The Yoga Philosophy Background: Satya
In yoga philosophy according to Patanjali, there are 8 limbs of yoga that will lead to Samadhi, or a state of oneness. The first limb is the Yamas. This is described as how we interact with the world around us. It includes our ethics, personal integrity and how we respond to external interactions. There are 5 total. I wrote an earlier blog post about the first one, Ahimsa that you can find here.
Practicing Satya Through Mindfulness
The second Yama is Satya, which is truthfulness. It is the act of being truthful with yourself and living your truth. It is not just refraining from lying, but the essence of you. Oftentimes, we don’t see the whole truth of ourselves or a situation because we let our emotions pull us in a certain direction. I’m the first to admit that I let emotional reactions and irrational thoughts overcome my mind. This often leads to anxiety and a deep feeling of overwhelm. I know that I actively need to do better with slowing down my thoughts and recognizing the reality of a situation.
When something isn’t going the way, I want it to, my mind goes to the worst-case scenario. A mindset of doom and disparity. I think, “Great, now I’m never going to… fill in the blank,” or “I’m not good enough.” What I need to do in these situations is practice mindfulness to reframe this thought to find the truth in the situation. Just because something happened once or twice, doesn’t make it a forever thing. Even if I haven’t been able to do a certain thing, doesn’t mean I never will or I’m not good enough.
One way to start overcoming this mindset is to be observant of when these thoughts come up. Let them come up and pass on by like clouds in the sky. The more aware you are of how thoughts are formed and the impermanence of them, the easier it is to let them go. Notice the emotions that they bring up and ask yourself if your reaction is based on emotions or the truth of the situation.
Where Am I Headed?
Lately I’ve been trying to find out what I truly want in life. I’ve been working as a physical therapist now for 11 years. I went to school for 6 years to get my doctorate. That’s 17 years of my life dedicated to this field. When I first got out of school, I had such passion for what I did. Since the pandemic, working in the healthcare industry has become harder to enjoy. I still really love helping people heal and bettering their lives. What I don’t love is the way things are headed in the world of healthcare. Reimbursement is less, insurances are getting harder to deal with, schedules are filled to the max and work life balance is not evident. The burnout is real. It is getting more difficult to enjoy what I do every day. I’m not getting the fulfillment that I once did.
It made me start questioning if there is something else beyond my profession that might bring me more joy or purpose in my life. That’s when I started to turn to yoga and blogging to give me another creative outlet and make connections. Monetarily speaking, I am tied to working as a physical therapist, but writing here and connecting with other moms feels more like my truth. I’m still trying to figure out everything I want in life. Meditating on that each day has helped me to practice Satya. It’s easy to get caught up in a job or role that you’ve been in for so long, especially after putting so many years and effort into getting to where you are. The challenge is acknowledging when it isn’t making you happy anymore. Try to seek out your truth and find something that does.
Finding Balance
It is hard to balance all of these projects in my life right now, but I have enjoyed being able to do something that takes me out of my normal routine. Trying to find time to write in this blog, workout, practice yoga and meditation, and taking care of a two-year-old is a challenge after working an exhausting 40-hour week. It does bring me joy and opens up different avenues that I wouldn’t have otherwise, so I will continue to do the best that I can to find this balance in my life.
Your challenge today is to find something that brings YOU joy. What is your truth? Is there some are of your life that you aren’t being honest with yourself about that would benefit from change. This is your sign to do something about it.