SATYA: INTRODUCTION

When the time came to choose a yama or niyama, I decided I would allow my choice to choose me.  I ended up in the satya or truthfulness group.  Initially, I thought this experiment would give me the opportunity to give my supervisor a piece of my mind.  However, the more I studied, the more I began to understand the nature of satya and its careful placement amongst the yamas or restraints.    Satya refers to considering my thoughts, words, and actions so that they do the least harm and the most good.  I realized that I would have to practice restraint from action or, at best, practice filtering such that my thoughts, words, and actions are in alignment with ahimsa, or non-harming.  My experiment would have to involve a great deal more observation and reflection than I originally thought. Therefore, rather than practicing truthfulness, I would have to practice restraint from indulging in my supposed “truth.”