February Focus of the Month: Back Bends
Satya : truth
Sutra 2:36- satya-pratishthayam kriya-phalashrayatvam.
The second of the five yama-s - what are known as the “inner” guidelines, practices, or ethical disciplines- is Satya, meaning ‘truthfulness’. Our thoughts, words, and actions are consistent. It’s about doing what we say and saying what we do, having integrity- to ourselves, others, and to life. In the sutra 2:36 (see above) of the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, he says that we “manifest what we say and think.” When we speak and live truthfully we can have what we truly want.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “be true to yourself”, which is beautiful and inspiring. I believe it is important to be “true to ourselves”… to find the inner peace and love, and thus freedom to shine our light proudly and truthfully, and share that light with the world. However, sometimes it’s not as simple as it sounds. Sometimes being true to ourselves can come at the cost of being true to the Truth.
I read somewhere recently the inspirational phrase, “Be True to the Truth.” I read the corresponding article and thought a lot about it. How is it different from “being true to ourselves”? Or is it? Your truth might change from month to month, year over year, one yoga practice to the next. We are constantly changing, growing and learning new things about the world and ourselves. If we honor the truth of the moment, we are honoring our truth. We are actively seeking, noticing, perhaps at times even questioning what feels real to us in the present. We are “being true to ourselves” with the tools we have in that moment. Sounds great huh!
So is our truth always the Truth? As Deborah Adele says in The Yamas & Niyamas- “Truth is fluid.” Depending on the situation, it can show up boldly and courageously, or it can show up in a more gentle way as praise or to inspire someone and lift their spirits. This is truth working in companionship with nonviolence- ahimsa - which is essential, because “the compassion of nonviolence (ahimsa) keeps truthfulness (satya) from being a personal weapon,” says Deborah Adele. This shows just how much power both our thoughts and words can have, and that without love and compassion the truth alone will not set us free.
Ahimsa is the first ‘jewel’ of the five yamas, hence the most important. Thus, since satya falls right behind it as the second, it essentially means that we should be practicing both at the same time in all that we do. The truth should always come from a place of love and compassion, even when that means having to deliver difficult news or advice to someone.
The fluidity of truth also means that sometimes our ‘truth’ is full of love, compassion, empathy, and forgiveness… and sometimes it’s not. As Deborah Adele beautifully explains, “the fluidity of truth also requires that we clean our lens, and periodically get new glasses with which to observe the world.”
We all see ourselves and the world around us from a different lens. Two different people going through the same experience will never truly be in the same experience because of this. Even when our lens may seem clear and focused, our seeing can be foggy, limited by people and/or experiences that have shaped us in our past. Thus, it may be very difficult at times, even with our best intentions and efforts, to see the Truth and be true to the Truth. It’s easier to see our truth since that’s what is real to us, that’s what we know. Think of the portrait setting on your camera for a minute. The object in focus is what see clearly representing here our past experiences, the people that have shaped us into who we are, and our opinions/ideas/beliefs all that “knowledge” we have of the world. The background that is blurred when you use the portrait setting is the Truth. It’s life with all that stripped away.
Being true to the Truth can be scary and unfamiliar. However, that is how we live truthfully and achieve integrity. We face those scary and unfamiliar parts - the blurred background that’s there but that we can’t quite see or understand yet. We find a balance between living our truth (being true to ourselves) while also living the Truth. We use our truth to open our hearts more to ourselves in harmony with others- helping others, sharing our truth, standing up for what we believe in, learning from our truths and letting go of the ones that no longer serve us, and changing our lens from time to time by looking for what we are still not seeing.
When we can live in that space… in the fluidity of the truth… with our hearts softly and boldly open… then we are practicing satya and ahimsa. They are the practices that help us to create a life in the flow.
February focus of the month
Let the truth in your heart set you free this month! This month our focus is on back bending yoga poses. Back bends are stimulating for and bring awareness to the heart chakra (anahata). As we practice backbends we can focus our attention on unconditional love, compassion, empathy, tolerance, and forgiveness.
From an ayurvedic lens, back bends help to break up and move stagnant kapha in the system. February begins kapha season, the season of heaviness, dullness, stickiness. In the body this often translates to mucous and congestion. Ayurveda believes that kapha often becomes stagnant, or lodged in the chest and lungs, and that back bending postures help to keep things in this area moving. So practiced at the beginning of kapha season, as the qualities are accumulating, can help prevent this accumulation of kapha from occurring.
Energetically, back bending postures stimulate the flow of prana vayu or the uplifting energy of prana. February is often one of our coldest months and many of us feel more things like heaviness, sadness, and even mild depression. Stimulating the flow of prana inward and upward can aid in motivation and forward momentum, stimulate us and brighten the mood.
Some other benefits of back bending yoga poses are:
They increase flexibility and mobility in the spine.
Improve posture.
Strengthen your back, shoulders, chest, and hips.
Help relieve tension, tightness, and pain.
Relieves fatigue.
Take time this month to practice with us and explore different styles and variations of back bends.
