I’ve been discussing the yamas, the how we should do things externally. Yes, there is a component of self, but now that I am on to the niyamas, be prepared. Be prepared to go inside, to look closely, and see what opportunities lie there, waiting to be taken for your life to be more authentic, more peaceful, just more.

Consider it this way: the yamas were more along the lines of DO NOT. The niyamas, on the other hand, are DO, especially when doing to ones’ self. This the arena for some self study, some more good behavior (you got this far and made it to being good to others, right?), and some general housekeeping, if you will. Out with what is not serving you, in with what is or will. If you’re already there, congratulations.

The first niyama is SAUCA: purity/cleanliness of both the body and mind. Yes it is as simple as keeping ourselves clean, literally. And the hard part, figuratively. It means keeping healthy, minding our physical self and keeping ourselves in good order, so to speak. It also means mental cleanliness: ridding ourselves of the mental clutter. What would happen if we cleared out the space being held by pride, greed, anger? What if we learned how to think kindly and without delusion?

This is a hard one, so glad I get to put it out there first. It is like all the yamas, and as you will see the niyamas, in that they are a daily practice and like any other practice, some days are better than others.

So, happy Monday. Take some time to move, think and be kind. These are the first steps of any journey, and since today’s journey is inward, take care…

Namaste.