We transition this week to self-study, Svadhyaya. This is a key NiYama, or inner observance, of living your beliefs. This is the practice of becoming an observer to your experience. Svadhyaya employees contemplation, meditation, reading spiritual books/texts, spending time on your mat and in nature, and learning root languages of spiritual texts for greater revelation. Notice all these practices can be solitary and the focus is...you. This concept is critical for peace in our lives. Not for the purpose of self-worship, or selfishness, but to truly know and observe if you are living what you believe, or if you are stating your beliefs and looking for ways they are true in your life. If your focus is always on others, or just telling people what you believe with little evidence it's true, your focus may need to shift to observing how you live what you believe.
In my spiritual view, which is Christian, we've unfortunately become known for our hypocrisy, not our love (which is what the Bible tells us we should be known for). I think we can all benefit from this discipline of self-study. It is a way to hold yourself accountable for putting your money where your mouth is. This week in our newsletter series we talk practical ways to begin to do just this! If you are not subscribed click on the home page, scroll down and sign up. If you want more, your Yoga Teacher Training started this week and you can begin to learn all the tools to do just this. See you next time!
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