Yogic practices for purifying mind, body & soul
The Latin root for February – Februum translates to purification, much like saucha, one of the five ethical disciplines for yogis, which embodies the idea of purification. As this month serves as a bridge between the cold stillness of winter and the vibrant awakening of spring, we take the time to contemplate ways we can cleanse our lives with movement, mindfulness, meditation, and mantra.
The essence of February
As we step into February, let’s pause to reflect on its essence. The Latin word Februum translates to purification, and this month serves as a bridge between the cold stillness of winter and the vibrant awakening of spring. It asks not of outward action but invites us to pause and cleanse our minds, bodies, and spirits in preparation for the year ahead.
The ethical discipline of saucha
In our exploration this month, we’ll consider saucha, one of the five ethical disciplines for yogis, which embodies the idea of purification. This isn’t just about physical detoxification but extends to clearing mental clutter, distractions, and emotional scatter. It’s about how we interact with each moment, when we cultivate purity, we create space for beauty, creativity, awe, and deep contentment to emerge.
Purification in your yoga practice
Purification can take many forms: through mindful eating, regular exercise, meditation, work/life balance, and even how we engage with media. We’ll also reflect on the input and output of our lives considering what we take in through our senses and what we express to the world.
We’ll be contemplating some big questions like:
- What needs more refining in your life?
- Is it the information you consume or what you share with others?
Let’s also question the motivations behind our actions
- Is the desire to consume driven by the ego’s need to feel worthy, or is the urge to express a reflection of that same worth?
As we delve into these themes, may we embrace this month as an opportunity for renewal and transformation.
Pose of the month
Pose – Supported shoulder stand
Sanskrit – sālamba sarvāṅgāsana [सालम्ब सर्वाङ्गासन]
Pronounced – Sah-LOM-bah sar-vuhn-GAHS-uh-nuh
Type – Inversion
Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulder Stand) is considered a powerful tool for purification in yoga, often referred to as the “Queen of Asanas” because it influences almost every part of the body. In terms of purification, it works through both physiological detoxification and spiritual cleansing.
By inverting the body, Sarvangasana reverses blood flow, draining stagnant blood from the lower limbs and abdomen toward the heart and brain. This “flushing” action helps purify the blood and improves the overall efficiency of the circulatory system.
Sarvangasana encourages the movement of lymph, which facilitates the removal of toxins, waste, and pathogens from the body, thereby strengthening the immune system, it helps drain toxins from the respiratory system, massages abdominal organs (liver, spleen, and kidneys), aiding in the elimination of waste and improving digestive fire, stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands. This regulates metabolism and ensures the proper functioning of the entire endocrine system.
Don’t worry!!
In Jivamukti the class is structured so that the body is prepared; stretched, strengthened and opened by visiting the requisite shape and effort in preparatory postures so that our destination posture each month begins to feel more and more accessible over the 4/5 weeks of practice.
Book your first discounted class now! Use the code AUM
Mantra of the month
Purification Mantra of Five Elements (space, wind, water, earth and fire)
ༀ་ཨཱ་ཧཱུྃ་ཨེ་ཡཾ་ཁཾ་རཾ་ལཾ་ཤུ་དྡྷེ་ཤུ་དྡྷེ་ཨ་ཨཱ།.
Om Ah Hung, E Yam Kam Ram Lam (space, wind, water, earth, fire), Shudde Shudde A A (Purify, purify, body, speech, mind).
E Shudde Shudde (Purify E = space – blue)
Yam Ho Shudde Shudde (Purify E = wind – green)
Kam Ho Shudde Shudde (Purify E = water – white)
Ram Ho Shudde Shudde (Purify E = fire – yellow)
Lam Ho Shudde Shudde (Purify E = earth – red)
Shudde Shudde Shudde
