In our practice of Yoga, we are invited to a personal adventure travelling through the peaks and valleys of our inner landscape featuring our deepest thoughts, feelings and desires. In this process, we are the guide and the witness to the unfolding of our Self. In essence, we are becoming the excavators of our own unique individuality.
This process of self-inquiry is called Svadhyaya and it is part of the ancient text Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. At the heart of it is the study of the Self as we are invited to deepen our understanding of the layers of the Self through this process. It is like polishing the mirrors. It is an action of how we can see ourselves more clearly, more deeply and more compassionately. It is a practice of learning self-compassion so that we can sit with our fears, our griefs and our vulnerabilities.
In this process, we have an opportunity to reflect on who we were, our past, our experiences as we start to unfold and reveal layer by layer our true essence. We start to understand what stirs us internally and what makes us tick. We start to see with more precision the thoughts that are filling our head.
Svadhyaya asks from us to be courageous so that we can gently unfurl our true Self. The greatest gifts of yoga, if we are willing to explore, reside precisely in these moments when the old structures of beliefs and thinking start to crumble. We break free from the hostage that prevents us from discovering the Divine within.
Dr. Wayne Dyer says that we are all divine beings. The study of the Self has the potential to reveal that to us so that we can feel it and be deeply rooted in that knowing. Stepping onto this path of self-inquiry and self-reflection, we begin to feel what was neglected before and we begin to notice and observe our thoughts and reactions. We start to stand in our own power, rooted in our heart, our true home.
Svadhyaya reminds us to continually align with this inner knowing as we go by living our lives. May we allow ourselves to tap into our own greatness. With the utmost reverence for the divinity within us, may we accept the invitation to sharpen our focus on who we know we are deep within the depths of our heart.
May we welcome ourselves on the journey of self-discovery.
GRACE | TRUST | LOVE