The Significance of The Autumn Equinox

 Satya(m)=Truthfulness

Satya is the 2nd of the 5 Yamas or moral restraints outlined in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. It is generally translated as Truthfulness but the source of the word in Sanskrit is a little more than that. Sat means true essence, that which is real. In 2.36 Patanjali says

     " SATYA PRATISTHAYAM KRIYA PHALASRAYATVAN"

    "To one established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient"

 Satchidananda in his translation and commentary on the Sutras suggests that the more we can lead a life of honesty, the more we will see results, that we need not run after things, that if we are always truthful, a time will come when all we say will come true! That your words become so powerful and clean that honesty obeys you. 

Are we honest the whole of the time? Well no we are not. We tell white lies all the time to save people's feelings, to keep the wheels of relationships running smoothly, and sometimes to manipulate. 

It is important to note that Satya is the 2nd Yama, not the first. That it comes after Ahimsa or non-harming. So how do we maintain honesty AND non-harming? It can often be really tricky. The commentaries on truthfulness acknowledge that there are times when it is more compassionate to remain silent, to be true to our own hearts and yet not hurt another.

It is not always easy to speak or act in truth, in harmony with our higher selves, and I am sure we can all recall times in our lives when we have said or done something that has betrayed us, perhaps bowing to peer pressure, or the cultural norm. So we apply Ahimsa to ourselves and resist harsh self-judgement.

Satya is not just telling the truth but connecting with our true nature, our true essence and expressing from that place. In other words living in harmony. Living with authenticity.

How do we find this in practice? The practice of yoga would suggest the answer lies in getting in touch with the heart. If we can listen in to the heart's message for ourselves (as is practiced in Yoga Nidra) then we are true not only to ourselves but we are also in harmony with nature itself. 

So in order to speak our truth we need to be able to observe without prejudice or self-judgement, to see reality as it really is, to be the observer. The practice of meditation can teach us first to be more compassionate with ourselves but also to observe and through this gain insight into our own behaviour and that of others. 

Grounding practices (mooladhara) help us to find steadiness and release fear, which allows us then to find courage and the inner strength to speak and act in a way that is harmonious with our being (manipura), and once these are established we can hear and speak our truth (Visshuddhi) and act from our heartspace (Anahata) and our intuition (Ajna). 

Perhaps ask yourself this week, is there anything that holds you back from expressing your true self? From living a more authentic life?

Are you able to identify what that is? Perhaps fear, shyness? Self doubt? Or more practical obstructions? Are there ways right now in which you could act or speak more in line with your true essence, your higher self?

Finally, we are all humans and not saints in the making (well most of us anyway!). Use these self reflective questions if they speak to you in a way that will make you feel happier, if not leave them be.