Yogis Drink Coffee, Too
In the early years of my yoga practice, I started to think I must eventually eliminate all things “impure” from my routine. MindBodyGreen, yes that website I’m sure you’ve looked at, tried to convince me that matcha was better than coffee. Then suddenly people on Instagram were bragging about how they quit coffee and switched to matcha or mushroom tea as if this was something holier than my one cup of Costa Rican coffee from Lucky’s Market. This is still caffeine, right? I love matcha, but I’m not believing you’re a better person because you kicked a coffee habit.
I resisted this concept of Shaucha or ‘purity and cleanliness of your surroundings, body and mind.’ The Yoga Sutras propounded from Hindu Dharma prescribe cleanliness or purity as a basic obligation for all human beings. Putting it very simply, this external cleanliness and internal purity will allow a human to obtain Self-Realization. It is true that I have a deep reverence for this Vedic element leading one to a Dharmic life. It is also true that the feeling of my body, mind, thoughts, speech, actions, environment, and objects needing purifying is extremely disturbing. I contemplate if it is correct to pick and choose which of the five Niyamas, or the five internal practices of observance, I want to embody in life or not. Does the teaching in the context of a Brahmachari, or a student learning the Vedas, apply to me directly? Of course, bathing daily in clean water supports a clean body system or being mindful of what I ingest supports a healthy lifestyle, however abstaining from all that is considered “impure” is inherently not practical in the world of a working, loving, mischievous Yogi.
If I was practicing Shaucha stringently, I would not be allowed my morning coffee because it is full of caffeine distorting the clarity of mind. I would be guilty over the mold that continues to build on my shower curtain no matter how many times I bleach it because I live in a rental with minimal bathroom sunlight. I would not be able to eat peanut butter out of the jar that my dog touched because it would be considered contaminated (okay yes this might be kind of gross, but you know what it’s like). I wouldn’t be able to have sex in the morning before work because my mind would be defiled by kama, or lust, and impact the honesty of my workday.
For me, the takeaway is that there is a moral message here. I do not need to throw Shaucha out altogether, but I will use it as a reference to honor and respect myself, others, and the Earth. With most teachings, ancient or modern, we must consider the applicability to the systems we find ourselves in. You are no less of a yogi, or human, if you skip a shower or enjoy your cup of coffee. Remember yogis drink coffee, too.
