Satyam is the second of the yamas in Yoga from Patanjali’s Sutras, and it stands for truthfulness in Sanskrit. This same principle is also found in other religious texts such as the Old Testament (from the Bible), Jewish Scriptures, and the Holy Quran. In the justice system, such as for example in court or when bearing witness to authorities like the police, it is considered a crime to falsify testimony, or simply said, lie.
When we break down the Sanskrit word satyam, we get sat = what is, true, real; and yam = restrain, or ya= “ness” or “coming from” (Sanskrit is a fascinating language that is vibrational in its essence and can be interpreted in various ways). So put together, satyam is keeping to what is, or trueness. There are other Sanskrit words that being with “sat,” such as sattva (purity) and satsang (true company – usually this is when spiritual communities gather to receive spiritual teachings from a guru). This all helps us to understand the term satyam a little better – it is that which is true, pure and unchangeable.
The nature of reality is a huge philosophical topic on which many books have been written on. What is real if we are living in a dream or illusion which yogis call maya? Although an existential question in itself, there is no need to complicate things. There is great beauty and wisdom in simplicity. We all have an inner knowing that knows when we are being truthful in our expression, and when we are not. This inner guidance is wise and to ignore or deny its existence is to work against ourselves and our expansion. Satyam is about being truthful simply because it’s the right thing to do more than it is to benefit anyone personally.
Satyam all beings with being honest with ourselves: practicing self-inquiry, questioning our (often self-limiting) beliefs, and seeing things clearly as they are (rather than through a lens clouded by wishful thinking). When we are honest with ourselves and feel grounded in our own truth, it becomes easier to be honest with others. We have already heard it before: the truth will set you free, and indeed, living a sincere life is liberating. Keeping up with lies is truly exhausting and disempowering! Questions you can ask yourself are for example:
• What does it mean for you to be truthful?
How do you honour your heart’s desires?
• In what ways could you be more honest with yourself?
• In what areas of your life is it easy for you to be truthful, and in what other areas is it challenging?
• Have you kept a certain untruth in your life? How was this affected you? What can you do about it to surpass and transcend it at this point?
Satyam serves our spiritual awakening because it also helps us to identify with what we are (that which remains and is eternal: atman – our spirit), and that which we are not (our thoughts, our emotions, and everything that makes up the passing nature of our ego). When we slow down in our lives, we are better able to tap into this eternal essence rather than live in a constant state of reactivity to external triggers.
Satyam is something that we can practice on and off the mat. On the mat, we can observe what comes up for us, and be true to ourselves by honouring what is available to our bodies on any given day rather than trying to push it and end up hurting ourselves. Satyam on the mat in class is communicating to your teacher if you have any injuries, whether you want corrections or not, and practicing full acceptance of where you are at: honouring what is. Paying attention to your breath helps a lot, as our breath tells us a lot about how we are feeling! Off the mat, it is a constant practice that requires mindfulness and observance in how we live our lives and how we show up in our relationships. At the end of the day, observing the yamas in daily life is all about integrity, and infusing our lives with purpose and meaning. Setting an intention every morning to be truthful can be very helpful in this regard. Align your heart with what comes out of your mouth to ensure you are always compassionately truthful. How? Before speaking, you can ask yourself: is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it the right time? Think really about what “truth” means to you and what is more important here is checking in with yourself regarding your intention. Why are you telling someone a certain “truth”? If it’s to fulfill your ego (eg.to prove you’re right, to make yourself look better) reconsider your intention, and put yourself in their shoes.
Ultimately, both on and off the mat, satyam is a lot about being able to be present with what is, and acting from a place of deep consciousness and awareness. Ultimately, satyam happens naturally when we act from our Highest Self. Consciousness is like an infinite ocean. You can read 101 books, and do 1,001 meditations and still not grasp it all. The path of truth is never ending, and there are so many different levels of consciousness present on this Earth dimension! We will never really be “finished” discussing consciousness or reach a conclusion about it, and there’s a great beauty to that! We can access consciousness at all times. It is what we are. Ultimately, it is all already within us, we just need to remember, and find the keys to access the treasures hidden within.
When considering satyam, we need to remember that this niyama is preceded by ahimsa (non-violence), so that in our expression of truth we are called to be compassionate with others. Besides the relative connection between ahimsa and satyam, we can make links to the other yamas and niyamas. For example, when living in truth, or living with presence in what is, one realizes that what is is not something to possess. Living in satyam naturally brings you to a state of aparigraha (non-attachment, the last of the niayamas). Drawing from my personal experience the closer you observe the yamas and niyamas in your daily life, the more blessings seem to arrive “out of the blue.” We can best use the understanding of the yamas and niyamas as tools in our daily lives to help us get through this spiritual experience as human beings!
The greatest part of spiritual practice entails finding a path that leads us to discover the truth that underlies the phenomenal world, and the truth of our own self. No matter how enlightened we believe ourselves to be, there is always something more to discover. Something more to learn. Something more to grow and transcend through. The knowledge of the truth, the attainment of Nirvana – this is the supreme blessing.
With all this being said, Asato Maa from the Upanishads beautifully sheds light on the spiritual value of living a truthful life:
Om Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya
Mrtyor-Maa Amrtam Gamaya
“Lead me from the unreal to the real
From darkness (ignorance) to light (knowledge)
From death to immortality”
Thank you once again for tuning in today.
With love and, sincerely,
Aldona