Satya

The yoga teaching of "Satya" relates to how we speak the truth....to ourselves and to others. When we speak, we need to find balance between speaking the truth harshly vs. avoiding the truth or telling lies. How often do you tell yourself (or others) things that are not really true? How many times do we speak our truth in a need to "prove ourselves" or to be "right" in an argument?

We have all had times when we have started speaking before we really thought about the impact of our words. One of the biggest benefits for me in yoga is the fact that the practice helps me to slow down, think things through, and be more deliberate in my choices and decision making. I do not always say and do the right thing (believe me....I have put my "foot in mouth" many a time!) but I do believe that I am improving my ability to listen and respond more thoughtfully in difficult conversations.

Yoga and the concept of Satya are a practice.....not an end point or destination. It's easy to start to get down on yourself for all of the times you have failed to speak up....and for all the times you have opened your mouth when it should have remained closed....but through continued practice and perserverance, we can all hope to become more loving and thoughtful people....in our thoughts, deeds, and in the words we speak.

Namaste....