Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Satya - Truthfulness

Today's topic is the yama, satya, or truthfulness. Can you imagine a world where everyone told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, all the time? Neither can I. In fact, I don't think the world would function too well in such a condition. What I would like to talk about today is being honest, yet knowing when the "whole truth" is unnecessary and may even be going against our first yama, ahimsa. While practicing truthfulness, it is important to use discretion in what you say to others. I am not just talking about sparing people's feelings, but recognizing when your ego is about to take over and start dishing out purely self-serving truth. I heard a story yesterday about a woman who makes a point of telling her friend how many miles she runs everyday. Although it may be the truth, what purpose does that information serve the friend? It is important to distinguish between information that is true, and information that is true and valuable.

Another important distinction, those who fully embody satya will speak only when they can offer information of value which will be openly received by the listener. Again, this goes back to ego. In my teacher training courses we submerged ourselves so deeply in philosophy that someone walking in on our conversations would probably think we all belonged in a mental institute. I don't share that depth of knowledge with a beginning yoga class because they aren't ready to receive it. It is true information, and although intrinsically it is of great value, it will be useless for those who aren't open to it yet.

Listen to the people around you today. Just observe the way people talk to each other. Then think about the conversations you've had throughout the day. What changes can you make to embrace satya more fully?

One final thought - in the spirit of satya, it's best not to set other people up to lie either....(does my butt look big in these jeans?)

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