Inside Yoga 179 (3/10/2016)
In recent weeks I have been writing about the types of yoga and explaining what yoga is. This week I will focus on one of the niyamas which asks us to take a look at our self.
One of the five niyamas is called svadhyaya which translates as the study of the sacred scriptures and of one’s own self (according to BKS Iyengar’s Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali). It is the latter aspect I wish to highlight but before this, a bit more elaboration and interpretation of svadhaya because interpretations do vary.
The niyamas are one of the eight limbs (parts) of the yoga sutras by Patanjali (above image is a statue of Patanjali), the core text for the practice of yoga. The niyamas are ethical guidelines for the practitioner which looks at our intimate and personal world, as they refer to the attitude we adopt toward ourselves.
According to TKV Desikachar, “sva” means “self” or “belonging to me”, while “adhyaya” means “inquiry” or “examination” literally “to get close to something”. In other words, svadhyaya “means to get close to yourself, that is, to study yourself”, says Desikachar.
He adds in his explanation that “all learning, all reflection, all contact that helps you to learn more about yourself is svadhyaya. In the context of the niyama we find that term translated as the ‘study of the ancient texts’. Yes, yoga does instruct us to read the ancient texts. Why? Because we cannot always just sit down and contemplate things. We need reference points. For many this may be the Bible or a book of personal significance; for others it may be the yoga sutras (by Patanjali).” (source The Heart of Yoga by TKV Desikachar).
Whatever our spiritual or non-spiritual views the advice here is to look at our self. It is recommended to read something that inspires and asks us to contemplate who we are. And for the devout secularist out there, this does not have to be a religious pursuit, but it does help to read what others with a different view has said because in this practice all paths do tend to lead to Rome.
What I wish to highlight here is how svadhyaya places emphasis on self-awareness. In our yoga practice we are repeatedly asked to pay attention to our body, our mind and our breathing, some call it being mindful and it is through this awareness that we deepen our understanding not just of our practice itself but we deepen our understanding of our self.
The physical challenges of yoga asanas (postures/exercises) is a way of drawing our awareness inward to our own experience and through this towards an understanding of our self. Every posture, every breath is meant to be performed with full attention and self-awareness.
Through the repeated practice of asanas we can see who we are in terms of temperament, for example, do we always seek to strongest and deepest, or are we prone to avoidance and wishing it would be easier? All these responses reveal a lot about who we are. And through the practice we seek to iron out the wobbles and imbalances and get rid of the negativity and unwelcome traits and thoughts.
Mindfulness is very popular at the moment, with all sorts of products being sold with the most tenuous of connections to mindfulness, but this ancient practice which dates back almost 3,000 years has always highlighted the same simple message – that self-inquiry being crucial to this practice.
There is nothing wrong with looking inward in case you feel this is selfish and there is a world out there. If we do not know who we are and how we tick, and what is really important to our own well-being, how are we going to understand and support the world outside our own being? As the expression goes, heal yourself before you heal the world. And a note to those who are impatient, yes, it might take a long time, so in many cases we might be healing the world at the same time as healing ourselves… which is why necessity often takes precedence over idealism.
Whatever your spiritual, or lack of spiritual, beliefs the niyama of svadhyaya is a guide to understanding our true self, who we are and what it is to be “me”. And a very important part of the path we are all on, that of living in this world with one simple desires: to be happy and well.
Feel free to share this blog with others, and any thoughts, questions or comments do contact me via the reply panel or email me gary@yogabristol.co.uk
