As We WHEEL through THIS DAY - ASTEYA

CONTINUING THE JOURNEY, as we WHEEL through THIS DAY, embracing the 3rd YAMA: ASTEYA, or: nonstealing...which invites the question: HOW DO I STEAL? and immediately the response, reaction can be: I DON'T STEAL! (I don't shoplift....etc., etc.) 

And yet, YOGA, as always, gently encourages us to explore this YAMA a little more deeply, for ASTEYA is a WAKE-UP CALL...ASTEYA nudges us to recollect ALL the ways, minute & major ways, that we DO STEAL: not claiming all our income on our taxes; RE-using our 'old stickers' to transport our bikes from the mainland, to the island; NOT RETURNING borrowed items to those to whom they belong; the 'shortcuts' we take at work: arriving JUST A LITTLE LATE, LEAVING JUST A LITTLE EARLY, NOT CLEANING UP AFTER OURSELVES....and once we get THINKING ON THIS, the LIST GROWS & GROWS....

And, then, the realization that, 'HEY, MAYBE I DO 'STEAL'!!!' confronts us center stage....

Recently, while studying at the Chopra Center, another definition was introduced to me for ASTEYA: HONESTY (also: NON-STEALING)...and, I found myself reflecting on Patanjali's YOGA SUTRAS, and how the 2nd YAMA IS: SATYA, which translates in our vernacular to mean: HONESTY....and the train of thought wheels along this path: 'ALRIGHT, THEN, HONESTY IS A BIG DEAL to be emphasized in TWO of the FIVE YAMAS!'...inviting us ALL to contemplate, a little longer on HOW, WHY, WHEN, WHERE, WITH WHOM I am sharing honesty? and, again, WITH WHOM, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, and WHEN am I 'stealing'?

Rolf Gates, in his beautiful book, MEDITATIONS FROM THE MAT, slips into this discussion that ASTEYA is "our first encounter with nonattachment. When we look honestly at the ways in which we have been stealing, we come to understand that in each instance, there is an attachment to a specific result that overrides our deeper values." Because "I WANT what I want, when I want it, I can so easily JUSTIFY lying about a friend or co-worker, and STEAL and try to sully their reputation...." "It's alright for me to steal from this employer, because of an attachment to the outcome." Or, in the words of a famous cliche', THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS....and, thus, it's not so much what I do, but HOW I GO ABOUT DOING IT that is dishonest, that is stealing, that no longer allows me to LIVE YOGA...

And, again, at the end of each day, we're invited to ask ONE QUESTION: 'DID I LOVE WELL TODAY?' According to the 3rd Yama, with stealing, with honesty, the answer is very simply~very clear: I DID, or I DID NOT! ....and again, as a compassionate witness to ourselves and others, as we WHEEL through THIS DAY, I have a choice to make amends when/wherever necessary; and I can continue to rationalize my thoughts, words and actions into righteousness...

Yoga is clear. The Yamas are clear. Choose honesty/nonstealing, or not...always, ALL ways, the choices are ours, as we travel on this road in life: do I take the honest fork in the road, or not...it's my life, my choice....it's your choice, your life....we cannot control one another's choices...we are each responsible for our OWN souls...and, again, we can ask: AM I LOVING WELL, thus far, this day?

Wishing you peaceful contemplation on this journey...
Om shanti, om peace,
Lee Ann

The Splendor of SATYA

"Be naked in the splendor of the truth of who you are." ~Gangaji

As we continue on this SACRED JOURNEY with SATYA (and, it truly IS a continuous journey, throughout our entire lives, learning, living, re-discovering our TRUTH, SATYA, INTEGRITY, IMPECCABILITY of our word), I invite us to 're-connect' with Rolf Gates, (the author of MEDITATIONS FROM THE MAT, and the inspiration behind our Yoga Center's Blog) as he states:

"SATYA is about living our truth; it is that simple. There are as many ways to do this as there are people who practice satya, and no one can tell you how you should listen for and find the truth within yourself. It makes sense to talk things over with someone you trust, but the point of the discussion is to come closer to your truth, not to have someone relieve you of the responsibility of discerning your truth. For some of us it is a long road back to our own truth, for we live in a culture in which truth is a rare commodity. Our work environments, home lives, and friendships are often permeated with falsehood. We distrust the slogans of the media, the promises of our leaders, the testimonials of politicians, the declarations of business-people.

Many of us come from families in which appearances are more important than reality. Still others have grown up in upside-down households, in which children took care of parents or were expected to play prescribed roles in order to meet their parents' needs. Elaborate no-talk rules must be deconstructed. Old fears must be released. Habits of silence must be examined. Are we failing to speak the truth out of a desire to protect or care for others? How do we respond to information we know to be untrue? How do we get in touch with what is true and good within ourselves? The list of ways in which we have obscured the truth from ourselves and others is as endless as the suffering such obfuscation produces.

Before we begin this work, it can feel overwhelming. But we are each possessed of an inner compass. When we stand still in the wilderness and take our bearings, we are able to apprehend the truth - about ourselves and the world around us. And once we commence the of practice of SATYA,we will never want to look back. We have only our own suffering to lose. As Plato said, 'Truth is the beginning of every good thing, both in heaven and on earth; and he who would be blessed and happy should be from the first a partaker of truth, for then he can be trusted.'

Over time you will have the pleasure of watching this beautiful practice blossom in your life in a way that is honest and authentic. As you learn to speak the truth, you will learn to be true to yourself, to all that is best in you."

I look forward to savoring more of this journey with satya and you.

Until we meet again,
in Satya,
Lee Ann

SAVORING THE SAGA WITH SATYA....

In our culture today, staying in SATYA invites & invokes multiple challenges, so we need to ask ourselves: "Am I truly willing to embark upon a saga, a journey with truthfulness, honesty, integrity, impeccability of my word with myself, as well as with each person who crosses my path?" Nowhere in the Yoga Sutras is it stated that 'SATYA IS EASY'...the Sutras encourage us to LIVE OUR TRUTH, IN OUR THOUGHTS, WORDS AND ACTIONS because we'll discover more SUKHA, more 'ease', and be more peaceful, and thus share more peace with our 'world'. We stay in truth, and thus, not have to work hard to remember which 'half-truths', 'sins of omission', lies we've shared with others, as well as the lies I'm telling myself, the ways I've chosen to rationalize my actions into righteousness...

So where do we begin??? Right here, right now~ We can learn from our past experiences, mistakes, celebrations, contracts, friendships, and still not be able to CHANGE our past. We can plan for, worry about our future, yet, we are here, now....are we ready to savor this saga with Satya?

We can choose to RSVP to this YOGIC INVITATION with regrets: "With regrets, I'm just not ready for Satya."..."Nope, it's not happening for me in my world today!"..."Okay, I'll try this 'Satya stuff', but it does not apply to my relationship with my boss~no one can talk to him without....blah, blah..." "Yes, I embrace Satya, but I am not claiming this extra money I made on the side~we all know the government isn't fair anyway!" "Oh yeah, I live a yogic lifestyle, but I'm not telling this rental company the REAL date of my party, 'cuz they didn't deliver the party tent on time last year~ I'm not getting caught up in their trap again, so I'll just extend our party times with them so we don't need to worry."

Satya is satya is satya....And when we begin living in truth, sharing our truth, first within ourselves, our own minds & thoughts, and then, with others WE EMPOWER OTHERS TO DO THE SAME! Easy? Not necessarily. Yet, it becomes easier and easier to RE-EXAMINE our own thoughts, get CLEAR with our own integrity, so it flows more freely from our minds, to our mouths, to members of our family, our work relationships, and our friendships, as well as to strangers.

We open to this Saga, in our humanness, one thought, one word, one step at a time...and when we make a mistake, we own it, claim it, embrace it, learn from it, let it go~ in satya, in peace...today, RIGHT here, RIGHT NOW, how are you able to apply Satya to your thoughts, your words, your work, your love, your rationalization? It's a personal journey, yet a SAGA to be SHARED, as we wheel on into this day...breath by breath, moment by moment, truth by truth...

What stories can you share? What challenges, what changes are you experiencing?

Wishing you SATYA in SHANTI,
Truthfulness in your Peacefulness....

NAMASTE'

STRENGTH AND SUPPORT IN SATYA

THE 1ST LIMB OF YOGA; THE 2ND YAMA: SATYA

SATYA is defined as: TRUTHFULNESS, HONESTY, INTEGRITY in our thoughts and words and actions....

There is no coincidence or accident that SATYA is a strong support in this first SPOKE ON THE WHEEL, as we travel this journey of ours in life! Thousands of years ago, TRUTH, HONESTY, INTEGRITY were deemed so important in LIVING OUR YOGA, that SATYA 'made it' in the TOP TWO YAMAS....

And as we ponder the question: AM I LIVING MY YOGA? Yoga asks us: ARE YOU LIVING IN SATYA? IN TRUTHFULNESS? IN HONESTY? IN INTEGRITY with yourself and others?

Are the words I/we choose to think, speak, share HONEST? TRUE? or are they distorted to rationalize actions into righteousness?

Satya begins with me, withIN me.....am i being honest with myself? If not, how am I able to be honest with you? with others?

A helpful guide before speaking is to ask:
ARE MY WORDS KIND?
ARE THEY TRUE?
ARE THEY NECESSARY?...if so, then we can be more grounded in beginning a dialogue with ourselves and with others...

There is much for us to consider on this partnership with SATYA, IF WE CHOOSE TO LIVE OUR SATYA...let this day begin with a little more conscious awareness of the thoughts we CHOOSE to think, the words we choose to give life/voice to, then HOLD AN OPEN HEART to continue this journey as we LISTEN....

We're only JUST BEGINNING this exploration and understanding of SATYA~

Om Shanti, Peace on this JOURNEY INTO TRUTH....