2nd Yama: Satya (Truthfulness)
If you haven't read the blogpost about the yama's and niyama's yet, I recommend that you read that one first.
The 2nd yama is satya or truthfulness. Another word that covers the load nicely is honesty. This yama is not only about speaking the truth but also about your actions and your thoughts. Living your truth.
COMMUNICATION
The first thing that probably comes to mind when you hear the word truthfulness is speaking the truth, not lying. You can take this very literally as speaking the truth, but this is not the only thing that satya is about. Voicing your opinion, your truth can also be part of this. And not withholding things that may be important is part of this too.
Furthermore, it is important that you act with the right intention in your communication. You never act with the intent of hurting anyone or creating unrest. For example, gossiping is not a good idea here, even if that bit of gossip were true.
Also think about the automatic answers you give someone to questions like "how are you?". Try to give a real answer to this. You will find that it can be a huge relief to answer how you are actually doing. Who knows, maybe help will come if things are not going well or if you are extremely busy. You'll probably also hear from people around you that they find it refreshing when someone gives real answers to the questions they ask, even if they don't expect a real answer.
ASSUMPTIONS
Have you ever noticed that we live our lives mostly based on assumptions? Instead of just taking something for granted, take the time to ask. Is your assumption correct? Your truth doesn't always match someone else's. Try to respect that too. Someone else must also be given the space to express and live his or her truth. Give that space.
THOUGHTS
Yes, here too you try to be honest. Many people suffer from negative thoughts about themselves or their environment. A great exercise to tackle them is to write them down as soon as they occur. Now look at it, is the thought really true? If you believe this is the case, write down the evidence for it. Why is that thought correct? Once you've done that, read through what you wrote down. Is that really true? Now write down all the reasons why those negative thoughts might not be true. Don't stop this until you have more than the reasons why it would be the case. This exercise can help to slowly shift your mindset. Give it a try.
LIVE YOUR TRUTH
Also be honest with yourself. Listen to your body, rest if you need it or push if you can handle it. Be honest with yourself about what you can handle and about what you just want. What do you need right now? What can you do for yourself to move forward?
Something else you can take into account is whether you are in the right place in your life right now. Are you where you want to be? Are you doing what you want to do? Are you living your truth? Or do you live according to someone else's? And are you really yourself? Or do you pretend to be someone you are not?
And finally, don't give up kindness for the truth. I've already hinted at this in the rest of the blog post, but with the yamas and the niyamas, a lot of it is about the right intention, about harmony. Pay attention to how you bring things and whether it is necessary to express or do what you intended at all.
That was it for today. What steps do you want to take with satya in mind? What can you do for yourself to give yourself the space to live closer to your truth? For now good luck with the next steps on your bridge and I wish you all the luck and a wonderful rest of your day.
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