On Satya and the Unspeakable

Is the unspeakable slowly growing in your mouth?
(Rainier Maria Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus)

Sometimes, I find myself chewing the unspeakable, like the 3rd piece of gum finally losing its flavor, I catch myself still relentlessly masticating blandness. It is no surprise that we long to speak our truth and fill our mouths with bursts of flavor. We all know the pre-conditions though, and there are various shades and tastes of grey to speaking our truth or the unspeakable depending on what can rightfully be spoken, or how it is said, or the timing, or the audience, or the culture or  the philosophy...at the core of these, we must find our way to ingest or let go of the unspeakable. Remember sweet Satya, the 2nd yama.

In Yoga Mala, Guruji writes that Satya is truthfulness and the "truth must always be pleasant to others, as unpleasant truth should not be uttered..."

Swami Satchidananda adhere's to absolute honesty. In his notes on the Yoga Sutras of Patanajali, he says  "with the establishment of honesty, the state of fearlessness comes in." However, he also says that "if by being honest we will cause trouble, difficulty or harm to anyone, we should keep quiet." The unspeakable remains but we can choose to let it go. Throw it away or swallow.

My modern-day teachers do not always adhere to the requirement of pleasant-ness, nor silence, but rather to speak the unspeakable but with awareness of intention (think ahimsa first), consciousness and mindfulness, not in a fit of rage. The unspeakable must be consumed and digested, no matter what flavor, or when shared, it is given with care and not spat out in tasteless blobs of hatred.

Nischala Joy Devi, in her book, The Secret Power of Yoga, advises us to pause ("Take a moment to breathe deeply") and distinguish our opinions from real truth. She quotes two chunks of wisdom as we deal with our unspeakables, should we want to dish them out...

Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? - Sufi Saying
"If in doubt whether to observe Ahimsa or Satya, always go with Ahimsa" - Swami Vivekananda

There are ways and we must find our way to turn that which is unspeakable into smooth, flowing truffle honeyed truth, for ourselves and for those who care to hear what we have to say.

* * *
Oh and since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is showing, here's a bit of trivia on the Unspeakable (from Wikipedia) --
An Unspeakable is a wizard or witch who works in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries. Little is known about their workplace, and even less is known about their jobs. Employees of the Department of Mysteries are forbidden from discussing their jobs or disclosing any information about their department, hence the name "Unspeakable."

My favorite little yogini

 She suddenly went to my little yoga nook and started practicing without a mat! :)

Blue Moon and the Water Tank

Lotus and Poinsettia

The breeze brings the season to me. And the decor too. My yoga nook is not exempted... From my lotus grew a Poinsettia. 'Tis the season indeed.

Om Sweet Om

Right before I leave my class, when the students have gone and after putting away blocks and mats and sprays, I always take a final glance at the Shala we call home.

Living our Balance

Blessed cycle days (and a few hours from this holiday) bring me time for svadhyaya. I am reading Yoga For A World Out Of Balance by Michael Stone. I found one copy in Bibliarch yesterday as we went to have the printer repaired. These rare book finds, to me, are like sign posts, and when open to the messages, a whole new road opens.

This book looks at how we can appreciate more deeply and truly apply yama in our current context. The tone is scholarly but heartfelt, practical and engaging. It reads like a good lecture and I look forward to sharing this with friends who are with me on this path.

"Whenever I begin working with students who want to establish a well-rounded practice, we always begin with the first limb of practice, the yamas, as a means of setting a foundation for what spiritual practice means and how it ripens in contemporary life. This approach helps dismantle our lofty associations with the term "spiritual" so that practice begins grounded in the material. When we begin with the five yamas, our yoga practice grows roots in the intricate and infinite web of living relationships and thus presses the yoga practitioner not to turen away from the world but to tune in to and be tuned by the life of relational existence. How we relate to ourselves, other humans, plants, animals, architecture, city planning, the growing of food, and the daily tasks in the household is part and parcel of the path of yoga practice."

"The yamas help us understand and refine our behaviour. As we watch our own ecology - how it connects, disconnects, inhales and exhales, falls apart, rights itself - we come to see a life that exists in a much wider field than the purely personal."

"Yoga is the reality of leaving nothing out...We are united with all things at all times. It is because I recognize my part in the interconnectedness of reality that I begin to see that I have to take action."

Some Notes to Self...

...as I reflect (and recover).

From The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga (follow the author on twitter @Deepak Chopra)

A yogi knows that his mind and body are in the ever-changing world but his essence - his soul -
resides in a dimension beyond change.

As a yogi, you are an environmentalist because you recognize that the rivers flowing through the valleys and those flowing through your veins are intimately related...

Yogis pay attention to the food they consume...Certain foods are said to be particularly conducive to a yogic lifestyle...The four most sattvic foods revered by yogis are almonds, honey, milk, and ghee.

A yogi...spontaneously expresses generosity in every thought, word, and action. 

Yoga philosophy begins with the spirit. Getting in touch with your spirit is the true goal of yoga. One way to connect with your soul is by consciously asking yourself questions that go to the heart of the human experience. They are: Who am I? What do I want? How can I serve? Whether or not you are aware of it, these questions are directing your choices in life.

Become aware of the stories you tell about yourself and your world. Participate consciously in the writing of the next chapter of your life. Yoga encourages you to expand your sense of self to embrace the collective domain of your soul.