Yoga, Patanjali Style - The Satya Yama

Yoga can be defined as 'an established set of guidelines and routines that one practices with the ultimate intention of reaching Divinity'. As the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali incorporates all forms of Yoga practice to assist students with achieving a balanced body-mind-soul unit and to uplift individual and collective consciousness.

Patanjali Yoga can be broken down into 2 subdivisions, the Limbs and Sutras, which can then be broken down further. The first Limb of Patanjali Yoga is the Yama limb, which consists of 5 Yamas that focus on 'doing no harm (good behavior) to others'. The Satya Yama is the second Yama and translates to the 'practice of truthfulness, honesty and integrity in our thoughts, words and actions.'

There are many sides to Truth and non-truth; there have been/are/and will be times when Truth can do more harm than good, therefore, the 'truth' is/will not always the most harmless or integral response. This is an important perspective to absorb, along with the entire focus of the Yama Limb, which is 'to do no harm to others'. These principles of Truth are all considered in the Satya Yama.

When the definition of the Satya Yama is 'the practice of truthfulness, honesty and integrity in our thoughts, words and actions', one can identify their Truths or non-truths as being personalized responses to external, or internal, stimuli. Therefore, the starting point for the practice of this Yama is inside of oneself, at the tier of the mind/heart, as words and actions towards others are manifestations of thoughts/feelings.

To 'know thyself' is one of the objectives when practicing the Satya Yama. When one applies Truth, Honesty and Integrity to internal questions such as who am I really? or, am I happy?, one may find it excruciatingly difficult to answer without Courage. This is due to the existence of the Ego Self, defined as "... the division of the psyche that is conscious, most immediately controls thought and behavior, and is most in touch with external reality."

Each and every single one of us would probably not fully, 100%, agree with an-others observation or opinion of us, good or not good, which points to the fact that each and every single one of us, to some degree, 'knows thyself'. That is all the suggestion required when discussing the existence of the Ego Self and the True Self in relation to the Satya Yama. When one can answer their own questions of themselves Truth-fully and with Courage (am I, in Truth, happy?) then they begin to operate out of the True Self internally, and can then eventually, if not immediately, provide truthful or integral responses externally. This is why it is important to 'know thyself' and to then 'be true to thyself' on, at least, a casual level.

From internal Truth-full responses come external Truth-full responses, and the opportunity to further cultivate Honesty, Integrity and the desire to do no harm to others. When observing and practicing the Satya Yama, one can begin to see how the practice of Truth dismantles the Ego Self while, at the exact same time, builds up the True Self. The development of the True Self then fosters Truth-fullness, Honesty and Integrity in ones external responses, while protecting the heart of the Yama Limb by 'doing no harm' towards others' in ones truths.

In terms of the Satya Yama, Honesty is recognizing when a Truth-full response would cause more harm than good, and Integrity is choosing to respond in spirit of the honest observation. This causes a Harm-less response to others and thus, meets another ambition of the Yama. That is not to say one should respond with non-truth, but rather, to find the best response that fits the practice of this Yama. For example, when paying attention to the relationship Truth has with Honesty and Integrity, one will notice how often life invites them to respond Truth-fully, but from the Ego Self. One will also notice how often their responses to these invitations are not Harm-less.

For example, it could be said about a response to an offensive driver: 'That driver cut me off!! They deserved my (negative) response (a.k.a truth)!' True there was an 'offense' committed, but the negative, rude or aggressive behavior of others does not control and, therefore, should not influence one's ability to Truth-fully, Honestly, Integrally and Harmlessly respond. When we respond to negativity with negativity, we respond from the Ego Self, the only one who cares about the 'offense' or 'the offender.' However, referencing the offensive driver, if it were a matter of SAFETY, how would a response full of aggressive, negative Truth provide a solution? What would be the most integral response to the event? Notifying officials to deal with the situation properly one might say? So, the Satya Yama can be visualized; how Truth, Honesty and Integrity can harm or not harm, and how these ingredients can provide a solution or not.

Another factor to observe in practicing this Yama is how swiftly we tend to respond to external stimuli with our truths or non-truths, which is an element to be explored in observing and practicing the Satya Yama. Typically our truths or non-truths are immediately manifested, through expression, in the face of negativity.

This is due to the even quicker mental/emotional reaction to negative stimuli and one not giving themselves space between stimuli and their response. It is in this space that one can collect their thoughts from True Self and respond with Truth-fullness, Honesty and Integrity. That is, one can consciously choose to do no harm in their response.

It could be said that Truths are steps taken on a Divine Path that guide an individual through their lifetime. One could then conceptualize that each step taken, or Truth expressed, either keeps one on course with True Self or it does not. With this in mind, one can see how each of their steps, their Truths or non-truths, creates the momentum required to move forward on, or off, their Divine Path. This is the blessing and gift of the  
Satya Yama.

May each of your steps be lead by lights direction.
Namaste,
Anna G. Cianci

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ego

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_G_Cianci

Yoga, Patanjali Style - The Ahimsa Yama

 Yoga can be defined as an established set of guidelines and routines that one practices with the ultimate intention of reaching the state of Omnipresence. As the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali's teachings, or suggestions rather, can be considered a 'code of conduct' for the body-mind-soul unit that assists with elevating individual and collective consciousness to ultimately reach Omnipresence. Briefly, Patanjali Yoga is broken down into 2 subdivisions, the Limb and SÅ«tra divisions, which can then broken down further.

The first Limb of Patanjali Yoga is the Yama Limb, which consists of 5 Yamas, all focusing on practicing good behavior to others. The Ahimsa Yama is the first Yama and translates to the practice of nonviolence towards others in our actions, words, feelings or thoughts.

To introduce the Ahimsa Yama, it is appropriate to first discuss the components of a cause-and-effect relationship where this relationship can be defined as "an action or event (that) will produce a certain response to the action in the form of another event." Considering this definition, it can usually be found that the CAUSE of an individuals negative thoughts-feelings-words-actions happens to be something outside of themselves - an actual or perceived offense that ignites a negative EFFECT (or response) in the individuals body-mind-soul unit. An enlightened concept exists in understanding and accepting that it's the individual who chooses to respond negatively, neutrally or positively to outside stimuli and it's the individual who owns their thoughts, emotions, words and actions. Therefore, the EFFECTS (or responses) from negative stimuli can be controlled by the individual.

Typically, and in reference to the Ahimsa Yama, negative/violent actions begin with negative thoughts that are in response to outside stimuli. If these thoughts are not quelled or controlled they eventually, if not immediately, cause a negative emotional reaction, manifesting feelings in the body-mind-soul unit such as hate, jealously, revenge etc. Negative emotions that are not soothed can than be considered catalysts that push an individual further along this chain reaction. How? When one is overwhelmed with negative thoughts and emotions, an outlet is needed, usually in the form of spoken or written words towards the offender / offense; and the spoken and written word is a more dense form of negative manifestation compared to the thought and emotional forms in the body-mind-soul unit. The more these thoughts-feelings-words pollute the individuals body-mind-soul unit (and those around them!), the more one creates and fuels a cycle of negativity which could, and usually does, lead to the physical manifestation of violence / negativity.

The Ahimsa Yama of Patanjali Yoga recognizes this cause-and-effect relationship between thoughts-feelings-words-negative/violent actions, and perhaps what Patanjali is pointing to in this Yama is practicing the act of
Forgiveness and Compassion. When we choose to forgive rather than fret, we take positive responsibility and we choose to be positive contributors to the cause-and-effect relationship; we choose to brush negativity off, like dirt off the shoulder, and we choose to extinguish a cycle before it has time to mature and manifest into many more damaging effects/responses/actions. When we choose Compassion rather than Cruelty, one addresses negativity from outside stimuli with kindness and sympathy, with a heart that recognizes the potential to change a negative cycle and open eyes that accept the imperfections in others and in oneself.

So, rather than choosing to create, maintain or even escalate negative behavior, practicing to choose differently is the aim of the Ahimsa Yama. Forgiveness and Compassion are not easy virtues to develop or practice, especially when events tend to catch one off-guard mentally or emotionally. Practicing the act of Forgiveness and Compassion takes a lot of dedication, understanding and self-love. However, considering the alternative, the hard work to achieve Forgiveness and Compassion, especially in the face of negativity, is worth the act. And the even better news is, once you truly forgive and respond compassionately to negative stimuli for the first time, future choices will take root in these new-found acts; eventually it will become second nature, and old 'response' habits will be replaced.

Ultimately, practicing Forgiveness and Compassion is something an individual should do for themselves because being bound to negativity hurts the individual more than the 'offender'. It keeps an individual stuck in repetitive negative cycles and also leads to the physical manifestation of health ailments, the inability to let go of the past, live in the present and aim for a positive future. If one were to consider the weight of negativity and how it truly affects their quality of life, the negative thoughts-feelings-words-actions of others would have no weight in their own body-mind-soul units, and the act of Forgiveness and Compassion leads one in discovering this divine fact. This is what the Ahimsa Yama intends.

May your journey lead you to that place in your heart where Forgiveness and Compassion dwell.

Namaste,
Anna G Cianci

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cause_and_effect
http://yoga.about.com/od/theyogasutras/p/eightlimbs.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_G_Cianci