Satya // Acceptance
“When we deny the story, it defines us. When we own the story, we can write a brave new ending”
Satya or truthfulness is the second of the Yamas, the observances in yoga. Which, superficially we may understand to mean that telling the truth is a virtue. Probably a virtue that most of us live by most of the time. But to lose sight of what’s true can sometimes creep up on us and even become normal.
Think about this, maybe you’ve always wanted to be a photographer, or a teacher, or a singer but you’ve told yourself that you’ll never earn enough money / haven’t got the time / haven’t got a good enough voice to do it. Is that really true or is it a story you tell yourself in order to avoid facing the potentially challenging journey of honouring your deepest truth? Another example may be that you have a long to do list, let’s say 10 things on the list and today you got through 5, you might tell yourself the story that you haven’t worked hard enough, or you’re not good enough. Maybe you’ve decided you’re a failure, but are those stories true?
Sometimes we tell ourselves stories about what other people are thinking or feeling about us, often those stories can be hurtful, but could they be changed? What would happen if you began to re-write the stories you tell yourself which no longer serve your best interest or deepest well-being? Could it be that you are already enough and that honouring your deepest truth may be challenging or even frighting to acknowledge, but that ultimately in doing so you’ll feel more whole, more pure and more aligned with yourself?
Take Satya off the mat today: Begin to notice the stories you tell yourself, particularly the ones which cause you hurt, or diminish you in any way. Ask yourself is that really true? Could it be another way?
10 to Zen is a series of 10 Yoga classes which can be taken over 10 days, 10 weeks or weekly over 10 months, it’s dedicated to the ‘Yamas and Niyamas’ – the 10 principles outlined in the Yoga Sutras which lead us towards our own inner peace, and away from the thoughts and actions which negatively impact our lives. So, in the hope that I might share a little of what I’ve learned through teaching and practicing Yoga over the years 10 to Zen is now available online: