Yoga can be defined as 'an established set of guidelines and
routines that one practices with the ultimate intention of reaching
Divinity'. As the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali incorporates
all forms of Yoga practice to assist students with achieving a balanced
body-mind-soul unit and to uplift individual and collective
consciousness.
Patanjali Yoga can be broken down into 2
subdivisions, the Limbs and Sutras, which can then be broken down
further. The first Limb of Patanjali Yoga is the Yama limb, which
consists of 5 Yamas that focus on 'doing no harm (good behavior) to others'. The Satya Yama is the second Yama and translates to the 'practice of truthfulness, honesty and integrity in our thoughts, words and actions.'
There
are many sides to Truth and non-truth; there have been/are/and will be
times when Truth can do more harm than good, therefore, the 'truth'
is/will not always the most harmless or integral response. This is an
important perspective to absorb, along with the entire focus of the Yama
Limb, which is 'to do no harm to others'. These principles of Truth are all considered in the Satya Yama.
When the definition of the Satya
Yama is 'the practice of truthfulness, honesty and integrity in our
thoughts, words and actions', one can identify their Truths or
non-truths as being personalized responses to external, or internal,
stimuli. Therefore, the starting point for the practice of this Yama is
inside of oneself, at the tier of the mind/heart, as words and actions
towards others are manifestations of thoughts/feelings.
To 'know thyself' is one of the objectives when practicing the Satya
Yama. When one applies Truth, Honesty and Integrity to internal
questions such as who am I really? or, am I happy?, one may find it
excruciatingly difficult to answer without Courage. This is due to the
existence of the Ego Self, defined as "... the division of the psyche
that is conscious, most immediately controls thought and behavior, and
is most in touch with external reality."
Each and every single one
of us would probably not fully, 100%, agree with an-others observation
or opinion of us, good or not good, which points to the fact that each
and every single one of us, to some degree, 'knows thyself'. That is all
the suggestion required when discussing the existence of the Ego Self
and the True Self in relation to the Satya Yama. When
one can answer their own questions of themselves Truth-fully and with
Courage (am I, in Truth, happy?) then they begin to operate out of the
True Self internally, and can then eventually, if not immediately, provide truthful or integral responses externally. This is why it is important to 'know thyself' and to then 'be true to thyself' on, at least, a casual level.
From
internal Truth-full responses come external Truth-full responses, and
the opportunity to further cultivate Honesty, Integrity and the desire
to do no harm to others. When observing and practicing the Satya Yama,
one can begin to see how the practice of Truth dismantles the Ego Self
while, at the exact same time, builds up the True Self. The development
of the True Self then fosters Truth-fullness, Honesty and Integrity in
ones external responses, while protecting the heart of the Yama Limb by
'doing no harm' towards others' in ones truths.
In terms of the Satya
Yama, Honesty is recognizing when a Truth-full response would cause
more harm than good, and Integrity is choosing to respond in spirit of
the honest observation. This causes a Harm-less response to others and
thus, meets another ambition of the Yama. That is not to say one should
respond with non-truth, but rather, to find the best response that fits
the practice of this Yama. For example, when paying attention to the
relationship Truth has with Honesty and Integrity, one will notice how
often life invites them to respond Truth-fully, but from the Ego Self.
One will also notice how often their responses to these invitations are
not Harm-less.
For example, it could be said about a response to
an offensive driver: 'That driver cut me off!! They deserved my
(negative) response (a.k.a truth)!' True there was an 'offense'
committed, but the negative, rude or aggressive behavior of others does
not control and, therefore, should not influence one's ability to
Truth-fully, Honestly, Integrally and Harmlessly respond. When we
respond to negativity with negativity, we respond from the Ego Self, the
only one who cares about the 'offense' or 'the offender.' However,
referencing the offensive driver, if it were a matter of SAFETY, how
would a response full of aggressive, negative Truth provide a solution?
What would be the most integral response to the event? Notifying
officials to deal with the situation properly one might say? So, the Satya
Yama can be visualized; how Truth, Honesty and Integrity can harm or
not harm, and how these ingredients can provide a solution or not.
Another
factor to observe in practicing this Yama is how swiftly we tend to
respond to external stimuli with our truths or non-truths, which is an
element to be explored in observing and practicing the Satya Yama.
Typically our truths or non-truths are immediately manifested, through
expression, in the face of negativity. This is due to the even quicker
mental/emotional reaction to negative stimuli and one not giving
themselves space between stimuli and their response. It is in this space
that one can collect their thoughts from True Self and respond with
Truth-fullness, Honesty and Integrity. That is, one can consciously
choose to do no harm in their response.
It could be said that
Truths are steps taken on a Divine Path that guide an individual through
their lifetime. One could then conceptualize that each step taken, or
Truth expressed, either keeps one on course with True Self or it does
not. With this in mind, one can see how each of their steps, their
Truths or non-truths, creates the momentum required to move forward on,
or off, their Divine Path. This is the blessing and gift of the Satya Yama.
May each of your steps be lead by lights direction.
Namaste,
Anna G. Cianci
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