Video blog: The second of the Yamas from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is Satya, which is translated as non-lying or truthfulness.
Non-Lying
Satya is defined as non-lying, or truthfulness. Satya includes being truthful in our speech, thoughts, and our actions. This includes truthfulness with others as well as within ourselves, and this is where Satya to me is such a profound and interesting concept that has so much impact and application.
Truthfulness in Speech
On a surface level, if I were to say “Onions are disgusting!” Is that 100% objectively true? It might be my personal experience, but part of the practice of Satya has to do with all the activities of the mind aligning with the pure truth of the nature of reality. I may have certain cravings and aversions (Raga and Dvesha in Sanskrit), but in reality, an onion is just an onion. A more truthful statement might be something more like, “I don’t like the taste of onions.” Even through small thoughts, words, and actions, we can begin to align ourselves with the true nature of reality.
But Satya, has such far-reaching meaning, beyond speech alone...
Authenticity
Satya means expressing and being in harmony with pure truth. This includes living and expressing your core values, and your unique authenticity. This can often be felt in the heart space or sometimes in the gut, which are often physical indicators for when Satya can be in balance or not.
Considering the context of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the eight-limbed Ashtanga model of yoga, with an intention of creating an internal environment that is conducive to peace and stillness, a landscape that is actually truthful and in harmony with what's in your heart can be an enormous factor in creating such an environment.
One of my favorite commentators about the Yamas and Niyamas is an author named Deborah Adele. I always recommend this book about the Yamas and Niyamas.
A quote I wanted to share from this book by Deborah Adele is, “Living the life that cries to be lived from the depth of our being frees up our energy and vitality. We benefit and everyone around us benefits.”
Truthfulness in Relationships
In considering the concept of truthfulness, it's perhaps worth considering the question of whether there is one absolute truth, or is the concept of Truth something that is deeply personal? The concept of Truth can come up in interesting ways in the context of relationships. You can think about this with an example such as politics. What might be the truth for one person who's voting for a particular candidate, might be very different from the truth of another person with a different candidate.
So as we consider the concept of Satya in relationships I wanted to offer some consideration with a few examples of how the truth can manifest within a few different types of relationships.
Starting with a relationship type that is codependent, codependence assumes that an identity is defined within the context of the relationship, and this can lead to a perception that there is a singular truth among two individuals (often leading to a bit of a push and pull Dynamic).
Contrasting this with a relationship type that is completely independent, where two individuals are completely separate in living and expressing their own truth, those two truths might go in completely different directions. Their truths might be authentic for each individual, however, the truths aren't necessarily in alignment.
A third type of relationship is one of interdependence, where two people are directly connected and yet completely sovereign - each expressing their unique personal truth, and ideally, those truths move forward in parallel (even if there are some oscillations along the way).
Truthfulness in Thoughts & Actions
There are so many examples to consider with Satya. Truthfulness assumes integrity in the way that we behave in private is consistent with the way that we behave in public and vice versa, but there are a range of factors that come up in life that can sometimes require us to examine whether things that were perhaps a truth in the past, is still part of your truth today. Sometimes we have to clean the lens of our glasses, or in other cases get brand new glasses with a new prescription in order to see the truth more clearly.
Here are a few questions to consider with polishing the lenses and aligning with truth and authenticity today:
Am I living and expressing my personal truth with:
My current lifestyle at the moment? (think about What, Where, Why, and How)
My existing patterns or habits? (perhaps a certain pattern or habit from the past is no longer serving today)
My existing beliefs and value systems? (From time to time we have to take a look at whether certain beliefs or value systems are still serving, or perhaps those are remnants from the past?)
My current job or career?
My current friendships, or a romantic relationship? (such as when a friendship has been outgrown)
What is in my heart, in my felt sense of truth?
Sometimes finding truth requires radical change and it can be incredibly scary. Satya can actually be quite confronting when we examine these questions completely honestly. It comes up within our careers, our relationships, our belief systems, lifestyle, and so many other areas of life that can be enormously challenging, with a lifetime of momentum behind them.
Truthfulness & Non-Harming (Satya & Ahimsa)
As I discussed in an earlier blog post about the first Yama of Ahimsa, or Non-Harming, approaching Satya from a place of kindness and compassion toward yourself is necessary to approach this Satya practice sincerely. A Satya practice requires you to ask yourself questions that can sometimes be challenging or confronting, so approaching this with compassion, patience, understanding, and perhaps acceptance that we're not always perfect, is always a good place to start.
But in the long run, I'd like to think a Satya practice is based on one of the deepest forms of Non-harming. Ultimately, in order to practice Ahimsa, it requires finding truth, which in doing so can sometimes lead to moments of transition or transformation in moving toward bigger-picture non-harming. Transitions can be scary! But ultimately, it's about finding what's best in the bigger picture.
I'll leave you with a quote from Dr Seuss: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”
About the Author:
Jason Wright
Jason has been an educator for over 20 years and is passionate about the wisdom and transformational power of Yoga. As a lifelong learner himself, he has completed trainings all over the world including 18 months of full-time Yoga studies in college. Jason facilitates 200hr Yoga Teacher Trainings in Sydney, Australia, specializing in Yoga history and philosophy.
If you would like to learn more, Jason has published several online courses about Yoga Philosophy which can be found at www.flowcollectiveyoga.com/courses
Topics like this, as well as the other Yamas and Niyamas from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are explored in more depth in the course Yoga's Code of Morals and Ethics.
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