Greetings Yogis and
Yoginis,
Described in the second chapter of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Niyamas
establish the rules of conduct that apply to individual discipline. Practicing and adhering to these principles
creates self purification in the practitioner.
This week in class we will be exploring Svadhyaya, the fourth Niyama.
Svadhyaya
is found in verse II.44 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
Svadhyaya means -
literally and entomologically – “to move towards oneself,” “to comeback to who
we are” by some means. If we can
understand Tapas as purifying or refining our systems, then Svadhyaya is self-reflection, coming
deeper into a self-understanding and a self-awareness.
Tapas makes us
fit for Svadhyaya. Tapas cleans the vessel; Svadhyaya looks at the vessel.
There is a mutual relationship between the two.
This suggests that we find a means to discover who, in
essence, we are. It means to reflect
deeply on our actions not only to achieve something external, but as a mirror
to see ourselves more deeply in terms of what we are doing and how we are
motivated. It means piercing through the
veil of our self-image. It means
inquiring into the nature of our being through deep inner reflection. This implies looking honestly at our behavior,
our motivations, and all of the strategies we use to maintain our self-image.
In a more general sense, Svadhyaya suggests that the study of sacred or inspirational texts
can result in insight into the human condition.
Such classical texts include the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, the
Bible, the Talmud, various writings of the saints, or any spiritual or
inspiring text - again, not abstractly or academically, but as a means of
understanding ourselves more deeply.
These activities are seen as mirrors that reflect back to us our true
nature. Spiritually inspiring teachings
are tools to help us understand ourselves and, through that understanding, to
change our attitudes and behavior. When
we are practicing with this self-reflective quality, we will deepen our
self-understanding.
This teaching is not meant only for those dedicated to the
spiritual life. It has great practical
meaning for all of us who recognize that there is room for improvement in our
lives. In this context, Svadhyaya represents a process through
which, at any given mom ent, we can
assess where we are in relation to things.
Svadhyaya is also
the ability to look in the mirror of how people are responding to us and let
that be an opportunity to understand something about the way we are
operating. Svadhyaya suggests that we can use all of our activities as mirrors
to see something about ourselves - a way of coming deeper into
self-understanding - for we can use the feedback from all of our interpersonal
interactions and reactions. Svadhyaya is also suggestive of a
mirror to remind us of our higher potential.
As we go deeper and deeper into this process of
self-investigation and self-discovery, as we go deeper into ourselves we will
slowly discover or uncover the divine.
Homework: What would it
mean to you to “reflect deeply on your actions” and to “look honestly at your
behavior?” Take the time to do this and
consider how this “reflection” and “honesty” will guide you in your practice of
Svadhyaya?
References:
Quoted and paraphrased from Iyengar the Yoga Master, edited by Kofi Busia, Kriya Yoga: Transformation Through Practice
– A Western Perspective, by Gary Kraftsow.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal,
and Vancouver Washington
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