Complete surrender.

To me, Ishvara-pranidhana is the practice of total trust and alignment with the Divine, emanating a flawless faith that delivers you into complete connection and oneness of Universal and Individual.

It is utter devotion to the Divine, and absolute joyful surrender.

The Individual self completely gives itself over to the Universal.

And what happens is that, through this act of letting go, you experience a supreme wholeness and loving consciousness.

This union is beyond description, yet so many have tried to explain this experience that we call Enlightenment, Nirvana, or Samadhi.

And this is what yoga leads us to; what all the practices are guiding us towards so that we can know ourselves as complete beings, beyond the illusion of separation.

The Problem With Practicing Ishvara-Pranidhana

The problem most of us face with devotion and surrender is that, as humans, we tend to have trust and control issues.

If you just snickered or made a face, you’re probably recognizing this in yourself. I know distrust and control have been big themes in my own life.

These show up in myriad ways, but the fact of the matter is that when we have a hard time trusting ourselves, others, or the course of life, things are difficult. We worry more. We fight the flow of life. We don’t have as much fun and make things hard for ourselves.

Yet when you look at the big picture, we are not, ultimately, in control.

Yes, our intention, focus, and actions shape our experiences, but so do a lot of other influences.

So the answer to these problems is actually learning how to connect with and trust a higher power.

Of course, then we run into all kinds of possibly sticky situations that have to do with religion and the interpretation of to whom and how we pray or connect.

My solution to this is to simply turn to the truth that resides in your own heart.

Whatever you call it – God, Goddess, Supreme Spirit, Universe, Divine, Creator – whatever name you give this conscious, omniscient, omnipresent energy, you already know it in your own heart.

And so, Ishvara-pranidhana says, connect with what you believe as true, as deeply and profoundly and completely as you possibly can.

Yoga and Accessing the Ability to Surrender

There are many ways to learn to let go of the things that get in your way and interfere with that all pervading Oneness we’re going for.

Here are a few examples:

• Forgiveness (essential and incredibly powerful)
• Lovingly identifying and intentionally releasing ideas and habits that don’t serve your highest good and expression
• Energy work
• Journaling
• And, of course, practicing asana, pranayama, and meditation.

These last three, the main practices of yoga, move and clear energy, support transformation and development of your awakened self, and help you tap into the part of yourself that is untarnished and eternal.

When you cultivate a connection to the Divine, you can trust the Universe to guide, protect, and nurture you.

This is huge.

And, really, it makes sense. When you surrender your worries and cares to a higher power, you are allowing yourself to be directed by a perspective and understanding beyond the scope of your individual awareness, and in so doing, opening to limitless possibilities.

Studying the Sutra

From the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali…

Sutra 2.45: Samadhisiddhih Isvarapranidhanat

Samadhi – profound absorption, superconsciousness
Siddhih – attainment, spiritual success
Isvara – God
Pranidhanat – by surrender, by complete devotion

“Surrender to God brings perfection in Samadhi.” – B.K.S. Iyengar

This sutra tells us that the complete attainment of oneness and vast understanding comes from surrendering to the Universal energy that lives within you and all around you.

It is, and always has been, the ultimate practice.

Solstice and Transitioning into 2012

This is a perfect time to practice Ishvara-pranidhana.

Solstice invites a deep dive into the inner realm. Deep devotion makes this a delight, and the ability to joyfully surrender makes it so much easier.

2011 was an intense year in many ways, and 2012 is likely to be just as intense or more so.

This time, as one cycle turns into the next, is a time to be grateful for what has come before and welcome the evolution of the world and who you are becoming.

Acknowledge the blessings that you have received and that are present in your life.

And then connect to the source of those blessings.

When you align yourself with the truth in your heart, when your every thought, word, and action is devoted to this highest part of you and you trust that everything will work out in the best possible way (even when you can’t see it at first), then you set yourself up for a graceful transition.

By dedicating yourself to this sacred and ancient practice of ultimate union, good things happen. Life becomes more beautiful, more flowing, and more joyful.

May this time be blessed.

May your practice carry you through every challenge to see the gift it brings.

May your devotion and ability to surrender joyfully bring you incredible insight, and may the positive results of your practice ripple out to bring harmony to everyone around you, and the beloved Earth who holds us all.

I've chosen these wonderfully beautiful images from outer space to inspire reflection upon the space within. When you get that big and consider the Universe, it often invokes self consideration as well.

“How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?” asked Douglas Brooks in my first workshop with him, many years ago.

“All the way!” I responded enthusiastically.

We were studying a text called The Pratyabhijna-Hridayam. It’s a text that invites you into the heart of self-realization. It’s absolutely beautiful. And I still haven’t gotten all the way through it. Heh. One day…

Sometimes I feel like I could just open up the top of my head and let the information pour in. When I am passionate about something, I often study it intensely!

Of course, sometimes studying yoga can also be quite dense and hard to absorb. I remember reading the Shiva Sutras as one of the required books for Anusara® yoga certification.

The text was so dense that, with the summer heat and the comfort of the couch on my front porch, I often found myself needing a nap every 3 pages or so. It helped the information sink in, on some level at least.

The thing with deep wisdom, especially when it comes through an ancient, immensely powerful language like Sanskrit, is that one line can offer an incredible amount of information and you can contemplate it for a long time.

Though this article does speak mostly on the study of texts, really, self-study encompasses all of life. It is an attitude of awareness and willingness to perceive yourself and learn deeply from everything you encounter.

Svadhyaya, the fourth of the niyamas, is a deep study of the self, through contemplation, practice, and also via the vast wisdom contained in sacred texts.

How To Study Sacred Texts:

Let’s jump straight to Patanjali’s Sutra 2.44 and see what it has for us, shall we?

Svadhyayat ishtadevata sampryogah

Now, when studying texts like this, there is an order to things.

First, try out the taste of the sutra before actually getting all intellectual. Say it out loud a few times and see what it FEELS like, even if you don’t know its meaning.

Go ahead. I’ll wait…

“Svadhyayat ishtadevata sampryogah… Svadhyayat ishtadevata sampryogah… Svadhyayat ishtadevata sampryogah…“

Then, once you’ve rolled the Sanskrit around in your mouth and felt the vibration of it, you can move on to looking at the meaning of the words.. By breaking down the words, you can formulate your own ideas about it…

Svadhayad – through self-study

Ishtadevata – chosen diety, patron saint

Samprayogah – communion, uniting with the Divine

Which gives you a pretty clear idea, doesn’t it?

Or maybe not…

But what does it mean to you? Do you have any experience discovering a clearer connection with whatever you believe in your heart through the process of self-study?

Very likely you do. Contemplate that for a moment.

After allowing yourself to sit with the feeling (bhava) of the sutra, and thinking about what it means to you initially and through your own experience, it’s a great idea to see what others have to say about it…

Here are a few different translations of the same sutra:

“Through self-study one has communion with one’s Ishtadevata (your superhero).” – as translated by John Friend

“Self-study leads towards the realization of God or communion with one’s desired deity.” – as translated by B.K.S. Iyengar

“Study, when developed to the highest degree, brings one close to higher forces that promote understanding of the most complex.” – as translated by T.K.V. Desikachar

Generally those who translate the sutras will also give you more guidance as far as the meaning, for these small phrases can be unpacked seemingly infinitely.

Sometimes, to me, this is the most insightful part – you bring all of the above together with the perspectives offered by different teachers, and then sitting with it to formulate what it really means to you.

The Deep Study of the Self as a Practice of Yoga

I quite like Desikachar’s expanded ideas on the concept of Svadhyaya:

“Sva means ‘self’ or ‘belonging to me.’ Adhyaya means ‘inquiry’ or ‘examination’; literally, ‘to get close to something.’ Svadhyaya therefore means to get close to yourself, that is, to stuy yourself.

All learning, all reflection, all contact that helps you learn more about yourself is svadhyaya. In the context of the niyamas we find the term often translated as ‘the study of ancient texts.’

Yes, yoga does instruct us to read the ancient texts. Why? Because we cannot always just sit down and contemplate things. We need reference points. For many this may be the Bible or a book that is of personal significance; for others it may be the Yoga Sutra. The Yoga Sutra says, for instance, that as we progress in our self-examination, we will gradually find a link with the divine laws and with the prophets who revealed them. And since mantra are often recited for this purpose, we sometimes find svadhyaya translated as ‘the repetition of mantras.’” – from The Heart of Yoga, by T.K.V. Desikachar

Dive deep into the heart of self-study. Use whatever speaks to you; meditation, asana, mantra, texts, and even seemingly random bits of songs on the radio, billboards, and fleeting encounters. All the elements of life can contribute.

So, the question I invite you to think about is, “How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?”

Every opportunity to study your self and the world around you is an invitation to connect to the essence of all that is.

My very first yoga teacher, Patrick Creelman, using The Force.

Tapas could be thought of as the fire of alchemy of the niyamas. Yoga gives us so many ways to tap in to the powers of transformation, and tapas is a powerful force that can propel you to the next level… Whatever that is for you.

Tapas asks you to transform your practice, and by doing so, yourself, with the purifying heat of will power and intent.

In one sense, tapas is a very physical action of cleansing the body through the heat of practice and skillful choices about how you eat, how you breathe, how you’re sitting right now as you read this…

And yet the concept of tapas goes far beyond the physical into the entire being as the liberating idea of “Discipline serving Delight”.

I was first turned on to this totally new and radically different way of considering discipline in an intensive with John Friend back in 2008.

Recently, this quote has been floating around Facebook, inspiring many to revisit this line of thinking:

“How much do you want it? That’s how much effort you give to the desire. That’s the offering. It has to be equal.” -John Friend, founder of Anusara® yoga

How much do you want whatever it is you want?

How much do you want to be happy and content in your heart? How much do you want to be free from pain in your body?

How completely do you desire to live with the highest integrity and joy?

When you meet that deep yearning with an equal amount of effort and dedication, the results are tremendous!

Discipline Serving Delight

Ah, discipline. The word conjures up many images and emotions. For the longest time, the idea of discipline equated to punishment and repression for me.

What is your initial reaction to the word discipline?

One of the great things about yoga is how often it gives us a chance to change our perspective on things. When I was fortunate to study the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with my teacher, John Friend, he rocked my world by revealing how discipline can serve delight.

Not only can discipline serve delight, but to be balanced discipline must serve delight. If discipline is forced, dry, or joyless, then it is a form of violence, which goes against the very first principle of yoga; ahimsa (non-harming).

How can discipline serve delight?

By making possible that which we desire. Take this in the context of your deepest desire, or the highest wish of your soul.

Disciplining the body to hold a posture longer increases your endurance and capacity to focus. Choosing to refrain from certain foods or overeating can be a discipline that helps you be more healthy. Introducing discipline to your speech can make your words more precise and powerful.

Any of these examples can be done in ways that are helpful or harmful, depending on your intention.

If you stay in a posture longer than is safe for your body, you risk injury. However, if you push your boundaries with awareness and self-honoring, your practice becomes stronger and deeper, bringing more bliss.

It’s all in the motivation. If your intention is from the heart, discipline humbly serves delight.

“Tapas is a fire that offers light and heat. It is a fervent aspiration to awaken. Be intense in your discipline from fire to awaken.” – From my notes at a training with John Friend

Tapas in Asana: Practicing Alchemy on the Mat

When you bring intensity to your asana practice it creates heat. You sweat. You invoke the fire of tapas by literally raising the temperature.

How is heat created? “Friction,” says John in my notes. “Face the challenge which creates tapas, the heat that purifies, then you can see more clearly.”

Can you increase the intensity of your practice without losing the big picture? Can you bring more fire and friction to your mat so that, by moving through the challenge, you create a purifying action that is both physical and also goes beyond?

Of course, you can. You just do it in the way that is best for you.

How do you know if you’ve gone too far?

If your breath is forced or held, if the integrity of your alignment dissolves, or if you lose sight of the highest meaning, then the discipline is to back off, to pause; to begin again.

Alchemy is the transformation of one thing into another, using heat and purification.

It describes the physical act of purification and transformation, and also the philosophical process of rising above, of expanding into oneness; of crossing the threshold of the gateway of the heart.

This from Wikipedia:

“Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity… In general alchemists believe in a natural and symbolic unity of humanity with the cosmos.”

Interestingly, the practice of yoga, like Alchemy, leads to legendary powers.

The yamas and niyamas are in place so that those who actually achieve the superhuman abilities of the great yogis don’t blow it by abusing their power.

The unity of humanity with the cosmos that defined the philosophy of Alchemists sounds very similar to the aim of yoga, which is a conscious and integral union of individual and universal.

So, as you practice with heightened discipline, calling on the transformational heat of tapas, you can remind yourself that this is a practice that calls back to the roots of many traditions.

And it is up to you to direct your will, your disciplined efforts, toward the glorification of life, in service of divine delight!

From the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:

2.43: kaya indriya siddhih asuddhiksayat tapash

“Self discipline (tapas) burns away impurities and kindles the sparks of divinity… Self discipline destroys all impurities, perfecting the body, mind and senses, so that consciousness functions freely and attains divinity.” – B.K.S. Iyengar from Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is an incredible example of choosing an attitude of acceptance and contentment, even in exile and after living through so much. He carries this vibration of deep peace wherever he goes as he shares his message.

Yoga is a deep dive into the practice of equanimity, and santosha invites us to a level of contentment that is complete; a state where acceptance of the way things are creates a deep abiding peace.

The yamas and niyamas can guide the way to this state of peace and contentment, but it is your attitude as you practice and live that truly creates your experience.

And so, we each get to choose what kind of attitude we want to have.

Take my cat for example.

Jasmine, my rag-doll black and white kitty, has santosha down pat.

Admittedly, her life is ideal for this practice as she really doesn’t have any responsibilities other than being cute and cuddly, but not every cat has perfected the state of contentment like she has.

When I get too caught up in the ‘things to do’, or the busy-ness of every day life, Jasmine comes and sits on my lap, purrs, and basically says, “Chill out. It is what it is. Just breathe and be here in this moment with me. I love you. Be happy.”

Wise cat, eh?

Here’s the thing, when it comes to happiness, which is the goal of most human beings, santosha is the key.

“By contentment, supreme happiness is attained.” –John Friend, founder of Anusara® yoga translating Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 2.42

What Does it Take to Create the Deep Contentment of Santosha?

Jasmine. Happy to hang out on my shoulder. Purring.

It’s all very well to talk about equanimity and happiness, but how do we specifically create it?

The first thing, always, is to slow down for a moment and breathe; when you connect with your breath and the wisdom of your heart, you naturally move towards balance.

From this place of just pausing and being aware of the pulsing energy of life within, you can more easily choose to have an attitude of acceptance; an approach to the things that come up that is aligned with peace.

It’s this attitude that informs your words and actions, so that’s really the key to contentment.

Pranayama, asana, and meditation are all incredibly helpful to move stuck energy or emotions that get in the way of that peaceful attitude, as well as to create a pattern where the attitude you choose becomes a habit.

When your default attitude is one of being centered in a perspective of peace and acceptance of how things are, you are practicing santosha.

And you will naturally be a lot happier because joy and peace go hand in hand.

That’s not to say that you’ll never be angry, or upset, or hurt, or any of the other emotions that go along with being human. However, your practice of yoga can help you to be more balanced within those emotions, or, at the very least, not get stuck in them for too long.

Santosha in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Santosha shows up as the second of the niyamas in Sutra 2.42:

Santosat anuttamah sukhalabhah

“From contentment and benevolence of consciousness comes supreme happiness.” – B.K.S. Iyengar’s translation of Sutra 2.42

purrrrrrrrr........

Supreme happiness.

This brings to mind an image of Buddha, or the Dalai Lama, or a wise woman, or a child who has just played an epic game of tag and is now laying on the grass gazing up at the sky.

Or my cat. She is happy because she is happy. There isn’t any condition placed upon it, she just lives in a state of contentment because that is who she is.

“The result of contentment is total happiness. The happiness we get from acquiring passions is only temporary. We need to find new ones and acquire them to sustain this sort of happiness. There is no end to it. But true contentment, leading to total happiness and bliss, is in a class by itself.” – T.K.V. Desikachar

I think it’s important to note this difference that Desikachar points out.

Sure, you can create temporary happiness with retail therapy or by getting excited about something, but that isn’t lasting. It goes away after the excitement wares off.

True happiness, however, comes from the inner attitude and state of contentment; of acceptance of the way things are.

“…Samtosa, modesty and the feeling of being content with what we have. Often we hope for a particular result to ensue from our actions, and we are just as often disappointed. But there is no need to despair – rather, we should accept what has happened. That is the real meaning of samtosa – to accept what happens. A commentary on the Yoga Sutra says: ‘Contentment counts for more than all sixteen heavens together.’ Instead of complaining about things that go wrong, we can accept what has happened and learn from them.” – T.K.V. Desikachar, from The Heart of Yoga

So, the more we flow with life, in acceptance, allowing each moment to be as it is and looking at it from a place of equanimity, the happier we are.

It’s a practice of the kind of attitude and perspective you choose to adopt.

And when you forget, just think of Jasmine. Content wherever she happens to be. Or you might connect more easily with the image of the Dalai Lama, smiling and exuding peace.

Also, it’s very helpful to remember that all of the yamas and niyamas help to lead to this state of contentment. Practicing each in combination with the others creates incredible freedom and flow in life.

The Yamas:

Ahimsa as Loving Kindness

Satya as Living Your Truth

Asteya as Owning Your Experience

Brahmacharya as Unconditional Love and Highest Integrity

Aparigraha as Living Simply and Freedom from Suffering

The Niyams:

Saucha as Clarity and Purity

My friend Michele Baker (from Swan River Yoga in New Orleans) doing yoga in some exotic place. This gorgeous image shows balance, purity, and clarity in such a beautiful way.

Saucha is the first of the Niyamas, and it invites great freedom through the practice of creating balance and purity.

While the yamas give us way to live with high integrity and greater enjoyment in relationship with ourselves and the world around us, the niyamas are primarily focused on daily practices we do ourselves.

This blog post continues our conversation on the guiding ethical principles of yoga viewed through my own perspective, informed by the teachings of Anusara® yoga.

Saucha is a good place to begin when looking at your own personal practice, because it speaks to the importance of being organized and the far reaching benefits of cultivating purity internally and externally.

A couple simple examples: If your desk is a mess, how effective are you compared to when it is organized? If you’ve been eating ice cream and pizza, how do you feel compared to when you eat clean and healthy?

How do you feel when your house is clean and orderly versus when it looks like a clothing bomb exploded?

Fung Shui, which you’ve likely heard of since it’s popular all over the world for being effective, is a Chinese system of energetic and material organization that places high importance on clearing out space and being precise in how things are placed.

For instance, if you’ve got a pile of unused and randomly stored ‘stuff’ in the Wealth and Prosperity corner of your house, your Fung Shui consultant would tell you it needs to be dealt with in order to allow for full flow of abundance.

Hmmm… That sounds oddly familiar. Excuse me…

(30 Minutes Later)

Okay, I’ve cleaned out the corner. Energy pure and clear. Ready and open for full flow of abundance!

Saucha: Sparkling, Inside and Out

Really, this concept of creating clarity and purity in order to have more freedom and flow is reflected in EVERY aspect of life.

Though the most important aspect of being clear and pure is that of your intention, the outside and inside always influence each other.

For instance, if the space you’re practicing in is cluttered and dirty, sure you can still practice there, but the energy is different and not as clear. However, if you have a space that you keep clear, that you consider sacred, you will want to practice there more often and the purity of the space will absolutely resonate in your practice.

When you think about being pure, what comes to mind for you?

It may be that you think about the foods and drinks you consume. If they are wholesome and healthy, that shows and obviously effects your entire state of well being including your emotional health.

Conversely, consuming toxins muddies mind, emotions, and body. It makes it much more difficult to enjoy and participate in life to the fullest.

Saucha not only invites clarity and purity in your surroundings and physical body, but also your thoughts.

Honestly, for me, I think this is one of the most important aspects of Saucha; the practice of focusing your thoughts on beauty and integrity. And yet, truly, all of these elements fit together and support each other.

When you have a space that feels inviting and beautiful, it naturally uplifts your thoughts and emotions. When you eat good food and drink pure water, that vitality influences your thoughts.

And when you choose thoughts that are coherent, life-affirming, and that create balance, you move to a new level of purity that sparkles on every level of your life.

Saucha and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras

I always think it’s a good idea to ask “So what?” when dealing with any kind of life lesson. What makes this so important? What’s the why behind the principle?

This is sort of like a little kid who doesn’t want to clean their room. Why do I need to clean my room? What does it do for me? What’s the higher purpose?

So What?

In yoga, there’s always a higher purpose, as well as every day application (like being able to find what you’re looking for because it isn’t under a pile of other stuff.)

The Universe is very orderly, even if that order is complex and we humans create chaos within it. When you look at the way life forms as a living organism, or how a galaxy spins, or how the seasons cycle, Nature is constantly showing us patterns and order.

When you create order and clarity in your life, prana (life force) and Shakti (the energy or power of Nature) flows much more smoothly and happily.

Let’s look at this within the context of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras:

“Sutra 2.40: saucatsvangajugupsa parairasamsargah

When cleanliness is developed it reveals what needs to be constantly maintained and what is eternally clean. What decays is the external. What does not is deep within us.

Our overconcern with and attachment to outward things, which is both transient and superficial, is reduced.”

- T.K.V. Desikachar, from The Heart of Yoga

So what?

Well, by cultivating purity in each aspect of life, we are drawn more and more fully into alignment with that which is, and has always been, perfectly pure. We care for and maintain the ‘outward things’, and yet we lose our attachment to them.

This creates an enormous amount of freedom.

Practicing purity leads you into purity, and then, strong and steady in your own pure light, you become a force of purity. You can walk in the most defiled place and, just with your own vibration of coherence and clarity, shift it towards light and beauty.

This is a hugely powerful practice!

“In Tantra this purity is the purity of the heart, of intention. You line yourself up with this clarity. This purity leads to a high level of illumination, one pointedness, mastery over the senses, and capability.”

- John Friend, interpreting Sutra 2.40 and 2.41

Asana and pranayama are very much practices that bring purity and clarity when done with sensitivity and a life-affirming attitude. They are very potent ways to ‘clean house’ on the internal level.

“With cleanliness the body becomes the temple of the seer and feels the joy of self-awareness. When the consciousness is cheerful and benevolent, the seeker becomes ready to receive the knowledge and vision of the soul.”

- B.K.S. Iyengar, from Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra 2.40

See? It’s all about joy.

It’s not just that you ‘should’ clean your room so you can find stuff, but for the pure joy and clarity of being able to look around and realize that your house (your body) is sacred, and that there is a purity that you have always had, and will always be yours. It’s just that it is very difficult to find and feel when there is all kinds of clutter in the way.

Simple Practices to Enjoy the Freedom of Saucha

The following are some suggestions and traditional ways of practicing saucha. I’m sure you can come up with many more of your own. As always, everything here is offered for you to take what resonates to empower your own practice of being human.

Keep your surroundings clear and clean

• Surround yourself with beauty. Keep your surroundings orderly (as much as possible.)
• Make a special place for your yoga practice, even if it also is used for other things. Keep it sacred, remembering that things can be sacred and functional both!
• When you set down your yoga mat, place it aligned with the energy of the room, rather than at an odd angle.
• Placing a photo of your teacher, crystal, or something else that invokes an inner feeling of love and beauty at the top of your mat can also help you stay focused on purity.

Keep your body clear and clean

• Eat wholesome foods, drink pure water. Eat moderately.
• Traditionally yogis would bathe before practicing. Take care of yourself in manners that make you feel radiant and pure.
• Practice yoga regularly. The focus and purification yoga creates on every level is incredibly effective!

Create rituals for yourself

• Rituals instill order and precision because you do things a certain way and create a pattern of energy. Rituals can be anything really: meditating upon waking, blessing your food before eating, doing your yoga practice at the same time every day, taking a bath every Sunday night…

Focus your thoughts

• When you catch yourself thinking something that isn’t life-affirming or helpful, choose a different thought to replace it. You can also use mantra, such as Om Namah Shivaya, to turn your mind towards balance and clarity.
• Meditation and visualization can be very helpful in creating inner clarity that manifests and benefits your outer life.

Focusing on saucha can be quite motivating! I’ve cleaned half the house in between spurts of writing this blog post. Possibly not the most precise way to organize when writing, but definitely a good thing for my house!

I hope you got some ideas from this that you can apply directly to your own life to create more clarity and freedom.

Of course, all of the yamas apply to the niyamas, so as you practice ahimsa (loving kindness), satya (truthfulness),  asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (highest integrity), and aparigraha (non-clinging), you naturally move into a state of purity.

We’ll explore aparigraha (non-clinging) as the act of Living Simply.

This isn’t a practice of renunciation, although some express it as such. Instead, to me, it is a conscious way of living finely, simply, without grasping…

It is living in the natural flow of abundance with great respect in relationship with what you have and that which is around you.

“When established in aparigraha you gain knowledge of the nature of the world (why and how). Don’t take more than you need. Live simply – this can be living finely, with sensitivity to the whole. When you are sensitive in resources and relationships you gain knowledge of how and why things are the way they are.” –John Friend, founder of Anusara yoga, interpreting Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 2.39

Sitting next to my teacher at dinner last week, he gestured to his shirt and said, “You have nice things, but you need to be ready to give them away at any moment.”

Aparigraha encourages us to let go of the grasping, possessive, neediness that is at the root source of greed. It tells us that we are far more free when we don’t accumulate things beyond what is necessary.

When we live simply, even if that is living finely in luxury, we choose to practice the freedom of non-attachment.

Why? Well, let’s give this example:

The Difference Between Pain and Suffering Comes Down to Non-Clinging (Aparigraha)

There is a difference between experiencing pain and suffering. It is the act of experiencing the sensation of change which sometimes brings pain. Yet suffering is different; the struggle of suffering is caused when we cling to something and don’t allow the change to happen.

Suffering comes when we constantly want something to be different than what it is, whether that is wanting something we don’t have, not wanting to let go of something when it is time, or resisting the inevitable motion of change.

For most of us, this is a challenging practice, especially when someone you love dies or a major transition comes, requiring you to say goodbye to cherished companions, experiences, or objects.

Yet when we cling we neither serve the person leaving or situation changing, nor ourselves.

In the case of someone’s spirit leaving their body, a loved one (us) clinging can actually make it more difficult for their soul to find peace. Being able to let them go is a great blessing to them. Sure, there is pain and grief, but these are wholesome and natural feelings. Without the clinging, you can go through the transition without suffering and contribute to the freedom of the one who is gone from this world as they shift into the next.

When anything in life changes, there is often pain, but with aparigraha we have the invitation to honour that which has come before by not clinging.

Then we can flow with the newness, open to the next opportunity or gift given, and be in a state of inner peace and outer balance.

Aparigraha and the Environment

If we apply this concept of living simply and finely to our relationship with the environment, we can create a great deal of healing.

As a general rule, humankind has taken too much, too fast, with too little awareness from the generous and beautiful planet we live on.

Instead of being a ‘throw away society’, instead of consuming and even competing to have all the toys of our neighbors, we can choose to live in ways that satisfy our desires and needs while at the same time being in right relationship with the earth.

Rather than getting the cheapest, Made In China goods, we can spend a little bit more to get something of worth and good design that won’t break in 2 weeks. Rather than shopping at Walmart (which is something I personally vowed not to do many years ago), we can purchase as much as possible locally.

When you make choices that support sustainable living, like buying recycled paper products, you are practicing aparigraha. Much of this yama is about being mindful in how we acquire things and the impact our lives have on the world around us.

Exploring the Sutra

From Light on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras B.K.S. Iyengar

Sutra 2.39: Aparigrahasthairye janmakathamta sambodhah

“When one is steady in living without surplus possessions and without greed, on realizes the true meaning of one’s life, and al life unfolds before one… Aprigraha means not only non-possession and non-acceptance of gifts, but also freedom from rigidity of thought. Holding on to ones’ thoughts is also a form of possessiveness, and thoughts, as well as material possessions, should be shunned. Otherwise they leave strong impressions on the consciousness and become seeds to manifest in future lives. These cycles of life continue until the sadhaka is totally clean and clear in thoughts, words and deeds.”

While I don’t agree completely with Mr. Iyengars interpretation of shunning gifts, especially when something is given freely from the heart as an offering of love, I feel he is very clear here that it is the possessiveness that is the issue.

It’s not necessarily a need to ‘not have anything material’, but to let go of the clinging of things as well as thoughts, which I think is particularly helpful in these changing times.

Here’s another perspective on the same sutra and yama:

“The last yama is aparigraha, a word that means something like “Hands off” or “not seizing opportunity.” Parigraha means “to take” or “to seize.” Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary, and not to take advantage of a situation…”

Sutra 2.39 “One who is not greedy is secure. He has time to think deeply. His understanding of himself is complete.”

“The more we have, the more we need to take care of it. The time and energy spent on acquire more things, protecting them, and worrying about them cannot be spent on the basic questions of life. What is the limit to what we should possess? For what purpose, for whom, and for how long? Death comes before we have had time to begin to consider these questions.” -T.K.V. Desikachar

I love Mr. Desikachar’s translation of the sutra here. “One who is not greedy is secure.” This is so true. When we stop clinging, grasping, and wanting, we feel centered, we feel free.

We can enter more deeply into meditation and understanding of ourselves and the world because there is nothing in the way.

And since freedom is, ultimately, what we all desire, this practice is a beautiful way to move into and create it.

With this last concept, we will move from the Yamas to the Niyamas. Again, these are all guiding principles that can be used to experience more freedom and wonder in life; to live in right relationship, and therefore harmony, with the world.

“The Yamas are natural virtues of the heart.” –John Friend

I invite you to look back at my blogs contemplating the Yamas from the perspective of Anusara yoga here:

The Yamas and Niyamas: Ethics and Yoga

The Yamas: Ahimsa as Loving Kindness

The Yamas: Satya as Living Your Truth

The Yamas: Asteya as Owning Your Experience

The Yamas: Brahmacharya as Unconditional Love and Highest Integrity

Locals love it, and all who discover this massive and beautiful tree on their visits return to be in awe of it’s incredible canopy, roots, body and presence.

This tree, and truly all of Nature, has so much to teach us.

The video below speaks to this, and includes a meditation that will help you connect and shift into a state of remembrance and desire to contribute to the beauty of the world.

I hope you enjoy this video, which weaves my own personal perspective with that of the trees, sharing teachings from Anusara® yoga that go straight to the heart.

Anusara yoga in New Orleans

To me, New Orleans is home. I don’t live here full time, but I visit often as my parents are here and my ‘roots’ are deep in this city, both ancestral roots and energetic ones.

The teachers here, including Laura Flora, Cat McCarthy, Aaron Lind, Keith Porteous and Michele Baker, as well as so many other beautiful people, feel like family. This is a strong kula, and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of it.

This tree is massive! The trunk is about 8 feet wide.

My heart feels at home here. Part of that is the sheer love I have for the people and city, and part of it is the trees. I can wander for many hours in the parks and streets here.

The magnificence of these great trees surrounds you here. It’s an amazing feeling.

To sweeten my already wonderful visit, I’ve been fortunate to spend the much of the past week with my teacher and the founder of Anusara yoga, John Friend.

John recognizes the special way New Orleans celebrates life and death, the soulful people here, and the thin veil between the world of spirit and that which we experience.

The pulse of life here is strong.

You feel it in the music, you see it in the faces of the people who say hi and wave when you walk by. You know it when you watch the Spanish Moss sway in the breeze as it clings to the Oaks and Cypress.

Nature makes me feel so humble. Trees especially.

I asked John about embodying humility, and what, beyond the big picture of constantly being in remembrance of Spirit, I can specifically do to cultivate being humble.

John replied with a smile, telling me to always come from the desire to serve. When you come from a loving heart, being of service helps you not put yourself first, but instead contribute to beauty and balance around you. You look around and just notice what is needed; what can I do to help?

Sometimes it’s just BEING the vibration that contributes to uplift the situation.

If someone is sad or having a hard time, it may be that words or actions aren’t helpful, but you can still bring the vibration of love and peace into the room, and that is a beautiful act of service.

His answer was sweet. It is a perfect reflection of what I see him do every day. When John looks at you, he gives blessings.

We can do this as well – every time your eyes meet someone else’s, you can send blessings. Being of service isn’t demeaning, it’s empowering because it places you in your own heart. You step into your power, into your authentic self, by living your life in a way that contributes to love and beauty.

How perfect. What a gorgeous expression of yoga.

And though these are things I have heard and felt in John’s teachings before, it was beautiful to have them re-introduced to my very receptive mind and grateful heart in the magical setting of New Orleans as the next cycle of the year is ushered in.

In the video above I’ve spoken on this and much more, so I hope you enjoy it.

Please leave a comment below and tell me what your thoughts are…

May we all find the deep and generous wisdom in our connections with each other and Nature. May we serve, joyfully and from the heart, the goodness of life.

It went from being a concept that felt harsh and limiting into something that now inspires a deep sense of awe for me.

Why so, you ask?

Well, first let me introduce the concept of uttanita. You know it already, even if you don’t recognize it by this Sanskrit word.

Uttanita is about shifting your perspective.

It means wide open; an expanded view. I know it as the way we can turn something we know around and see it in a completely different light.

And when this happened to me with brahmacharya I was delighted.

See, brahmacharya was first introduced to me as the practice of chastity, which really didn’t seem like much fun, or very realistic unless I were to crawl into a cave or retire to an ashram. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just not my choice.

Of course, the idea of restraint goes further than this, but I got stuck on the word ‘chastity’ and couldn’t see past it to the rest of what the books I read had to say.

Unsurprisingly, brahmacharya as an ethical practice of sexual restraint was a big turn off, and so I didn’t really think much of it because I didn’t feel it had anything liberating or positive to offer me.

It just didn’t seem like a healthy area of my life to create oppressive rules around, especially after having a hard enough time getting through the confusing misconceptions surrounding sexuality in our society as a young woman.

And then came the uttanita.

But first, let’s talk about sex…

Sex and Tantra

Yep. That's Madonna. In a headstand. With some pretty sexy boots on...

Before we get into the Aha! Moment that came to me as a new understanding of brahmacharya, let’s first get the whole ‘sex and Tantra’ discussion clear.

“Tantra… Isn’t that some practice of sacred sexuality?” This is a common conception of Tantra. In a way, yes, that’s true.

And yet, Tantra is much, much more than this.

Tantra is a non-dual philosophy, which means it comes from the premise that everything is a part of one auspicious, conscious energy that manifests as infinite forms and experiences.

If you look at the world this way, seeing that everything comes from the divine and IS an embodiment of the divine, then sexuality is an expression of the divine. Which means it can’t be classified as evil or only for the purpose of procreation because it can be an experience of divine delight and divine connection.

And yet, in so many ways sexuality has been abused, condemned, used, glorified, and genuinely confused, leading to centuries of complicated issues around something that is a natural part of life.

Think about it: the many difficulties surrounding sex, including rape, unplanned pregnancy, disease, prostitution and promiscuity could be resolved if the world’s understanding and treatment of sexuality was brought into harmony and balance.

The same could be said about war, prejudice, and the imbalances that occur on so many levels – if our relationships came from places of integrity, these issues would dissolve and heal.

Tantra says that sexuality is something to be respected, enjoyed, and treated with the highest integrity, JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE.

It isn’t that Tantra focuses on sex, but that it includes it as part of the honoured cycle of life that makes it such a different paradigm.

So, now that we’ve established that Tantra isn’t just about sex, but a philosophy that includes every aspect of life, we can move on…

Brahmacharya Through the Eyes of Tantra

To be fair, I’d like to start by saying that Classical Yoga doesn’t necessarily limit the concept of Brahmacharya as much as my initial reaction to it did.

This excerpt from B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali illustrates:

“Brahmacarya, in its sense of sexual control or celibacy is often misunderstood. Sexual energy is the most basic expression of the life force. It is immensely powerful, and it is essential to control and channel it. In no way should we despise it. On the contrary, we must respect and esteem it….

…Continence or control in no way belies or contradicts the enjoyment of pleasure. Assuredly they enhance it. It is when sensory pleasure is the sole motivating factor that brahmacharya is infringed…

…Lack of control can lead to despair, dejection, and depression. But if energy is abundant and controlled we have hope and confidence, and our mind turns automatically to higher thoughts.”

Okay. So Mr. Iyengar has some good points, as always, and he offers much more than what I’ve included here. It is also offered from a place of love, which I feel as I read his words.

Yet even this spoke too much of control for my rebellious mind to accept as wisdom when I was first learning yoga.

But when I got the Tantric perspective, which felt like a broader conceptual understanding of Brahmacharya, it suddenly became something I could aspire to.

What if we went beyond the idea of restrained sexuality and took instead the idea of “Integrity in Relationship”?

What if we broadened the view and went Big Picture with this idea?

It would at least untangle us from the often messy world of sexual ethics, wouldn’t it?

This was my Aha! Moment; this is what changed my view so much.

“When established in brahmacharya – to walk like God – you have vitality. Power. When there is integrity, total balance in relationship, you conduct yourself in the highest. Let us work together to empower awakening.” – From my notes at a training with John Friend, founder of Anusara® yoga, as he explained Patanjali’s Sutra 2.38.

Oh. So this isn’t about sex?

Well, yes it is. But that’s not all it’s about.

Whew!

But while we’re still on the subject…

This is one way that I remember John explaining relationship and the importance of being mindful with sexual relations:

You share the energy of each person you are intimate with. You take on some of their energy and they take on some of yours. So you want to be selective, when you realize this. Also, the immense vitality that is part of our sexual energy and physicality isn’t something you want to waste, for that is the equivalant of wasting part of your life energy. It is something precious, to be respected and not spent casually.

It would have been good if I’d learned this when I was a teenager. But this isn’t something they teach in sex-ed, and rarely is it explained in such a clear way to the general population.

Brahmacharya as Unconditional Love and Highest Integrity

In Anusara yoga’s ethical guidelines, brahmacharya is defined as “having ethical conduct like God.”

To walk and act as a divine being is something I can absolutely align with.

Brahmacharya invites us to practice living with the highest integrity, relating to one another with unconditional love, free of manipulation or selfishness. It includes practicing sexual moderation and chastity if chosen, because that is part of relating in the highest integrity.

What does it mean to you, to walk like God?

What does it feel like to imagine yourself as a perfect expression of unconditional love, living with the highest integrity as you relate to yourself and everything around you?

It is this question that brahmacharya asks us to consider, and then practice in the ways that are most life-affirming and appropriate to us as individuals.

Because, when you relate in this way of highest integrity, you gain the power and vitality that you would associate with someone who walks in the footsteps of every master who has graced this earth.

But it isn’t the power that entices you to this practice, is it. It’s the idea of living that purely, as an embodiment of love and the utmost integrity.

As I imagine myself living such a high ideal, I am inspired.

I hope you are too.

I’ll leave you with this beautiful excerpt from T.K.V. Desikachar’s The Heart of Yoga

On brahmacarya: “This word is composed of the root car, which means “to move”, and the word brahma, which means “truth” in terms of the one essential truth. We can understand brahmacarya as a movement toward the essential. It is used mostly in the sense of abstinence, particularly in relationship to sexual activity. More specifically, brahmacarya suggests that we should form relationships that foster our understanding of the highest truths.”

Related Posts:

The Yamas and Niyamas: Ethics and Yoga

The Yamas: Ahimsa as Loving Kindness

The Yamas: Satya as Living Your Truth

The Yamas: Asteya as Owning Your Experience

“When one is established in asteya, wealth is abundant,”

This was in a training in Encinitas, California, in May of 2008.

Before this training, a deep and revealing dive into the famous Sutras of Patanjali which have influenced so much of modern day yoga, I really wasn’t a big fan of the sutras.

They just seemed so unfriendly; so harsh and unapproachable….

Okay, so maybe great teachings don’t need to be friendly to be worthwhile, but if they’re not inviting or delivered in a loving tone, I’d really rather study something else.

How un-yogic of me, eh?

But through the loving, life-affirming lens of Shiva-Shakti Tantra, the sutras opened up and proved worthy of both study and practice without the stern tone I’d heard in them before.

To be clear, Patanjali’s Sutras are not the only place the yamas and niyamas come to us, however they are perhaps the most widely read of the many ancient sources. Interestingly enough, we generally only study the 5 yamas that appear in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, however there were originally ten. Do a search on Wikipedia if you’re curious… But I digress.

Here’s what T.K.V. Desikachar has to say about asteya in his translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 2.37:

“One who is trustworthy, because he does not covet what belongs to others, naturally has everyone’s confidence and everything is shared with him, however precious it might be.”

Asteya as Owning Your Experience

Asteya, the third of the Yamas as defined in said Sutras, translates as non-stealing.

Yep, you’ve heard it before, “Thou shalt not steal.” Got it. Pretty common sense, right?

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg; this isn’t just about not taking what isn’t yours, but also knowing what is.

“Know the source of your blessings,” John Friend said as he unpacked the sutra in which asteya appears. When you keep turning to the essence of life, it keeps things in perspective.

Taking this idea of asteya a step further, by being aware and appreciative of what you have, both materially and on many other levels including your own unique talents, you realize that you’re quite a bit more well off than when you’re focusing on what others have.

By seeing what is good in your life, you naturally adopt an outlook of gratitude, and you realize that you have all that you truly need.

That doesn’t mean that’s all you ever get, or even all you want.

However, and you likely know this from experience, if you’re constantly wanting more, it is very difficult to be happy with what you’ve got, and the dreaded “never enough” feeling can descend.

And that’s no fun.

So I like to think of asteya as owning your experience; taking responsibility for what is yours and not taking on what is not.

How Asteya Can Help You Stop Worrying

For me, the hardest thing to leave be as “Not Mine” isn’t shiny toys or all the amazing clothes I’d love to own.

What I have a hard time ‘not stealing’ are the feelings and perspectives of others.

With ideas, if they are borrowed, it’s easy enough to give credit and honour the source as that idea is shared – that’s not what I’m referring to.

It’s the judgements, worries, and feelings of others that I’ve been known to take on without needing to.

Basically, it’s not my stuff, it’s someone else’s.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t try to take it upon myself to try to fix or settle.

Classic example: as a child and young woman I was very affected by how people judged me. But my peers’ thoughts of me weren’t my choice, those thoughts were theirs.

Not my issue, but I’d stress myself out about it all the same.

Even now I’m quick to ‘feel bad’ or experience guilt if I think I’ve offended or upset someone, often making it up in my head when they thought nothing of it. Or maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with me at all, but a friend is worried and I somehow choose to worry with them.

Not only does this go against the truth of the matter (going back to satya – truthfulness) and it’s not particularly compassionate towards myself (ahimsa – loving kindness), but I’m taking on (and often making up false ideas of) someone else’s experience, creating unnecessary worry.

Silly me.

When you practice asteya, you cultivate an awareness of what is yours and what isn’t.

One of the places this brings incredible liberation, for me at least, is to know when you’re taking on other people’s stuff. If you find yourself doing that, and probably creating worry as a result, you can take a deep breath and choose to let it go.

Move into gratitude of what you have and who you are, and you’ll find yourself re-aligning with that high integrity that is who you are.

Asteya as Contentment Within Honesty

When we can simply be content and honest with what currently is, we realize we don’t have to take on more than is necessary.

When we respect the experiences and belongings of others as theirs, we can also have more respect for our own experiences and physical comforts.

When you are aware of your blessings and take responsibility only for what is yours, and also completely for your own actions, you own your experience.

Which is actually a lot more enjoyable than taking on what isn’t yours.

I’d like to leave you with a lovely excerpt from an article on Asteya from a local yoga instructor, Margaret Huff:

“By learning to gratefully acknowledge all that is good in our lives, to respect our own talents and accomplishments as much as we admire others’, to value our time and to use our resources wisely – and by practicing these skills – the desire to have what is not ours is gradually weeded out. We begin to recognize that everything we really need we already possess….

Truly embracing the enough-ness, the abundance of our lives, we become a much stronger, peaceful force for positive change in the world.”

Courage and Inner Knowing: two heart qualities inspired by Satya.

Satya, or truthfulness, invites you to be genuine and authentic to your inner nature with integrity and whole, complete honesty. This is the second of the yamas.

A large part of satya is being truthful with yourself. When you are authentically you, it is naturally beautiful; it feels good.

It might not always be comfortable at first to genuinely express who you are, because we are brought up conditioned to ‘fit in’ and go with some outside definition of normal… Whatever that is.

But when you are around someone who is so complete in living their truth with integrity, knowing who they are, their confidence is palpable, their inner beauty radiant, and the natural feeling of being with them often evokes delight.

When you live your truth you stop fighting the flow of life because you are honouring your true nature as a unique expression of divine life.

On the other hand, pretending to be who you are not can be rather difficult and bring suffering to you and those around you.

It’s one thing to try on a costume and play with a role to see what parts of it speak to you and fit your needs, but to deny yourself, to hide your genuine self… It’s like taking a masterpiece of art, a Picasso, say, and shrouding it in a dusty corner of a broom closet.

It does not serve the glory of this incredibly, magnificently diverse experience we call life to be anyone but who you are.

Growing Pains and Satya as Self-Honesty

Seek your own truth. Express it as the fullness of your own genuine authenticity.

Part of being truthful with yourself is honestly acknowledging the places you need to grow. This is simply the process of being human, as we all have things to work on.

It isn’t always easy but if you are truthful with yourself, and you practice the loving kindness of asteya supported by the many tools of yoga, the growing evolution of who you are will bring you wonder and delight.

Life is more rich and generous when you do the work honesty invites.

Courage and an inner knowing are both necessary to practice satya, and qualities that are greatly cultivated and strengthened by dedicating yourself to living your truth and practicing yoga.

A Personal Account…

When I was young I was tremendously concerned with what people thought about me. Yet my insecurities and sometimes desperate desire to belong often repelled the very people I wanted to be with.

By trying to be what and who I thought they would like, I was denying my true nature and making my own life quite difficult. The relationships I had at that time were fragile and false, for they were not built on the foundation of truth.

After many years of discovering the truth of myself, trying on personas and styles to see how they fit, I gradually chose to do the work necessary to be honest with myself.

A lot of that work was learning asteya, because to be authentic and honest with myself, I had to trust myself. When my self-talk was hurtful there was mistrust. When that changed, little by little, I evolved into a confident, genuine, creatively expressive person.

I think this is a process that most human beings go through, it just takes some longer than others, which is perfectly fine because all things happen with divine timing.

“Stay centered in your divine Self and you will connect more powerfully with all around you.” – John Friend, founder of Anusara® yoga

The Power of Truth

Though I have first spoken to being honest with yourself, this practice is, of course, a powerful and incredible influence on how we relate to and experience everything around us.

One very beautiful expression of satya is how you know truth when you see it. It resonates with you when you feel it. You recognize truth when you hear it or read it.

There is an inner knowing on a subtle level that informs you on every level saying, “Yes, this truth is indeed a powerful thing.”

The same goes for that which is untrue. You recognize falsehood and it doesn’t feel right. Sometimes you just ‘know’ without any other clue that something is wrong or off. This, your intuition, is the power of truth as well, for you naturally want to align with nature, and nature tells you when something is untrue and therefore misaligned.

When Truth is Hard

Often truth invokes courage. It may be because you’ve recognized something inside of you that needs to be worked on and won’t necessarily be easy to resolve, or because you’ve seen something sad or disturbing in the world around you that requires courage to acknowledge.

The truth of reality, what is all around us as life, isn’t always pretty, and it doesn’t always feel good.

This is where the lines of clarity can blur, because we can say that it is true that wars are being fought, trees are being cut down, people are living in poverty, fear and starvation, and all kinds of other horrible things are going on in reality. This is, on a very real level, a form of truth.

And yet, it feels very wrong because so much of it is founded in peoples actions that are false and harmful; people who could really do with a yoga retreat to work on cultivating ahimsa and satya.

‘Sat’, the first part of the word satya, represents reality. It calls to what is real and true. It identifies what is.

So, yes, part of satya is acknowledging reality in all of its beauty and ugliness, just as it is in this moment.

Yet, if you go into the deepest, widest, most powerful and constant form of truth, you connect with reality in a different way. You see the wholeness of truth as the energy, the one consciousness that pulsates within us all.

And that form of reality, the entirety of the grand picture shows you that even the ugliness is somehow held in love, and will eventually return to love as all things in time and space are ultimately dissolved.

Resting in this grand perspective of truth, in contemplation and meditation, choosing to look for the truth in forms of beauty becomes easier and you find you have the courage to accept what is in all its manifest forms.

The courage and inner knowing of satya nurtures a quality of tolerance (ahimsa), which in turn brings you to a place of clarity that can not be found in denial or falsehood.

Matrika Shakti: Speaking Your Truth

When you adopt satya as a way of life, how you speak becomes a powerful practice.

Why? Well, because words hold incredible force. What you say comes to be.

“When one is established in Satya, what you say will happen.” –John Friend translating Patanjali’s Sutra 2.36

Yet not all words need to be spoken.

Just because you honestly feel a certain way doesn’t mean it’s skillful to always say it out loud. That can be a tough practice, I know… But this calls again to ahimsa to help you choose the path of integrity.

It’s always a good idea to pause before you speak and consider the Four Gates of Speech:

1. Is it truthful?
2. Is it necessary to say?
3. Is it the appropriate time?
4. Can it be said in a kind way?

Matrika Shakti describes the power of speech. The more mindful and truthful you are when speaking, the more powerful your words become.

Satya as Truth in Pulsation

Shine fearlessly as who you are. Truth is yours to experience and live.

To be sure that satya doesn’t get dogmatic or static, I offer you this…

It seems to me that, in our constructs of reality and the constantly changing cycles of who I am as a person, that there are very few absolute truths compared to the infinite relative truths.

What I mean is this: something can be true for me and not true for you.

My truth and that of others is not always the same. For example, there are as many paths to God as there are seekers, yet some claim they have The One True Path.

Though this is very real and true for them, it is not my truth because I follow my own path. No judgment is necessary here, in fact, it’s a lovely example of how each person’s perspective and personal truth leads us to the absolute truth of one conscious energy.

As well, something that was true for you last year (or month or week or hour for that matter) may not be true for you now in this moment.

Seeking Truth

Truth invites us to seek it, to feel it, to align with it and to express it.

Satya is the practice of living in honesty to the best of your ability, and drawing on all of your skill to refine and expand how you experience life as a genuine and authentic person.

May this practice be a joy for you, unfolding mysteries and wonders of truth with your faithful companions, courage and inner knowing.

May you speak and live your truth with great beauty and delight!

(Photos by the wonderfully talented Natalie Anfield, Studio Five-O: Kamloops Photography)