May Gītā: 5.18

yajña dāna tapaḥ karma
na tyājyaṁ kāryam eva tat
yajño dānaṁ tapaśc 'aiva
pāvanāni manīṣiṇām

‘Sacrifice, charity and austerity should not be given up because they are purifying.’
Bhagavad Gītā 5.18

We’re often told to ‘let go’, to not be attached. In this verse Krishna is instructing Arjuna that three things should always be attended to: sacrifice – mental and physical actions that humble our ego; charity – even though we should be responsible for our own karma we should alway bear in mind those not as fortunate as ourselves and help where we can; and finally tapas – often translated as austerity. We can can think of it as our daily, come what may, get out of bed early, asana practice. These things purify the mind. Because the soul has a relationship with the mind, the mind acts as a mirror. And for the soul to recognise it’s true form it needs a clean mirror. By these three acts of Yajña, Dāna and Tapas our mind mirror is cleansed. 

– Hamish Hendry