8 Limbs of Yoga - Svadyaya

As a child, I once pictured myself putting my “true self” into a pink box with a white bow on it. At the time, I felt that I was putting my “true self” deep inside to protect her. Pretty early on in my yoga training I came to realize that my “true self” did not need protection because no one could hurt her. The truth is that I did not know her. I only knew the identities I had created.

Svadhyaya, one of the Niyamas in the second limb of yoga, is getting to know your “true self”. It is often translated as self-study. To know your “true self”, you actually need to know all of you, that means all of your identities even the ones you do not like. I have spent a lot of my life trying to figure out what is wrong with me and fix it. This is not Svadhyaya! I have learned through my yoga training that there is nothing wrong with me. That does not mean that I am perfect or everything in my life is great. It just means that some things are helpful and some things are not helpful, but I am not right or wrong. My “true self” was not just sitting there, protected in that pink box, she was observing everything.

As I get to know the observer part of me, I have to allow in all of the parts of myself, even the parts that I do not like. This process can be painful and takes courage. The identities that I have created are not wrong either, but problems arise when I think that a particular identity is all that I am. Practicing Svadhyaya means watching my behaviors and actions when I am triggered and looking at what beliefs I hold that are causing me to be triggered. To practice Svadhyaya, you must observe without judgement, without fighting yourself. Even today, it is a struggle for me to stop punishing myself for things about myself or my actions that I believe are bad or wrong.

Practicing Svadhyaya is helping me to see that the part of me in the pink box does not need protecting and is actually witnessing my behaviors. This practice allows me to make decisions based on what is helpful or not helpful instead of judging and punishing myself.

Practicing Svadhyaya means using experiences as opportunities to learn more about ourselves and gain more self-awareness. When we learn to take care of the unpleasant parts of ourselves, we are then able to see and have compassion for others who may feel as we do.

Meditation/Samyama Sadhana is a practice that helps us be able to witness all of the parts of ourselves. Studying and reading sacred scriptures are also helpful because they help us to see ourselves for who we truly are. My participation in Being Yoga since I started my training in Masters Path has been very helpful in learning how to practice Svadhyaya without judgement.

Practicing Svadhyaya will help you to learn so much about yourself and help you gain clarity so you can make helpful choices. See you in practice.

Warmly,
Robyn Holloway/Ramya Chitta