Thursday, June 26, 2014

Satya: Speak Your Truth

"Only one thing is worse than speaking your truth, and that is not speaking it." Naomi Wolf

For some of us, we were not able to speak our truth when we were young. For others, no matter how old we were, we could not speak our truth for fear there would be consequences. And, still for others, knowing our truth takes some excavation because we were not allowed to know our truth or it lived as that small glowing flame in the cave of the heart or that feeling that there was something more or else. Those lucky enough to have family that supported and coaxed their truths from them -- hurray for you! 

While I come from a place where cash-register honesty was important other truths, truths that revealed people's flaws or inappropriate behaviors, were not to be shared. So I learned to talk around the truth even though I've always been direct, and some might even say abrasive. 

The second Yama (ethical standard) in Patanjali's Ashtanga (8 limbs of) yoga, not to be confused with the type of yoga Ashtanga created by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, is satya. Satya is translated to mean honesty and truthfulness.


Yoga Sutra 2.36, satya pratisthayam kriya phala ashrayatvam, says that, "when we are honest and truthful in our actions, thoughts and words, our will is fulfilled." In my words, when we live our truth, what we desire flows to us. 

You may think of some flaws here--like people who have lots of money from dishonesty actions and words to name one. Remember though that the key to practicing yoga is to lessen our suffering. If we are honest, abundance of what we desire flows to us and our suffering is lessened because we are on OUR right and true path.

I'll leave you with a poem:

ON TALKING By Kahlil Gibran

There are those among you who seek the talkative through fear of being alone.
The silence of aloneness reveals to their eyes their naked selves and they would escape.
And there are those who talk, and without knowledge or forethought reveal a truth, which they themselves do not understand.
And there are those who have the truth within them, but they tell it not in words.
In the bosom of such as these the spirit dwells in rhythmic silence.

As always, I would love to hear about your thoughts and experience. Truth be told.
“Only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth, and that is not speaking it.” ~Naomi Wolf - See more at: http://www.davidji.com/blog-2/page/8/#sthash.oUm0tqlc.dpuf
“Only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth, and that is not speaking it.” ~Naomi Wolf - See more at: http://www.davidji.com/blog-2/page/8/#sthash.oUm0tqlc.dpuf
“Only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth, and that is not speaking it.” ~Naomi Wolf - See more at: http://www.davidji.com/blog-2/page/8/#sthash.oUm0tqlc.dpuf

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