Satya (Part One)

 

Satya…truthfulness.  

Satya is offered in the Yoga Sutras as the second of five yamas, which are often misguidedly referred to as restraints or “right living” rules. I once heard them described as “reflections of our true nature” because our true nature is inherently good. The yamas can be thought of as behaviors that reflect our innermost essence.

To understand satya as one of the yamas, it is important to know it comes after ahimsa by design. The yamas are not mutually exclusive, they are interdependent and there is an element of hierarchical balance between them. In that hierarchy, ahimsa (kindness) always comes first.

 

Truth in our yoga practice begins before we unroll our yoga mats. It is present when the call to practice arises and when we commit to showing up on our mat. Truth perpetually invites us to practice wisely, from invocation to savasana. And when we say yes, we step into satya. So, what exactly does that mean as a yoga practitioner?

 

Breath is the teacher and as the student, you are the one being breathed. This is a sacred relationship and the underpinning of a sustainable practice. We need to develop an internal system of checks and balances for monitoring our breath--like counting, or ujjayi, or our beloved 3 fundamentals of 1) grounding, 2) soft upper pallet of the mouth, and 3) full commitment exhale. Then we respond to these checks and balances by adjusting accordingly throughout our practice.

 

The i-maker, or in Sanskirt ahamkara, is the tendency to over-identify with fleeting thoughts and sensations. When left to its own devices, the i-maker, fueled by the ego, will use the mat as its own private playground. For example, consider this inner dialogue, brought to you by the i-maker, “Wow, my balance is really off today…I can’t hold half-moon…why can’t I hold half-moon?…I always hold this pose…it’s probably because I missed class yesterday…I should have come to class…I was so lazy…everyone else is holding the pose…I am a terrible yogi…I am not even a yogi at all…why can’t we just move to the next pose?…I hate half-moon…I am so over this class…did the teacher just say “inhale”…am I even breathing?…I have to hold this or I won’t get better…seriously why can’t I just stay in the pose!?”

Now, enjoy the same conversation, but with a tone of satya, the ultimate antidote to the i-maker, “Wow, balance is challenging today…that’s interesting…maybe I’ll try breathing into the wobbles…looking at the floor seems to help…I’ll do that…[ breathes ]…how did I know to do that?…[ breathes ]…is that Yoga?…[ breathes ]…[ breathes ]…it was hard to concentrate during the opening meditation too…[ breathes ]…I haven’t really slowed down at all today…[ breathes ]…[ breathes ]… I think I’ll rest instead… [ breathes ].”

 

Yoga is a whole-body practice and the purest expression of each pose is designed to recruit all parts of ourselves. When we ignore or even violate any part of the whole for the sake of the pose, we have lost the integration, the union and the Yoga. Satya is absent. If the asana (pose) comes first, we might be inclined to ignore the subtle signals from the body and push beyond the intelligent edge. As a result, the body will signal more loudly in the form of pain or injury until we are unable to ignore it. Instead, treat the pose as a lens through which you can see something new inside our person. The shape of the asana provides a direction, not a destination.

Satya also means resting before we get tired. When we know we are tired and yet, we still complete another chaturanga in a way that compromises shoulders or spine, it is a physical untruth. When another progression is offered and we take it knowing the first one offered was challenge enough—think plank and the instructor offers lifting a  leg slightly so we choose to come to our knees and lift a leg or we choose to lift the leg and let our low back sway greatly rather than just staying with plank and possibly holding plank with both knees down. When we continually override the body’s natural rhythm in this way, it becomes more difficult to hear when it is asking for rest. Listen, surrender, and adapt as needed.

 

Satya arises from the inside out and seeking validation or comparison from any external source will inhibit honest expression in our practice. We cannot change our internally experienced reality with externally directed attention. Have you ever coveted someone else’s pose or get competitive with others you are practicing with?  Yeah….me neither. LOL! Everything we need to observe is happening within the four corners of our very own mat….within the 21 square feet of sacred space…..Our focus need not be elsewhere!

Stay tuned for Part Two next month....

Onward and Upward.