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Satya: Truthfulness Is Not As Easy As It Seems

Satya: Truthfulness is harder than it seems on theyogimovement.com by Monica Dawn Stone

November 18, 2013 By Monica Stone 4 Comments

Working on this blog about Satya was tougher than I expected. You would think it would be easy to write about honesty and how to integrate that into daily life, but my mind hasn’t been able to tap into that yogi stillness that we’re all searching for.

Since I was having trouble organizing my thoughts, I decided to go back to basics. I grabbed all of my books that covered the sutras to explore a wide variety of perspectives, and decided to brush up on my knowledge of Satya.

Satya means being truthful and honest in action, thoughts, and words. It follows Ahimsa in the Yamas of the Eight Limbs of Yoga outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Satya follows Ahimsa for a reason, and that is because we should never use the truth as a means of violence or harm towards others.  

I was puzzled about how being truthful and honest can be used against a person. I am aware that sometimes the truth hurts, but when do we choose Ahimsa over Satya? When does honesty become violent? How do we know the difference between the truth being hard vs. the truth being harmful? Here are a few examples that I came to understand:

1. Be Mindful In Our Approach With Words

It wouldn’t be kind to tell someone that they looked fat. It wouldn’t be kind to tell someone they were stupid and annoying. It wouldn’t be kind to tell someone their hair looked ugly, or to blatantly put them down in a hurtful way.

This reaction happens when someone has hurt us, but handling it negatively has negative karmic effects. It continues to fuel the fire and sets a bad example. In order to practice Satya genuinely, we must be unattached to the harm that someone has caused, and authentically tell someone the effect of his or her actions in the most mindful way possible.

Perhaps the result and reaction will still be negative, but as long as we become unattached and move forward with good intentions, we learn to let go, set a good example, and change karma. It also just feels empowering to know you handled something with grace and kindness. 

2. Protecting From Violence Overrides Truthfulness

You wouldn’t want to put anyone in danger. Imagine that you know someone who was being physically abused by her partner or parent, and she went away to a secret shelter. It would go against ahimsa to tell the abuser the location where the person was located.

If you knew they were going to cause physical harm, then in this case, the information should remain confidential.  

3. Sometimes, the truth can be scary

Sometimes the intentions aren’t harmful, but the truth can be scary.  The longer we hide the truth, the bigger the burden, and the stronger the hurt. Regardless, when we know the truth can hurt others, it can be hard to discuss, and that’s a burden in itself.

This weekend my family and I participated in a fundraiser and walkathon for Free To Breathe, which is the fundraising chapter of the National Lung Cancer Partnership. Last December, my uncle passed away from Lung Cancer. Although he was a smoker his whole life, this was rapid and completely unexpected. 

I think about my uncle, my family, his friends, the doctors, and everyone that had to tell someone, and be faced with this truth.  I think about everyone in the world that has to be faced with hard truths like this everyday. These situations can be devastating, but the only way to continue down the path towards happiness is to explore what lesson came out of it. 

Did this situation make me stronger? Did it bring the family closer? Did it teach me that what I think are problems really aren’t problems at all? Did it better prepare me for handling difficult situations in the future? Did it teach me to take less for granted?  In my case, all of the above.  

4. Sometimes we lie to ourselves because we don’t want to accept the truth, but when we actually admit the truth to ourselves, we let go of that fear

We let go of what has been holding us back. This stems from old impressions that happened in our childhood. Perhaps we sabotage success because we don’t feel deserving, or we keep lingering bad relationships because of a need for approval that we never received in the past.

It’s normal to place blame on others for our suffering, but if we can look deep within and admit the truth, it’s the first stage in letting go of our fears and moving forward. Admitting the truth is liberating. When we do this, we change the mindset, and our truths will begin to manifest.

5. Sometimes people don’t tell the truth out of selfishness

Do you hide the truth from someone because you don’t want to see him or her be successful? In this case, one might omit facts or be dishonest for their own personal gain. This action is a weight in itself because of the energy that is being put into lying and worrying about someone else’s path. This is only going to lead to suffering.

Focus on your passion and what makes you happy. Letting go of this allows a natural flow of goodness and success to come. Don’t lose sight of the drishti, and you’ll find that your path unravels with fluid and ease. 

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Satya Truthfulness

How do you practice Satya in your daily life? How do you handle a hard truth? How can we help others practice Satya? 

Please Comment, Pin, and Share if you life this and think it could benefit someone!

To Open Hearts & Happy Thoughts,

love monica

Filed Under: Daily Life, Instruction Tagged With: The Yoga Sutras

Monica Stone

About Monica Stone

Monica is a lover of all things yoga, a vegetarian, an avid tea drinker, and never gets sick of soup and noodle dishes. She teaches yoga, practices daily, and runs a Spiritual Book Club in Orlando, FL. She likes to challenge the strict rules of yoga, and makes it accessible for everyone - especially people who suffer from daily life and work stress.

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Hi! I’m Monica

Monica StoneWell hello there! I'm Monica. I'm a yoga & meditation teacher (and junkie). I teach yoga practices that are quick and effective for the busy person who just needs a few minutes of quiet time in their day. Click around and you'll find quick meditation tips for calming the mind to simple stretches to relieve stress and tension. If you are sick of being intimidated by yoga or just confused by all of the different styles out there - then this page is for you. Yoga helps me daily & I know it will help you too! I'll show you how! Welcome to The Yogi Movement :)

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  • Jaime ShearerJaime ShearerYoga Student Since 2012

    Monica is dedicated to her own practice and the true path of yoga - the one of personal experience - which makes her an outstanding teacher. She is warm and easy to talk with, and she allows the student to have their own experience on the mat. She explains postures and breath in ways that are understandable so that the student "gets it." She makes yoga real and tangible in ways that truly serve the student. Work with Monica. You'll be glad you did.

  • Jacob AbercrombieJacob AbercrombieYoga Student Since 2011

    have always wanted to try yoga, but was always nervous. Monica took that fear away and made me feel like i was the only one in class with a room full of strangers. She is able to work with multiple students during the same move and still make it a personalized class for one.

  • Serena JonesSerena JonesYoga Student Since 2010

    Monica has been a highly influential teacher to me. She creates a safe environment for learning and practice. I have always felt grounded in her classes, and she pushes me beyond my own expectations. She inspires and motivates! I can't imagine my life without sharing a path with her!

  • Angela OrofinoAngela OrofinoYoga Student Since 2011

    Monica is a caring, wise, thoughtful, and talented yoga instructor. She has an in-depth knowledge of the philosophy and spirituality of Ashtanga yoga. My previous yoga experience had mostly just been at my local gym. Luckily, last year I found Monica. She has been guiding my practice at least once a week since then. As a newcomer to Ashtanga yoga, Monica made me feel comfortable and had the patience to teach me the basics. She also encouraged me to start an at home practice so that I was able to obtain a deeper understanding of Ashtanga. Monica is always encouraging and lets me know in subtle ways when she feels that I am ready to move deeper into my practice. I feel that the growth in my practice over the last year has been tremendous. Not only do I notice the change in me but others around me do as well. I am so grateful to have found Monica!

  • Sasha TamarSasha TamarYoga Student Since 2012

    I’ve come across many a yoga instructor over the years, but Monica stands out as genuinely amiable, as she glows with an infectious inner light, and highly devoted to and passionate about her practice. Her dedication to Ashtanga as a lifestyle is very clear, and creates for a contagious motivating force. Every time I’ve practiced with her, she eagerly transmits her devotion and passion of Ashtanga and meditation to everyone in class; she makes the most fledgling beginner feel at home, and simultaneously challenges the more advanced students. While I only practice Ashtanga with her, I know she provides therapeutic yoga sessions as well as meditation. And, if her methods of guiding students out of the Ashtanga vigor into the more meditative savasana are indicative of her meditational techniques, I’d recommend her to anyone

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