Satya: Being Truthful

Last week I wrote about the first guideline in yoga, which was ahimsa, non-violence. It dealt with awareness of my self-talk as a way to practice non-violence. Being careful of how I treat myself has had a ripple effect towards how I treat others. However, if I were to only mention non-violence, that may just portray that I never speak my truths.

I do speak my truth, though. After years of trying being the silent type because a man literally tried to choke the life right out of me, I kept being encouraged to speak my truths. I kept seeing that what I knew and shared actually helped people. I had to rise above the anxiety and fear of that previous trauma and learn how to lovingly speak my truths. Which brings me to discussing the second yama, satya, or being truthful.

I like that being truthful comes after non-violence. In particular, non-violent thoughts. I believe thoughts create words and actions. And, as cocky as it sounds, I do believe that I'm suppose to share my truths. Especially in the roles of mother and teacher, I see myself as a defender of those who haven't learned to defend themselves. I believe that I need to take my practices of non-violence and truthfulness, and counter the loudness others create with their fears and anxieties that they haven't worked on healing before they speak.

Sometimes my husband refers to me as being mean when I speak my truth. He says that with pride, though, because it usually refers to when I am protecting our children. So, I think mean isn't the word he is intending to use... ? I think a better word than mean would be forceful.

The practices of non-violence and truthfulness have created me into someone who can speak my truth in a more compassionate, even though forceful, way. I have worked to couple compassion with respect. I have bolstered that with boundaries which I am unwilling to allow people to cross. It has formed me into a person who can speak my truths with no yelling or degrading required.