Lesson number 100-something you learn when you’re a child: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it. You learned to keep your mouth shut if negative thoughts about somebody came in mind so that you don’t hurt their feelings. However, you may have never learned that the same goes about yourself: “If you have nothing nice to say to yourself, don’t say it.” Be compassionate to you. Then, we hit a crossroads. Lesson number 200-something you learn when you’re a child: Tell the truth. So, what if the truth isn’t compassionate? Well, then, it’s not the truth. Instead, it’s an opinion. Opinion and truth are two very different things.
This brings us to the second life lesson of Yoga: truthfulness. I’m going to focus it around being true to you, because at this age, it can be kind of difficult with all of the outside voices coming in! The practice of truthfulness means you must be honest to your thoughts, feelings, words and actions. It’s natural to push yourself to the limit; you study until your head falls off and then you pick yourself back up to go out and be social, go to work or complete yet another assignment you forgot was due that night. College life is a never-ending cycle of GO… GO… GO! When the time comes, be honest to yourself. Do I need a mental break, or am I ready enough to go out? Are outside pressures coinciding with my own values, or should I stick true to me? In the end, honesty is the best way to go. Listen to your thoughts, feelings and needs, and be honest with how you should act upon them.
Bringing that to your practice in yoga, your body might be too tired or tight to do a pose to its fullest potential. So, you’ll cheat. This is being dishonest to what your body can handle in that moment. Instead, you can listen to what your body is trying to tell you, and be truthful in the pose. Then, the pose is correct.
So… lesson number 300-something you should learn throughout life: Be honest to you and stay true to your truth.