Satya: Truthfulness & Asteya: Nonstealing

"When the practitioner is firmly estalished in the practice of the truth, his words become so potent that whatever he says comes to realization."
-Yoga Sutras

Last Saturday we focused on SATYA, the sanskrit word for truthfulness. Satya is the second yama (restraint). To be truthful is not just to speak the truth, but to be truthful in your thoughts and actions as well - to live the truth.

Truthfulness that honors you and others is not harmful or hurtful. Being "brutally honest" is not practicing Satya in it's true form, but using a version of truth to hurt others. Satya should be practiced with ahimsa (non-violence). When you stand in your personal truth falsehoods fade away. Satya is a place of owning your personal power. You need not diminish the power of another in order to stand in your own.

As we practiced with our asanas and our intention of satya we recognized the different views one can have. We played in inversions to see things from different perspectives and we worked with twists to cleanse and work towards releasing any falsehoods we might have been holding. We acknowledged that every person has their own truth as we worked towards blurring the lines between ourselves and others. Our practice on our mats presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and discover the essence of our own truth.

"When abstention from stealing is firmly established, precious jewels come."
-Yoga Sutras

This coming Saturday, Jan. 29 we'll be moving on to the third yama in the yoga sutras, ASTEYA: Nonstealing. We all steal at times because we are all human, we all experience fear - fear of not having enough. This fear causes us to create attachments to things or desired outcomes. These attachments at times lead to lapses in judgment and values.

Have you ever cheated on a test; knowingly taken more than your share; become aware of a mistake in your favor in a retail experience, yet let it go unnoticed; or downloaded or copied music without paying for it? These are all forms of stealing. We tend to excuse these things away, but if you really look at them you'll notice the emotion of fear and the feeling of attachment. The feeling of a need to have more, to hold on. When practicing asteya from the inside out we have to face these little indiscretions. We begin to trust and have faith that we will have enough - that are needs will be met. We begin to hoard less, share more, and release jealousy. We learn to trust that the next moment will come and we will be okay. We learn to flow effortlessly without attachment. We let go, surrender, and find peace.

Bring awareness to your practice of asteya over the next two days, then join me Saturday as we practice on our mats, moving with the flow of our breaths. We'll find space for surrender as we move through difficult asanas (poses). We'll tweak our poses from the inside out and release deeply as we ground in savasana, feeling completely supported by the earth. As you practice asteya notice what jewels come.

Namaste,
Kathy