Satya

Satya
By Nikki Jaya Prock

Satya, or truthfulness, is the second Yama in the Eight Limbed Path. The Yoga Sutras state, “When the practitioner is firmly established in the practice of truth, his words become so potent that whatever he says comes to realization.” In studying satya in my life I have found there are three stages of awareness. The first stage is external, observing speech and actions. The second stage is the internal awareness, looking at thoughts and defining truth. The last stage of satya is when action, speech, and thought align and our truth becomes all there is.

At first the practice of truthfulness feels almost elementary. It starts by observing and evaluating external actions. We can begin to look at speech on a surface level. Am I purposefully lying to someone? Am I making something up? Do my words match my actions? These questions may serve as reminders in our daily lives of the power of our words to create our reality and how we may use them to manipulate others. Sometimes it is best to stay silent to really observe how the words you speak actually affect the situation.

The second stage of satya is when we look into what is going on under the obvious outer layers. By examining our thoughts we can see where there are inconsistencies between what we are thinking and what we believe to be true. In this stage it is important to consider what our underling truth is. What do we want to create in our life? What would that look like? After establishing and visualizing our ideal truth, we move into training the thoughts to align. The thoughts are the root points to how we are living and creating our lives. Establishment of truth only comes with an absolutely honest mind.

Moving from gross awareness into more a more subtle stage, our actions, speech, and thoughts can join together to create the truth in our reality. Every common activity can propose a pause for reflection. Are we thinking, acting, and speaking in a way that supports our ideal truth? In this stage our words and actions become so powerful that we can actually manifest certain results. When this happens, there is no more separation between our self and our truth, we embody our truth and act as a vessel for its light. Rolf Gates says, “Our truth becomes all there is. Truth becomes our essence and our reality, our deepest desire, and the air we breathe.”

Introducing awareness of truth in our life is a huge step toward discovering our innate nature of bliss. First observing how we communicate externally, then noticing our internal dialogue, and finally threading our truth throughout our life and presenting that truth to others. Old habits and thought patterns dissipate when seen in the eyes of truth. A state of confidence and fearlessness comes with establishment of satya. There is a confidence that surrounds truthfulness. People are drawn towards the safety and honesty that truth casts. We will find that the more we practice living in satya, the more good will come into our life, and the easier it will be to continue the practice. Truth helps us live and interact peacefully in the world around us.Satyam bruyat priyam bruyat. Speak what is truth, speak what is pleasant. (Vedic II-1)


Gates, Rolf and Katrina Kenison. Meditations from the Mat. Anchor Books, 2002.
Shri Swami Satchidananda. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Yogaville, 1990.