The Shala Daily

Your grandmother probably told you to clean your room. She may not have quoted Patanjali, but she was onto something the yogis codified millennia ago: external disorder creates internal chaos. Now science is catching up, and the research is remarkably consistent with what the first niyama has taught all along.

A 2023 study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that minimalism—the intentional practice of living with fewer possessions—correlates with reduced depression, enhanced flourishing, and increased life satisfaction. The mechanism isn’t mysterious: decluttering lowers cortisol, the stress hormone. Visual chaos signals to our ancient brains that the work is never done, triggering a low-grade stress response that never quite switches off.

This is saucha—the first of the five niyamas—described in practical, measurable terms. The word translates as “cleanliness” or “purity,” but Charlotte Bell’s interpretation resonates most deeply with the research: saucha is about creating a mental and physical environment capable of absorbing the impurities we encounter daily without being emotionally affected.

✨ Beyond the Surface

What’s striking about the minimalism research is how it mirrors the Yoga Sutras’ distinction between external and internal saucha. Sutra 2.40 addresses physical cleanliness—maintaining a healthy, clean body and environment. But Sutra 2.41 goes deeper: the outcomes of inner purity include a cheerful mind, mastery over the senses, and readiness for self-realization.

The research confirms this progression. A 2020 study by Lloyd and Pennington identified five themes among minimalist practitioners: autonomy, competence, mental space, awareness, and positive feelings. Participants reported that after reducing their material possessions, they felt more aligned with their values—more congruent in how they lived. This is saucha moving from the external to the internal, from clean countertops to clear consciousness.

The yogic insight here is subtle: saucha isn’t about sterile environments or rigid minimalism for its own sake. It’s about creating space—physical and mental—for what actually matters. When we’re surrounded by objects that don’t serve us, we’re constantly reminded of decisions unmade, tasks incomplete, identities we’ve outgrown. The mental load is real, and the research quantifies what practitioners have always felt.

🧘 The Practice of Letting Go

There’s a connection here to aparigraha—non-grasping, the fifth yama. Where aparigraha addresses the initial impulse to acquire, saucha invites us to examine what we’ve already accumulated. Together, they create a feedback loop: the clearer our environment, the less we feel the pull to fill it; the less we acquire, the easier clarity becomes.

The research also reveals something practitioners know from the mat: the process matters as much as the result. Mindful consumption—pausing before acquiring, considering whether an object will truly enhance life—is itself a form of svadhyaya, self-study. Every object we encounter becomes a mirror: Why do I want this? What am I trying to fill?

The ancient texts also remind us that saucha points beyond the physical body toward what doesn’t change. By practicing cleanliness, we become more aware of the body’s impermanence—not as a morbid exercise, but as a doorway to recognizing what’s truly essential. The clutter we release is often identity clutter: old versions of ourselves we’re afraid to let go.

🌅 Starting Where You Are

The research suggests starting small: one drawer, one corner, one category of possession. The goal isn’t perfection but process—cultivating the habit of asking whether what surrounds us serves who we’re becoming. The eight limbs are a progression, and saucha is foundational for a reason.

Like every limb of yoga, saucha is both means and end. We create external order to support internal clarity, and internal clarity naturally expresses itself in how we organize our lives. The research validates what the practice reveals: in simplifying our surroundings, we’re not just tidying—we’re making room for transformation.

— MJH