Day 46: Truthful Love

Satya (Truthfulness) Guided Meditation

The second yama on the yogic path is Satya.  Satya means truthfulness. 

Find a comfortable seat.  Root down into the ground and reach your crown toward the sky.  Bring your attention to your throat.  Breathe into your throat.  Exhale out any negative energy stored there.  Imagine a glowing blue light warming your throat.  Breathe into your heart with a glowing green light.  Exhale out slowly and fully, expelling any negativity from your heart.  Truth is stored in your throat and heart.  See the two lights combine and become stronger as they join. Maybe they will turn a bright turquoise.  Continue slowly breathing while you look at the beautiful light of truth you've created.

We can practice Satya, truthfulness, during yoga class.  Sometimes we try to fake a pose that we know we can’t fully do yet.  This is an example of not being truthful.  To practice Satya, be honest with yourself about where you are in your yoga journey and meet yourself there. 

We also have many opportunities to practice Satya in our daily lives.  There are many chances for us to speak our truth.  Have you ever committed to something when you knew you were already too busy?  Do you have trouble saying no?  Overcommitment often happens when we don’t speak our truth to ourselves or others about our commitments.  Imagine yourself saying no to something without making excuses or feeling guilty.  Imagine yourself honestly telling someone no. 

Breathe into your breast bone, your solar plexus.  This is the center of your personal power.  Invite in the color yellow.  Feel the warmth of sunlight in your center of power.  Say to yourself, “I am enough.”  Feel your power growing as you speak this truth. 

Breathe in as you think, “I am” and exhale as you think, “honest and truthful.” “I am…honest and truthful.” 

May you speak the truth with love as you flow through your practice today.  

Day 33: Non-Violent Love

I had a crazy week this week so I'm doing all of my posts on the same date.  Day  33 was Monday 3/17/14.  I wrote my first meditation for my yoga class.  I wanted to learn more about the Yamas and Niyamas (Guidelines to the yogic life path) so I decided to theme my classes around those on the weeks we don't have a theme assigned by the studio.  My fist attempt follows:

Ahimsa (Non-Violence) Guided Meditation

Ahimsa is the first of the Yamas.  The Yamas and Niyamas are considered guidelines for a yogic life path.  Ahimsa means non-violence.

Find a comfortable seat, sit bones grounded into the mat, crown of the head reaching toward the sky.  Deeply inhale and fully exhale.  For a moment, simply observe your breath as it enters and exits your body.

Ahimsa meas non-violence.  This includes violence towards others and ourselves.  It includes physical, emotional, spiritual, and verbal violence.

Violence towards others seems obviously wrong, but we often overlook the violence we commit on ourselves.

Have you ever thought to yourself things like, "I'm so stupid!" "I'm not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough..." "I'm not lovable"?  If you hold onto to these thoughts or others like them, you are committing violence on yourself.  Yoga teaches us to acknowledge these thoughts and then learn to let them go, to replace them with more healing, positive thoughts about ourselves.  Yoga teaches us to find joy in the journey and let go of expectation, even those we have of ourselves.

Violence on yourself also includes pushing your body to do things it's not ready for in yoga classes or other settings: or it's opposite: giving up to soon on your body's potential.  Yoga teaches us to push ourselves to our edge without going past it.

Violence includes throwing yourself into poses without care for alignment or safety.  Yoga teaches us proper alignment to protect ourselves from injuring our joints and muscles, not just in yoga, but in life as well.

Breathe in Ahimsa, non-violence towards yourself and others.  Exhale out any violent or negative thoughts.  Breathe in feeling, awareness, and care.  Exhale out thoughts of force and non-caring.  Breathe in love for yourself and others.  Continue breathing slowly and deeply.


As we move through our yoga flow today, notice any violent thoughts or actions you might have.  Don't judge yourself for having them, simply notice them and try to replace them with something positive.  Notice when you are forcing yourself into a pose and choose to surrender to it instead.  Be aware of your alignment and pull back when you need to.  On the other hand, when you feel like getting out of a pose or giving up, try to stay in it just one more breath.  May you carry Ahimsa with you throughout your practice today.