“The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.”  -The Wind in the Willows

With the season of spring upon us, it is a time when nature begins to wake up from the long darkness of winter.  It is a time of new beginnings, rebirth, and light.  Spring is the season where nature cleanses itself from the heaviness of winter to make way for the lightness of summer.  In yoga the first niyama (set of physical practices) is saucha, the practice of cleanliness of your body, heart, mind, and environment.

As you enter this spring season, take the time to think about the things that are important to you and the things you wish for in your heart.  Practice saucha to support all that lies in your heart.  Practice saucha to release all that does not serve you.  Practice saucha to create order so you can align with your highest.  And like nature in the spring, practice saucha to let the beauty of your heart blossom.

Whether your practice of saucha is physical or emotional, saucha allows you to create order so you are able to align with what makes you happy.  It could be keeping your house in order, committing to a healthy routine, or focusing on a goal.   When nature enters the spring season, there is no other choice but to focus on the new.  The darkness of winter has come and gone, the only option is to move forward and to focus on new beginnings, awakenings, and rebirth.  The daytime begins to eclipse the nighttime, there is beauty is the flowers and trees that bloom.  Through the practice of saucha let the light in your heart grow to eclipse the darkness, and in your light see the beauty of your heart.