February's focus was
Satya or Truthfulness.
In paraphrasing from the Vedas: Speak seldom, but speak the truth. Speak the truth, but speak pleasantly. If speaking the truth will cause pain, then don't speak. Don't speak simply to win approval and don't lie, mislead, or speak a pleasant untruth....
and it goes on, but how do we work with this in our practice?
Here are a few reflections from the teachers and members in our community:
Speaking with sincerity, acting from a place of honesty, is a way of being that resonates with all living things. It does not matter whether or not one knows the Sanskrit term satya, for we all know truthfulness. When I feel stuck, it has encouraged me to turn inside and discover that there is already an answer there, waiting to be heard. As a foundation of yoga practice, it has reminded me that we all have valid truths within us. By aligning with and affirming these truths- by committing to listen to what we already know- then we become grounded in a life that is real, present, sweet, and not nearly so big and scary.
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Outside my window I can hear cars driving by on wet pavement accelerating and braking and sometimes squealing down the road. Out on the road in my car people cut me off, forget to use their turn signal, and in general drive erratically. I often remark that I believe most people in this college town must be intoxicated to drive the way they do.
The coffee shop is very busy in the morning. A line of people stretches out the door and I buzz around holding a coffee in one hand a pitcher of half steamed milk in the other, whip cream dripping on my sleeve, looking down the line thinking 'what was that? Could you speak up? it's quite loud in here!' It's quite loud.
Even teaching yoga can be a chaotic affair. One student is practicing the yoga push up with misaligned shoulders. Another is about to practice a jump through onto their head. On top of that my great aunt is in the class and its her first time ever doing upward facing dog.
My ability to be compassionate and imbue everyday affairs with energy and excitement is supported by the time I spend quiet, painting, running or doing yoga. If my outward life takes over and I lose time for inward space I become erratic. The activity of the world begins to bother me, I contract road rage, I get grouchy with the customers, or I get nervous in class losing my empowerment to teach those three students with different needs in the same class.
The term "Satya" translates to mean "Truthfulness" which can be looked at in a lot of different ways. Often the truth is something that is hidden from view. It can be hidden by outright lies, delusions of the more subtle nature, or insecurity. It can be clouded over by physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. In yoga we talk about "the core" a lot. If the core is strong and each movement comes from that place and actions require less energy and achieve what appears to be easy grace. I think of my core as a bright and unchanging space within my spirit that lends me strength to unveil even the most mundane as joyously divine, not just a group of muscles that support and hold my body upright.
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The mind has a lot of ideas about the “truth” of matters. I think a lot of what people hold as “true” about themselves and others are actually premature conclusions based on a static view of the self, reflecting messages we received from others, our
habitual patterns of thought, and circumstances we’ve experienced. So it’s not uncommon to hear people, myself included, saying things like “I’m just no
good at relationships”, “I’m not coordinated”, or “I am a good person”- as a statement of their “truth”! If we bring into our asana practice our “truth” of
having a weakness – weak arms for instance, we may limit our poses to avoid taking weight on the arms and never strengthen them, thereby perpetuating our “truth”. On the flip side, if we “know” ourselves as someone with an advanced practice, we may insist on that practice regardless of what is going on with our
health, opening the way for injury. I like to think of stepping onto the Yoga mat as an opportunity to rediscover who I am today. In working with satya I ask- what preconceived notions or “truths” have I brought to the mat today, -and, can I
suspend them? I believe the truth of the moment is in the experience of the moment…and I often laugh when I discover how many *new* conclusions my mind
makes about my experience, instead of letting the moment hold its own truth.
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One of the most powerful meditations that I practice is Satyam meditation. The mind can make up stories and create realities that just don't exist. I can easily allow my mind to run amok with distracting stories, and I can so easily get caught up in those stories. It is in satyam meditation that I am able to stand back from any situation and see the truth of it. The truth without my ego involved. Satyam meditation is a powerful meditation that for me always starts with a big breath and tears. Tears of freedom from the lower mind. When the truth; the real truth becomes clear to me it is so awe inspiring in its beauty and purity. The stories of the mind become laughable. By connecting with the real me, the true me, everything is so clear and so not personal.
Satyam Meditation
Let your breath flow gently & evenly.
"Move your attention to your heart, not the pump, but the spiritual center in the center of the chest. It is in this center that resides your individual consciousness that deals with life. In yoga it's called jiva atman. To this individual consciousness there attaches emotional patterns and a clinging. To release this clinging to release these patterns and clinging to our emotions and feelings feel when you breath in you draw the consciousness from the heart with whatever emotions that you know are haunting you. On the inhalation bring the attention from the heart with whatever emotions are haunting you; draw them up to the top fontanel to the little dent at the top of the head, and when you breathe out release out all of those emotions out of the top of the head back to space from which all thoughts, things, and emotions are born. Again go back to the heart, on the inhalation use the mantra, "Sat". Again make the sound, visualize to the the top fontanelle. And on the exhalation release the patterns, "Yam"(pronounce yum), to space. Inhalation, "Sat", bringing all the consciousness to the top of the head, and on the exhalation, "Yam", release all these things out from your consciousness. Continue doing this. Inhale Sat up to the top of the head, Exhale Yam releasing emotion out. This will draw deeper and deeper in your unconscious. This may bring things up, which may create shaking, yawning, tears. It's fine. Don't get attached to them. Just continue releasing the scars of your feelings and emotions that haunt you. Get rid of them. Become free of them. On the inhalation "Sat" to the top fontanelle, and on the exhalation, "Yam" releasing everything back to space. As the emotions surface and release you will find yourself becoming more free. Your body will even seem lighter and when the heart is no longer congested with old patterns and emotions it begins to glow like a little flickering light in your heart. The flame in your heart begins to glow and it begins to spread light through every cell of your body and even outside your body into an auric fleld around you. As the light begins to develop and radiate bigger and bigger encompassing your entire body. the same shape as your body, you'll feel yourself becoming more and more in touch with a greater vision and a greater sensation. Greater than your senses. The mantra to establish a strong auric, pranic field around your body is "Om Namah Bhagavate Vasudevaya." Chant this to yourself a few times.
Bring your hands back to prayer pose. Bow your head down bringing your palms over your heart. On the inhalation open you arms and open your heart bringing light from the universe into you. On the exhale bring your palms back to your heart, and feel your heart radiant and glowing. Drag the radiance down to your navel. Slowly bring your fingertips together with your thumbs touching. Lower your head to look at a point in front of you. Slowly bring your energy back to take in the room and bring with it the universal light and love and spread it into each moment of your living. Don't look in your life for light and love. Find it at your core, and from your core let is spread into each moment of your living.
Hari Om Tat Sat, Namaste
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