Satya (truth)

This is a sanskrit word I've been thinking a lot about lately.  Satya, truth- and not just 1+1=2 kind of truth but your truth, individual to each person.  Only you can know your truth, but it gets so mucked up by our experiences, wants and desires in the world that sometime it is hard to see through everything to get to your truth.

That is where the practice of yoga comes in.  Yoga is a tool that helps us clear away some of the muck, the congestion, the 'stuff' that gets in the way.  So yoga doesn't change who we are- it brings us closer to our true selves.  We are already loving, compassionate and powerful beings but it can be hard to see that part of ourselves sometimes.  Think of how you feel after coming out of a really great yoga class, think of how you see the world differently then you saw it when, perhaps, your cat woke you up at 5am and it was dark and cold outside.  You are still you, you didn't become a different person, but your perception of who you are and your place in the world has shifted.

In this way- your yoga practice can become more than just a group of physical exercises that you practice to get stronger or more flexible.  Your yoga practice becomes a way of deepening your awareness of your whole self, physical, mental, and beyond.