stinkin thinkin clean hands pure heart harrison

Or even the tedious 20-second handwashings we now (hopefully!) do religiously throughout the day in the time of COVID-19.

This is very different than the five-minute shower many of us rush through. For example, in India some devout Hindus bathe every morning in the holy Ganges River while reciting prayers and making offerings. The intention is to purify the mind and heart alongside the body. Many Eastern cultures have daily bathing rituals in which people pray while washing. Looking at saucha through this lens, we see that its definition as “cleanliness” actually refers to both the external action of cleaning oneself and the internal practice of cleansing. And as the first niyama, it could be thought of as the first spiritual practice listed in the limbs. (1) Anyone can follow them, whether they are a yoga practitioner or not. Patanjali makes it clear in sutra II:31 that the yamas are “not limited by class, place, time, or circumstance” (Sri Swami Satchidananda). The yamas are often said to be about our relationship to the world, the niyamas about our relationship with ourselves. The niyamas are the observances and include cleanliness (this is saucha), contentment, purification through heat, self-study, and surrender.Įach of Patanjali’s limbs progress from external practices to those that are more internal. The yamas include non-violence, truthfulness, not stealing, abstinence, and non-greed. The yamas (restraints) and niyamas, the first two limbs of Patanjali’s eight-limbed path, are sometimes collectively referred to as the “Ten Commandments of Yoga.” Each one is composed of five tenets for how yogis should live their lives. Understanding Saucha Within the Context of the Eight Limbs When we live from our big Self, our true nature, we operate from our heart and are able to feel our connection to everyone and everything. When we live from our small self, we are led by our restless mind and feel separate. For yogis, it is leaving the trappings of the limited, small self and moving toward the limitless, big Self. On Passover, this refers to the Jewish people leaving behind enslavement in Egypt.

The word is often transliterated as “cleanliness,” but like the ritual washing of the hands during the Seder, this practice goes far beyond simple hygiene.Ĭleaning our hands is an opportunity to rid ourselves of anything we do not wish to carry forward. Saucha is the first of the niyamas (observances) in Patanjali’s eight-limbed path of yoga, as outlined in the Yoga Sutra. This pertains to literal dirt and, more symbolically, to anything we are holding onto.Īs a yogi, this reminded me of the concept of saucha. We eat with our hands during the meal, because it is believed that whatever our hands hold will be absorbed by us.

This ritual felt particularly poignant given COVID-19, during which handwashing is one of the key protocols keeping people safe and healthy. Though, thanks to pandemic-necessitated social distancing, this dinner was, indeed, different from all other Passover dinners: We “congregated” through computer screens from across the United States and Canada.ĭuring the Seder, there is a moment when everyone says a blessing and washes their hands.

This year my family gathered for Passover dinner.

Stinkin thinkin clean hands pure heart harrison