Inside Out

On top of all the yoga poses (Asanas), there is actually more to it when we look at the complete system of Yoga. Yoga Citta Vritti Nirodhah (Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuation of the mind.), how is this possible with just Asana alone?
This is where we come to the eight limbs of Astanga Yoga, which serves as a guideline to life in various aspects. One of the aspects that resonate to me is Satya under Yamas. Satya means truthfulness, non-telling of lies and living the truth.
Living in a social setup sometimes we say things that is contrary to what within us. We are afraid saying the truth will put us in a disadvantageous position, but the more lies we say the more we need to cover it up with lies. Sometimes it became such a habit that we start to lose what is truly us. It does not always have to be a lie to avoid hurting the person; we can phrase it in a way that makes it more acceptable for the person. To quote Master Paalu we can form on messages base on 3 criteria β€œ Be friendly, compassionate and send Hope.” This will make things must easier to accept and not let one falling into despair. At the same time you will not have to face with the guilt of lying that accumulates over time or losing yourself.
We can only hold it for so long doing something that is not truly us, maybe this is why a lot of people face with burnt out and stress. People will say things to cover up their mistakes even if it is obvious, just to keep themselves in position of power or avoid losing their monetary gains. Do we always have to live in a state where every night we wake up in fear of the lie being expose? It may not be easy to tell the truth, but if we don’t make an effort on it we will drift further away. The one that suffer at the end of day is no one but yourself.
The truth does not always have to be hurtful when pointing out areas of improvement; it is how we phrase it that brings out mood of the message. Learn to look things from a different perspective; put yourself in the shoe of the other party and forming your messages in a way that you will be able to accept without feeling bad.
Kai Wen(200hr Yoga TTC 07/15 weekday)