Redefining the Yamas & Niyamas: Satya

As we continue to reframe our study of the Yamas and Niyamas, we can remember that we first committed to the study of ourselves in svadhyaya, followed up by doing so from the perspective of ahimsa: love or non-violence. As with any study, we want to conduct it with satya or what is commonly translated as truthfulness. And the truth is, there is soooo much lost in translation.

Sat translates as: true essence or nature. Some more definitions include: that which has no distortion; that which is beyond distinction of time, space, and person; that which is pure; and, that which is unchangeable. To be honest or truthful sounds transparent, yet there is an assumption being made after taking into account the translations of sat. It is being assumed that we have a previous knowing that we have, “a true nature or essence.” It implies we already have an understanding and acceptance that we have a quality about us of which is unchanging. For me personally, growing up in the west, this was not the case. From the beginning until early adulthood I believed I was: whatever followed all of my, “I am,” statements. “I am Andrea, female, black sheep daughter, teacher, fuck up, artist, sinner, outcast, weekend warrior.” Whatever my parents, my teachers, my friends, my religion and myself had labeled me, is who I was. The idea that there was a pure core of me, a spark or a light beam that was being housed in my physical body and could not be altered or changed regardless of what I did, and said, was not known to me. What is not known, becomes buried and so my spark grew dimmer and dimmer with every shitty choice I made. There was no recovery from those choices. How could there be? Those shitty choices all piled up as to who I believed Andrea was: a pile of shit. We must first acknowledge and then accept that spark within ourselves. If you can’t see it within you, look at a baby, that baby was and is you.

Once we are aware of our true nature, we can start to become aware of where we are not being honest with ourselves and others, where we are straying from our light within. This is when we say yes and actually mean no, when we pretend to know things we don’t, when we blatantly make shit up, when we exaggerate, when we omit important details, when we blame or manipulate, or when we break vows and promises. This is very important work to do, yet, satya requires us to dive deeper into these untruths and ask ourselves why. Why are we being dishonest and do we believe our dishonesty as truth? The why is the portal to that which is pure and unchanging, that which is beyond the distinction of time, space, and person. Those impurities are pouring out of us, from our own distortion of who we think we are vs. who we really are, which is where the truth is located.

Today and everyday here forth let us define ourselves as divine. As the divine, it is our mission to undress all of the distortions and lies that come out of our confusion and make us feel otherwise. Repeat after me: “I am a divine Being.” When we anchor ourselves to the sat within, we no longer depend upon the outside world to tell us who we are or how not enough we are, instead, we power ourselves from the source of creation of which lies within each one of us. Say goodbye to mass manipulation. We can only be manipulated by outside forces, when we are untethered from our inner divinity. To divine ourselves is to redefine our definition of who we really are at the core of our being.

So much love to you dear reader,

Thank you for being here and considering my perspective. I believe this is the most important work we could ever do. If you don’t realize yourself as truly good and worthy, how can you realize a life that is of service to this goodness? How can you align your thoughts, words, and choices with goodness? I don’t care what your past has told you, today is the day, and you are the only one who can decide who you really are. You are your presence. Choose to make it divine.

I love you,

Andrea Dawn