”
Traditional yogic practices for cleansing the body can be complex and include dietary restrictions, fasting, physically cleaning out the sinuses and digestive system, as well as bathing and scrubbing the body regularly. It’s important to understand the mindset of ancient yogis: the original intention of yoga was the spiritual experience of enlightenment. Achieving such an extreme goal requires full immersion in an extreme lifestyle. As you read about traditional practices, keep in mind that there are more moderate ways to practice saucha and what matters most is making mindful choices to take care of yourself.
Nourishment: What and How We Eat
Whatever we take into our bodies becomes, quite literally, part of us, so “purifying” the body in a yogic way starts with what we eat. Traditionally, a yogi’s diet would be vegetarian in keeping with ahimsa, the yama that stipulates “do no harm”. Food would be well-cooked and seasoning minimal to aide digestion.
How one ate was as important as what one ate: being mindful to eat in moderation, listening to the body and stopping when full; offering gratitude for their sustenance in recognition of the spiritual exchange taking place with the ingestion of plants and dairy; eating slowly and mindfully. Fasting was done regularly, sometimes as part of a digestive cleansing process, sometimes as a form of self-denial to heighten meditation experiences, spiritual connection, and to gain control over bodily impulses and desires.
These dietary practices are relatively common in our society today: vegetarianism, veganism, and “Meatless Mondays” are mainstream diets and intermittent fasting has been trending for years now. The main takeaway, in my opinion, is to be mindful of what and how you eat, make choices that nourish your body and soul, and learn to listen to your body: notice the way you feel after eating and learn what your body doesn’t process well. Personally, I’ve learned that I can’t eat a sugary dessert or drink alcohol late in the evening - I wake up the next day bloated, foggy-headed, and headachy. I can eat or drink them earlier in the day, which seems give my body time to process them, but they can’t be the last thing I ingest before sleeping. Likewise, sugary or starchy foods for breakfast don’t make me feel good - I need protein as my first meal or I crash midday.
Practicing saucha can mean taking stock of our food sources, how it’s grown/raised, what kinds of chemicals are used to grow or treat it, and how processed it is (less processed or “whole” foods are more nutritious and provide more dietary fiber, for example). We can consider how balanced our diet is and how mindful we are when we eat (scarfing down food vs chewing thoroughly). Take into account the chemicals and pharmaceuticals you take into your body: caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, painkillers, etc. Everything we take in is broken down by the digestive system and distributed among the cells of the body before the waste products are excreted - ALL of it affects how we feel and function.
Saucha doesn’t mean you must restrict your diet entirely, but rather learn what nourishes you, what makes you feel physically and energetically good, and make choices that honor your needs. It’s not about right vs wrong or good vs bad, but living in a way that optimizes your health and well-being.
Skin: the Unsung Hero of Waste Disposal
The skin is the largest organ of the body and creates a barrier of protection from the outside world, but it’s not a fully closed door. Skin is porous, meaning microscopic and minute substances can pass through it. Just like touching mercury will give a person mercury poisoning, everything you put on your skin is absorbed to some extent - lotions, sunscreen, makeup, body paint, even chemicals in the air around you.
As a major component of the body’s elimination system, skin excretes cellular waste products through sweat and oils. If these substances stay on the skin for long periods of time, they will start to be reabsorbed or clog the pores. When skin cells die, they collect on the outer surface of the skin and, if not removed through exfoliation (scrubbing them off), prevent pores from properly secreting wastes and even trap bacteria and yeasts in them.
In traditional yogic practice (as in modern America), bathing the body was considered extremely important. It would often be done several times a day, particularly before and after practicing asana. Asana was recognized as part of the body’s cleansing process, necessary for removal of toxins through sweat and assisting the digestive process. A hot bath beforehand would prepare the tissues of the body for a deeper practice and afterwards it was necessary to wash and exfoliate away the “impurities” the body had expelled.
I can’t speak to the exact science of it, but the sweat that’s expelled during asana often smells different (worse) than regular sweat. I’ve noticed it in my own body and during my 16 years of teaching classes - many students have almost apologetically commented on how they smell unusually bad when they do yoga. It’s entirely anecdotal, but, for me, it’s evidence that a truly detoxifying process is happening when we sweat and move with deep, intentional breathing!
All in all, when practicing saucha, reflect on your bathing and exfoliation practices, the products you use on your skin, and even consider investing in a HEPA air filter if you live in an area with particularly poor air quality. If you don’t tend to sweat regularly, make that a goal: do more active yoga, find another activity that makes you sweat, or get thee to a sauna!
Sinuses and Intestines: Internal Purification
Internally, the parts of our bodies that come into contact with the outside world are the sinuses (breathing in the air constantly, as well as whatever else is in the air) and the digestive system (which handles everything we ingest). Yoga includes many traditional techniques of cleaning out these internal “exposed” parts of the body.
More extreme practices include threading mesh fabric into one nostril and out the other or through the mouth to literally wipe out the sinus cavities. Yogis would even go so far as to swallow a cleansing cloth, essentially threading it from mouth to anus to clean out the guts. Every season, they would cleanse the digestive system with a day-long fast followed by drinking a gallon or so of salt water; the concentration of salt was high enough to prevent the intestines from absorbing the water, allowing it to pass through the system relatively quickly and flush out fecal plaque lining the large intestine, as well as killing and removing parasites from the guts.
While it’s rare to hear of modern yogis partaking in these practices, a more commonly used saucha tool is the neti pot. A neti is a small pot with a spout used to flush warm salt water through the sinuses upon waking, before practicing pranayama. While popular in the west even among non-yogis (to the point where you can often buy them in grocery stores), there are safety precautions to be aware of if you want to try it yourself: you must use distilled water to avoid potentially deadly bacteria reaching your bloodstream and brain. Even though tap water contains chemicals intended to kill such bacteria, it doesn’t always work; when ingested, they may not do much damage, but in your sinuses, there are microscopic openings directly into the bloodstream and brain (which is why snorting certain drugs has such an immediate impact). When I use a neti pot, I always boil the water beforehand, even if it’s distilled, and let it cool before using it. If you’re interested in trying this practice, I recommend this site for its neti pots and instructional videos (most netis sold in stores are too small, in my opinion, to be truly effective).
And if you’re interested in gut and digestive cleanses, these days there are many options available that don’t involve swallowing mesh! Colon cleansing is a common enough practice that there are clinics in most cities that offer enema services by appointment and home enema kits available online to use on your own. If you’re interested in supplemental techniques, my recommendation is the Dr Schulze’s digestive cleanses (I don’t recommend the herbal supplements, but have had amazing results with the Intestinal Formulas 1 and 2). There are tons of cleanses out there, just be sure to research any product thoroughly before using it.
Cleansing the Mind
Saucha is also applicable to thoughts, intentions, and beliefs. Along with several of the yamas, this practice involves becoming aware of harmful self-talk, judgments, anxious catastrophizing, and limiting beliefs like “I’m not good enough”, “I can’t”, “I’m unlucky”, “I’m unlovable”, etc.
Traditionally, yogis spoke of purging “impure thoughts” and “impure deeds”, which, to be honest, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The modern framework for these ideas would be recognizing emotional and nervous system reactivity, working to regulate our emotions and nervous systems, and being mindful of our internal and verbal reactions to others: catching the knee-jerk “What an asshole!” thought when someone cuts us off in traffic and changing it to “They must not have seen me; they may be careless, but they’re human”.
And, as I mentioned earlier, even while practicing saucha, we have room to “purify” our thoughts and beliefs about our practice of saucha: as you make decisions about what to eat, how to treat your body, and become more mindful about your judgments and thought patterns, notice the moments when you’re hard on yourself. Eating a cupcake isn’t a saucha fail, and you weren’t “bad” because you skipped your run and watched tv instead.
Saucha makes us feel better in our bodies and clearer in our minds; it doesn’t make you a better person, or more deserving of love and success, and it’s certainly not about being your “best self”. One of the most important ways to practice saucha is to stop judging yourself and treat yourself with loving kindness.
I’d love to hear about your thoughts and experiences with saucha in the comments!