I've been talking a lot this week about honesty, or the yama of "satya". Yoga encourages us to "speak our truth". Not every truth is sunshine and rainbows. Its not supposed to be that way. But how many times have you heard a negative person say something rude and follow it up with, "I'm not a b--ch, I'm just honest". Well yeah, you are honest- but you're also a b--ch. Practicing satya does not license you to be an a--hole.
While delivering truth, its important to practice "ahimsa" or non-violence. This requires you to deliver your truth gently. A simple example, rather than telling your sister "You look fat in that shirt", you can opt for a kinder "I think you'd look nicer in your red sweater". Easy peasy, you were honest and you didn't hurt your sister's feelings.
Observing sutra 2.36 "To one established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient", Sri Swami Satchidananda says: "If by being honest we will cause trouble, difficulty or harm to anyone, we should keep quiet." Does that sound familiar? I believe Thumper's mother said it much more simply "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
Lets backtrack, because you shouldn't spend your whole life silent, holding back your violent and negative thoughts. Start at the beginning. Drop the negative thoughts. If something doesn't serve you- LET IT GO. Anger and cynicism won't improve your life. If somebody is effecting your life negatively, reevaluate your relationship with that person. Rather than going home and expressing your angry thoughts of them, reduce the amount of time you spend with them or stop seeing them altogether. If that's not possible, listen to them speak but don't let their attitude effect you, creating anger. Don't let them get to you and bring negativity into your fantastic life. If you cut out the negative thoughts, you have no reason to keep anything to yourself- you can live honestly and speak your truth while practicing ahimsa.
That's difficult and takes practice. It also takes presence. The easiest way to let something go is to jump out of the past and live in the moment. How can something bother you if its over and you're fully focused on your present activity?
The take home message here is: Be honest, but have a kind heart. If you act authentically and from a kind place, you can't go wrong.
Holly King Yoga
Holly King is a yoga instructor and learning & behavior specialist based in Rowayton, Connecticut. Since beginning her love affair with yoga while living in Sydney's northern beaches, her journey has taken her through Chicago and Fairfield County. By unifying her background in education with her yoga philosophy, Holly teaches a student-centered, alignment-based vinyasa class, pulling inspiration from her many teachers, the yoga sutras, and other inspirational texts. In addition to teaching yoga, Holly is a certified special education teacher, currently using her degree to teach creative, play-based educational classes as well as tutoring. Holly loves to spend time with her dog, read, and travel.
No comments:
Post a Comment