lotus flower

lotus flower

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

WHEELING ALONG ON THIS JOURNEY called 'LIFE'

As we continue on our journey, we have the opportunity to embrace the fourth NIYAMA: SVADHYAYA
The fourth Niyama, SVADHYAYA, is translated to mean: 'self-study', or 'education of the self'...
How exciting this is for each of us, on our individual journeys...TO LEARN, TO GROW, TO CHALLENGE OURSELVES, TO EMBRACE SOMETHING NEW, again & again....
We do this in a myriad of ways...as we take a new class, we RE-DISCOVER ourselves as a student again; when we pick up a new book, we explore more, and when we RE-READ an old book, we discover more...self-study is 'stepping into the river again & again, and finding new-ness, change, evolution'.
Rolf Gates, in his book MEDITATIONS FROM THE MAT, states that our yoga practice has many levels that must be understood before we can grasp its full beauty...Yoga is the practice of self-awareness. 
The traditional translations of the sutras describe two aspects of swadhyaya: the study of scriptures and the repeating of mantras as a means to commune with, and to draw closer to, your desired deity. 
Iyengar describes self-study as occurring during asana and pranayama practice as well, facilitating the dialogue between the body and the soul...even earlier in the sutras we are told that everything is a means for self-study, that we are here on earth to learn....
May your saga of self-growth continue, in all its beauty, challenges, growth, healing...

Until we meet again,
Om shanti, om self-study,
Lee Ann


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