Clean your Life

The famous conductor Leopold Stokowski said, “A painter paints pictures on canvas. Musicians paint their pictures on silence.” This insight can be taken further by applying it to the mind. Being human, our minds are constantly cluttered with thoughts. This is a problem for our wellbeing because less important thoughts get in the way. These less important thoughts are impurities.

Your mind works the same way. In order to be creative, you need space to think. You need fewer distractions. Imagine Stokowski trying to write a symphony with other music in the background. This would be unacceptable. 

Simply put, the thoughts you don’t need are taking up valuable space inside your mind.

Saucha

In yoga, there is a concept which is known as Saucha. It’s a principal or duty seen as invaluable when it comes to mastering the mind.  In Sanskrit, saucha translates to purity and cleanliness. In yoga, this applies to the mind, body, and the environment in which you surround yourself. This includes our relationships, thoughts, and speech. Read more on Saucha.

How and why to clean up

Have you ever been using your computer for a task that causes it to run slow? What do you do when this happens?  You close all the other windows on the computer. You do this because these things aren’t important and yet they are hogging up the computer’s memory and capacity to process tasks. 

These extra windows are also hogging up your mind. You could get another email at any moment. Or you could try to find a piece of information you need and in doing so accidentally look at something that reminds you of something else you have to do. This is  why you need to clear your workspace.  

You should have daily cleansing exercises or rituals. Not letting toxins build up in the body and mind. These include anger, hate, prejudice, greed, pride, and fear. Negative thoughts are a source of impurity of mind. The mind is purified through mindfulness and meditation on one’s intent, feelings, actions and its causes.

Share the Space

If you enjoyed this article and know someone who could benefit from cleaning their mental space slightly, share it with them. Leave us a comment to let us know your cleansing rituals or tips. 

About the author 

Doug Duchon is taking the 300 hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training at the Doron Yoga & Zen Center in Guatemala. He has spent 4 months of living and working for Doron in Guatemala. Doug’s other training includes 200h Bhakti Vinyasa, 50h Yin and Restorative, and 50 hour kirtan training from Govind Das at Bhakti Yoga Shala in Santa Monica, California. 

Doug writes about how yoga can be integrated into the modern workforce and used to achieve a better work-life balance. Before becoming a yoga teacher he spent 10 years working as an engineer in various industries including Aerospace where helped build rockets and spacecraft for NASA’s astronautical programs.

Instagram: updougyoga