Purification

I find myself very drawn to the smell of Purification. I don't know if it's the tangy cirtus enticement or just the evocative name that draws me. Nonetheless, it's the bottle I pull out the most.

I've found my exploration of the oils to be similar to my work in asanas. Some I love all the time, as I love child's pose or utkatasana. Some are just what I need on certain days, like I need a round of spinal extensions when I'm feeling heart-heavy or a downward dog at the wall when my low back is tender. Some I think I should like, but admit only to myself that I don't like (locust), fear (upward facing bow), or <gasp> despise (I'll leave those to your imagination).

And, although I can sometimes trick myself into thinking child's pose and lavendar are good for everyone, I know from serving my yoga circles that that's simply not true.

And so, as I continue my exploration with Purification and all the oils, please join the conversation. I'd love to hear more about your experiences, too.

Saucha, the first of the Niyamas, is often translated as clealiness or purity. Those of us taking meaning at the most mundane level may think of physical cleanliness or "living clean" -- eating well and nutritiously, refraining from toxic substances, etc.

We can also take the practice of saucha into our asana practice. Look back on this blog for more on that possibiltiy.

In using Purification, I am looking for a deeper dimension of purity. Inhaling the scent of citronella and lemongrass, I invite in the cleansing inhale. Exhaling with ease, I let go of whatever doesn't serve me -- be it physical restriction or tension, mental business or fatigue, a heavy or lonely heart -- I use my breath and this scent to clean myself out. Clearning myself out for some new delight, as Rumi would say.

What does purification mean to you?