SVADHYAYA

Reading from Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24 and 25, 2015 yoga classes

The fourth Niyama:   Svadhyaya    Self-study    Self-observation

The effort to know the self, the inner and outer self.

One method of self-study is to study writings that inspire us and apply them in our lives.  Books such as the Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, or the Yoga Upanishads.

In our asana practice, svadhyaya helps us observe moment to moment changes in our body and mind: how are you feeling in your body?  Is your mind present?  What draws your mind away?  Pause between the poses and listen and learn from them.  Be open to receive and enjoy the spirit of exploration within you.

Every movement is asana
Every breath is pranayama
Every thought is meditation

Before going to bed each night, ask yourself, What did I learn today?

In the Yoga Upanishads, humans are referred to as "God in a pot."  Understanding this simple statement is the goal of self-study.  As long as we identify with the "pot" (our bodies and minds), we suffer in our limitations.  When we shift our identity from the "pot" to the Godself within we rest in our true self.  This Godself within is called:   Atman in Yoga
                                                                         Buddha Nature in Buddhism
                                                                         Christ Consciousness in Christianity


Meditation is an important aspect of self-study.  It is a place where we witness and recognize our belief systems and begin to shift our identity from the "pot" to the Godself within. The witness is our ability to watch ourselves act and respond.  It is this ability to watch that begins to bring healing to our lives. Engaging curiosity and a beginners mind and knowing that we don't know.

We all carry it within us
Supreme strength,
the fullness of wisdom,
unquenchable joy.
It is never thwarted
and cannot be destroyed.
But it is hidden deep,
which is what makes life
a problem....,,,,--Huston Smith