Satya: Truthfulness

The Yoga Sutras, believed to have been written some two centuries before the life of Jesus Christ. Patanjali gives the yamas as basic rules of living. The yamas and niyamas are the doS and fonts of yoga. Similar to the 10 commandments but if you don't follow them you don't go to hell. Following these rules helps the yogi suffer less. In  the second chapter of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali states significantly in verse 16 that “the sorrow which is yet to come is to be discarded.”

     Satya, telling the truth has many layers. The first and most obvious is speaking the truth to others. Being vigilant that what we say is true is less likely to hurt another which supports the first Yama, non violence. Just like we should speak the truth to others we should also speak the truth to ourself.
This is the next layer of satya has to do with inner truth. This is the difference between honesty vs. integrity. Honesty is speaking the truth externally. While integrity is what we do when no one is looking and how we speak to ourself.
Consciousness

Let's break down the Sanskrit : “Sat” means the eternal unchanging Truth “Ya” is the activating suffix which means “do it”. By this definition, satya means aligning and being in harmony with the ultimate Truth.  We chant this in our invocation. If the un changing truth is that we are all one when we act/ do it from this place we act kind to all, ourselves included again supported the first Yama, ahimsa.

As I focused on practicing Satya this week one area I noticed where I was avoiding looking at the truth was my credit card statement. Gulp. Thinking maybe if I don't look at it I can pretend it's my happening. But unfortunately it only gets worse with no awareness. Which is similar to my kidneys. If I don't keep an awareness on my likelihood to collapse my kidneys it will only get worse and cause back pain. I have to look at the truth of my tendencies so I can move into better harmony.

Another example off the mat, your in a relationship and you think it is so great and you are so in love but he is beating you. You don't let yourself see that part so you can go on thinking at a good relationship. We have to look at the relationships we are in and see if they are truly/ truthfully good for us. And I'm not talking about just your relationship with your significant other but the relationship you are in with everyone and everything. Your family, job, food, body, environment... I remember my first anusara class I was shocked when a teacher suggested I feel my own butt and help widen it. What a foreign concept! Fast forward 5 years and I love palpating my body to a) help it come into alignment and b) notice I it is doing what I want it to do. For example when I draw my thighs back do I get a curve in my low back? When I squeeze my legs toward the midline do my muscles fire? I am still amazed to this day that I think I am doing certain alignment principles and think I am getting a certain result but upon further investigation find that I am not actually straightening my back leg when I think I am.

In today's classes we will be focusing on muscular energy and really investigating how our muscles engage. What is the truth? How do you engage the truth?

Second Yama, Satya = truthfulness.
Poe: muscular energy
How do you engage the truth? Investigate for the truth. Are you muscles really engaged?

Anusara:
Lunge
Low lunge forarms
Anjaneyasana - l.L quad
Active pigeon
Warrior 1
High runners lunge twist - w2
Wide leg forward fold - scandasana - scandasana
Trikonasana
Eka pada quad
Eka pada twist quad
Ardha hanumanasana
Ardha hanumanasana ankle loop
Parsvotonasana 2 blocks
Partner handstand legs isometric "L"
Kick handstand
Torture poses are wall:
Low lunge pointed
Anjaneyasana flexed reach hands to wall
Janusirsasana

FUNdamental:
Tadasana lunge 3x
Lunge- Tadasana blanket 3 pushes, hold
Standing pigeon wall
Wall mod. Chat
Wall spider finger cobra
Sun A 3x
W2 blanket
Star:
Wide leg forward fold
W2
Mod. Parsvak
Handstands wall
Supta pigeon
Bridge
Bridge blanket
Bridge
Janusirsasana
Strap ground femur point/ flex foot
Strap supta pada a, b, c