Cleaning rituals belonged to the yoga practice of former yogis. Before practicing asanas, they cleaned the body profoundly. Only few yogis practice these rituals today before practice on a daily basis. Or does anybody clean the nose with water (jala neti) ? I don’t know of a yogi who gulps tissue to clean the stomach.
These days it’s also recommended to step on the mat with a clean body. What does this mean?
First I want to mention that our cleaning habits changed over the decades and they are different in different cultures. In our family we took a bath once a week on Friday 40 years ago. Otherwise we brushed our teeth in the morning and in the evening. We washed our face, perhaps we washed under the armpits. Few women shaved the hair under the armpits. That was it. Today we have different standards. I asked people of my age if it was the same in their families. It was.
These days being ready for a yoga practice means:
I think it’s important to have an empty bowl before practicing. It can become a habit to get to the toilet in the morning before practicing. The body loves habits and rhythm. Drinking water can help. A cup of coffee can also help to get into this habit. This is a tabu to talk about it. But it’s so important, it makes a difference. As a yogini I’m interested in the functioning of my body.
We might like to brush our teeth and to take a quick shower. This should be enough to feel clean and ready.
Once a week we might take care a bit more of our body. The nails need to get cut, i.e. Perhaps we want to bath to relax the muscles. Some people like to shave their bodies these days. Think of the feet?
To relfect on our cleaning habits makes sense. I write this post because many people bought a lot of toilet paper because of the corona crises and the fear of a lack of if. People bought 70 % more toilet paper than usual. Is this really necessary? It’s not. We cannot survive without water. We also need to eat. The body can be cleaned with water. In India almost no toilet paper exist. Water does the job. It’s so much better. I don’t understand why people bought that much toilet paper.
Hygiene is important especially during corona times. So wash your hands with soap when you return home. Put your hands away from your face.
Stay clean, but don’t overdo it. Don’t ruin the skin with too much soap.
We have summer time now, that is if I want to get up at 5 am, I have to get up one hour earlier. For me the first highlight of the day is when I observe how the sun rises. I can rely on it. Hello, I’m here again, it tells me. And I think, yep, I’m still here, too. Hello sun. I sip my black coffee, I write my journal and from time to time I look up to see how far the sun has wandered already. When I’m ready, that is when I brought my cleaning ritual behind me, I step on the mat.
It is possible to practice at night or in the afternoon. The best time is in the morning.
When I saw the sun rising, when I practiced yoga I had already an excellent beginning. I feel so strong that I think: Nothing can ruin my day now anymore.
Take care.
Stay healthy. Stay at home.