Cleanliness - How deep is your practice

I have thought for many years now, probably close to when I started this medicine journey, that there is Man's law and then there is Human law. What do I mean by this? Well, when speaking about Man's law, there is the US Constitution and Declaration of independence here in the USA, globally we have specific laws that we have created and are upheld by branches of government. When talking about Human law though, I mean our moral code. I know people argue that everyone has different morals but I think we can all agree at a base line, we should cause no harm to others.

I think we can agree, physically hurting someone isn't ok. Although, we can cause harm in other ways being emotionally or mentally. This is where the concept of cleanliness also comes in, being wise in our words and actions.

This concept of cleanliness was brought to me back around 2014 while in yoga teacher training. It is part of the Niyamas in the eight limbs. These Niyamas are the personal guidelines and the first one on the list is Saucha, cleanliness.

Many of us when thinking about cleanliness, often think of hygiene or the space we keep. While this is part of it, there is much more! It is a good practice to keep a clean space, it helps keep the energy flowing through our environment free of stagnation. It helps our mind stay focused and uncluttered. Plus, it looks nice. We all deserve to have a clean space to live in. Messy is one thing, but dirty, dirty is another. When I think of messy, I think of unfolded laundry on the bed, dishes from dinner in the sink or papers unfiled on our desk from the work day. While dirty is stacks of smelly dishes, trash everywhere or thick dust balls in the corner of every space. Hygiene is also important when it comes to cleanliness. Showering regularly so we don't stink, brushing our teeth daily or having clean clothes are all part of hygiene.

Looking to my experience with this medicine and various other earth medicines in relation to Saucha, I realized there is much more to cleanliness. It applies to what we put in our bodies too. I have tried various diets throughout this journey. I have done a vegan diet, raw and whole foods diet, vegetarian diet, only meat and carbs diet, liquid diet, fasting and many others. I noticed some amazing things on each and every one. I honestly don't think one diet is better than another. What matters is how our bodies react to our diet. Some people get very sick when trying to do a vegan diet, not knowing how to get all the proper vitamins and minerals while others thrive on plant based diets. I have found a diet that works best for my body, I listen to it and give it what it needs. Now, with that said, I do think we should all avoid heavy processed foods. That being fast food, synthetic caffeine, artificial sugars and dyes. The quality of that food, even if we really enjoy it, I think we can all agree isn't healthy.

When it comes to working with clients, I do ask they start a specific diet in the days or week leading up to the ceremony. I ask minimal to zero animal products especially dairy, red meats, and absolutely zero fast food. As the hours draw closer, 24-48 hours till ceremony, I ask no artificial sugars or caffeine, and no other substances including alcohol, tobacco and even cannabis. I know the last two areas are very difficult and if we are a smoker the likelihood of cold turkey quitting isn't going to happen. I also realize many people do suffer from mental health issues and this is why many of us use cannabis. These are simply guidelines for ceremony. I ask these things so we can have a clear vessel for the medicine to take hold. As for the diet, it makes for a much easier time purging. Many people do not have heavy purges, although in case someone does, trying to throw up dairy or meat is not a pleasant experience. I have also noticed those that have high synthetic caffeine intake or those that do have dairy or meat in their system, often get the bubble guts (nausea) or feeling like they need to use the bathroom.

Cleanliness also extends to what we listen to, watch and how we speak. In the beginning of this blog I mentioned doing no harm and how harm can be with our words. Usually, when cursing someone or something we are angry, spiteful or feeling triggered and reacting out of hate. Our bodies feel this, it reacts to this negativity. Our temperature rises, we might get a stomachache or headache, maybe we lose our appetite. Sometimes, if we are far removed from our bodies, we won't know the impact till we start the purging process. I challenge you to 24 hours of speaking kindly and using zero profanity. First of all, this is a fun little experiment of awareness. Many times when we speak it is from our DMN, we are not present therefore we don't realize the impact our words have. This is also a neat way to check in with our bodies. I remember the first time I tried this, man was it difficult! What I noticed after my first full day was that my body actually felt different. It is hard to explain, almost there was a lightness to it. I started thinking more positively, I wasn't getting as frustrated when facing rubbish.

The other aspects I mentioned were what we listen to and watch. Much of our music is littered with profanity. The concepts might not be the greatest either, projecting and perpetuating unhealed trauma. Speaking negatively about others and the world causing division. Much of the internet and social media causes negative thoughts in ourselves. Feeling inadequate, whether that is the way our bodies look, talents, creativity, passions or what we are doing with our life. Again causing division and fear. Many of the shows and movies we watch also is not perpetuating positivity. We love the drama and deception shows, heavy action and or violent movies. Now, I'm not saying we have to get rid of our tv and never watch a movie again. All I am presenting is drawing awareness to what we are intaking especially when we have a relationship with this medicine and the days leading up to ceremony. After I cut out much of the tv or movies I was watching, again my quality of life skyrocketed. Don't get me wrong, I love the mind-bending action thrillers as much as the next person, I am simply choosing not to watch as often. I fill my days being creative, in nature or learning something. Giving back to myself, having a self care day or trying to heal my shadows to become a better human then the version I was the prior day.

All these things have to do with cleanliness. While I am still human and fall into the DMN, comfort foods and shows, I now have an awareness I had been lacking. I am now making a conscious decision to do or interact with these things. Cleanliness, like many things, is definitely a journey. Many of us never even thought cleanliness extended to almost every aspect in our life. I invite you to try some of these things out in your life, see how your body reacts, and notice any shifts taking place. The first step to implementing things into our life is realizing things can be different. We cannot do different until we know different, then it is up to us to make conscious effort every moment to do better.

With love,

Ileah