We will be featuring excerpts from the Punk Rock Yoga Manifesto to encourage discussion and an exchange of ideas. Please comment and add your thoughts on this aspect of yoga practice.
Purity (saucha)
Saucha (SHAUW-chah)
Definition: “By purification arises disgust for one’s own body and for contact with other bodies”—Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda
Let’s consider this niyama in two steps: purification, and how the yogis would define “disgust” or disinterest. The yogis believe that cleanliness is not next to godliness—it is godliness. The purification concept can begin with your physical yoga practice and daily cleansing rituals, then extend into mental purification; it includes mind, body, and living space. If your body and the space in which you practice yoga poses and meditation are not clean, that makes it all the more difficult to cleanse the mind. In a rough example, you cannot really meditate with five cups of coffee coursing through your system.
Some yogis will insist that your yoga practice space consist solely of a mat, and perhaps a blanket. In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, we are instructed to cleanse the walls of our space with cow dung to fight disease (keep in mind when this was written). Modern yoga studios invest quite a bit in lighting, airflow, wall color, etc. If you can afford to practice in a studio and have found a studio where you feel comfortable, wonderful. But many people cannot afford to practice in a studio every day, so they practice at home. It would be equally wonderful if we could all own a home that has a studio room just for yoga, but many of us practice where we can—living rooms, bedrooms, parks, and beaches.
So, we make compromises in the color of the walls and amount of daylight, but here’s some simple things you really need to do: 1) vacuum or sweep often so you’re not stepping on crumbs; 2) open a window for some fresh air; 3) clear out a decent amount of space for you to practice so that you do not smack a hand or foot—even if you have to temporarily pile a bunch of things on the couch or bed; 4) cover your books, computers, and paperwork so you are not distracted by any work—fabric store remnants work wonderfully for these things.
In addition to a clean space, yogis have lots of theories on a clean body. Many yoga instructors advocate taking a bath or shower before practicing the poses or meditating. Water is the essence of purification in many religious and cultural practices. In India, many practice some intense cleansing rituals. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika describes extensive cleansing rituals of every bodily orifice (while I find the use of a neti pot invaluable, I stop short of some of the more intense enema practices). The neti pot—filled with warm salty water and designed to cleanse nasal passages—has crossed over into mainstream Western use. If you suffer from allergies or constant congestion, this can help tremendously. Saunas and steam rooms also work wonders with the nasal passages, along with purifying the skin. Many of the purification rituals make sense in this context: sinus congestion makes breath work grueling. So, even by placing your face a few inches over a cup of boiling water and inhaling steam or taking a hot shower with eucalyptus soap may make all the difference in your breathing.
In addition to external cleaning, purity refers to what we eat, drink, inhale, and inject. Drugs of any form in excess—even caffeine—make the physical and meditative practices of yoga difficult. The more yoga you do, the more you can feel happy naturally, so ultimately you can reduce most drug dependency. When you discover the impermanent nature of what we consider reality, you may not feel compelled to escape it with drugs. Yoga alone is no cure for heroin addiction, but it definitely can help with the rehabilitation process. Henry Rollins said it best when he said, “Keep your blood clean, your body lean, and your mind sharp.”
Except for certain drugs like heroin or crack, which are insidiously addictive, we also have the concept of moderation. Some people can consume alcohol in moderation, and some research supports it as healthy, but all researchers conclude that excessive consumption is harmful. Coffee, green tea, and black tea have powerful healing effects—particularly for the liver—however, the minute you feel the addiction, as when you cannot make it through a single lazy Sunday without caffeine, you know you need to honestly examine your consumption. Also, I want to clarify some misconceptions I’ve come across in my travels: zoning out while stoned is not liberation. Marijuana does not bring you true liberation—despite whatever temporary feelings it may bring.
Beyond the obvious chemicals, you should also examine your diet. If we are what we eat, some of us are pretty messed up. In the yogic philosophy, food is sacred, healing, and sustaining. For one week, try examining your food through the lens of what it contributes, such as a sweet potato giving you beta-carotene, which helps your eyesight. If you keep a journal of all that you eat and the benefits it gives you, you can change your perspective on eating completely. Of course we need proteins and fats, but we do not need monosodium glutamate, high-fructose corn syrup, or partially-hydrogenated anything. The macrobiotic movement advocates eating food as close to its original source as possible; barbeque-flavored potato chips are pretty far removed. Certainly, it’s fine to have some chocolate (which in a dark form actually benefits the body) or junk food every once in a while, but the healthier the diet and the fewer chemicals we consume through food the better. It takes time, but you should start reading labels and become aware of what you ingest. Try a week of eliminating all processed foods, then another week eliminating alcohol, and another eliminating caffeine, etc. and notice the effects.
When hepatitis nearly destroyed my body, I read everything I could about it and divided things into two groups: hurt the liver, and heal the liver. I lived on flax, soy, leafy vegetables, and protein shakes, and avoided alcohol, kava, acetaminophen, and many food additives. I drank as much green tea and red tea as I could. When you eat consciously, considering everything you eat as nourishing and providing your body with vital elements, you can develop a much more healthy relationship with food. This healthy, healing relationship with food not only can reduce our obsession with food, it also can cleanse the body.
Once we have purified the body, we can work deeper on purifying the mind. Some advocate eliminating all negative images and sounds from your life. While some interpret this to mean never watching the news, I take a less extreme position and advocate eliminating violent recreation such as most video games. Researchers have found that playing violent video games increases violent behavior both in the short term—while playing the game—and in the long term. Video games, television, movies, etc. all provide a form of escape, so first you have to ask yourself, “From what am I escaping?” By trying to answer that question, you are taking the very critical first step towards purification. Another step, and perhaps an easier one, is to mind your emotions before and after viewing violent imagery. Take stock of your heart rate, your muscle tension, and your thoughts before watching a program you typically watch, then scan yourself again after. Your body will tell you very clearly that the violent imagery affects you.
Some people never read or watch the news because they want to purify themselves of all the violence and hatred in the world. I think this is great to do every so often. If you cannot go camping or go on a retreat at least once a year, then try to do mini-retreats. Try for a weekend to not watch television, read the newspaper, or listen to the radio and avoid all forms of advertising. Retreats are wonderful and help you renew. However if you always ignore the world around you and ignore the suffering of others by not staying informed, voting, or taking other actions to help prevent violence, then you are violating the principle of non-violence. If you choose to lead a monastic life, that’s one thing, but if you participate in the world, you should do so mindfully so you can have a positive impact. For example, it might be fun to purchase cute little yoga tops, but not if the manufacturer has abusive labor practices. If you live in the world, you should know something about it, but you can choose your news sources wisely as well; if you listen to people screaming on talk radio, you may struggle with a sense of peace. Every once in a while, you need to dial it down and balance the aggressive sensory input.
Even though we can reduce the sensory input, the physical world presents numerous stressors. While we work to transcend the more animalistic tendencies, we first must acknowledge our basic biology. In yogic philosophy, three elements called gunas rule our physical and emotional selves. (Note this concept is discussed in a separate chapter) In a nutshell, rajas is aggressive, hyperactive, and fiery; tamas is passive, sluggish, and cold; sattva is the middle one: pure, peaceful, and balanced. Clinical psychologists might diagnose someone with excessive rajas as having attention-deficit disorder and someone with excessive tamas as being depressed. In yoga, we seek to balance rajas and tamas and bring ourselves into a state of sattva and then, ultimately, liberate ourselves from the three states completely.
At any given time, one of these states could dominate, so we need balance. I’ll put this in terms of music: if you only listen to digital hardcore, then the state of aggression will squash the others, but if you feel depressed, unmotivated, and sluggish, then emo music will drag you further down. Ultimately, we want to transcend the aggression and sullenness, but first we must acknowledge it. I like to imagine using my inner fire (tapas) as a way to burn through these states of extremes—unleashing a primary scream or shedding tears. Harmless release rather than suppression moves us along the awareness path towards liberation. The faster we can acknowledge the extremes, and trace their triggers, the faster we can transcend them.
The final concept of purity involves disinterest with your own body and with others. Yogis believe that once you view the body as always unclean—just imagine the amount of bacteria on your tongue—you will be disinterested by both your own body and by the bodies of others. This viewpoint clashes with my personal views on the earth as sacred and soil as a live-giving force. Keep in mind that yogic philosophy is subject to individual interpretation—only you know what is really sacred and what is not.
A better way to view this concept involves regarding the body as constantly changing, never in a pure state, so we should regard the body as just an ever-changing vehicle. Of course, the plastic surgery industry would crumble if everyone suddenly embraced this concept, but the point is to not associate yourself with what you see in the mirror. This is not an excuse for not bathing or grooming—in fact, saucha insists on cleanliness—but rather a directive to not obsess over your appearance. In other words, keep your face clean, but if you get a zit, accept it, clean it, and do not let it define you.
From: Punk Rock Yoga Manifesto
