Svādhyāya is the practice of self-study. The sutras detail this as studying spiritual texts for Self understanding. This is another practice that is dear to my heart and like all of the rest, never ceases for as long as we are alive. As the Bible states in Genesis,
“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”
– Genesis 4:7 KJV
Yoga is the practice of living out scripture until you fully embody your highest self/highest energy/Christ/God/Spirit/etc. In this verse we see why the practice is so incredibly important. If you do not want your desires to rule you, then you must keep watch and stay vigilant. You must stand guard over your impulses, your mind, and your desires. There are many desires that come along that will only trip you up if you aren’t careful. When we stay focused on watching our mind and can see the “sin” (misguided desires) creeping in, we can ready ourselves to stand firm so that we aren’t derailed.
Have you ever gone to a beach with really strong waves? As long as you are paying attention, you can jump when the waves come so that you aren’t knocked over or taken under. The moment you take your eyes off them, it never fails that one comes crashing over you and sweeps you under. We must watch the waves of our emotions and thoughts the same way we keep watch in the ocean. These energetic waves have extreme power and can ensnare you when you aren’t prepared.
Have you ever had a friend who was in a really bad relationship? As you stand there and you watch them going back over and over again after the horrible things they’ve told you about their partner, you wonder, how do you not see what I can see so clearly? The answer to this is, your friend was not engaged in the practice of svādhyāya and therefore continued to unconsciously perpetuate the same pattern that was causing their misery. When we can watch ourselves as though we were a loving friend, we have the power to consciously course correct when we find our current position is no longer serving our needs.
With the practice of svādhyāya, we grow to understand what our needs are in any given moment. When we know what our needs are, we are better able to communicate them and are more likely to have them met. The bible also states,
“Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”
– James 4:2
The people around us are not mind readers as much as we would like the to be. If you do not understand what it is you want, you will rarely get it. This is where the practices of journaling and meditation are helpful… at least they have been in my own practice. Sometimes when I’m so frustrated and feeling as though I’m starting to wander into the woods to get lost again, I come back to the questions, “What do I want?” “Why do I want it?” The answers aren’t always readily apparent, but when we can sit without judgment and be present with ourselves, sooner or later the answers reveal themselves. Sometimes the words I write in my own personal journal are really outrageous… full of rage, illogical, and downright scary, but I give them an outlet on the page because I would rather have them there instead of festering inside of me. As I see my thoughts on paper, I often laugh at how much drama my mind is creating around a situation and how irrational it becomes when it is emotional.
I remember praying at desperate moments in my life, “God, please just give me some damn directions. I have no idea who I am or what I’m supposed to be doing here.” Of course, in those moments I wasn’t engaging in self-study and the prayer was said in exasperation and frustration. I wasn’t really expecting an answer. However, even though I wasn’t expecting, I asked and I can see now I received. As I’ve been led to the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, other spiritual texts, and the practice of yoga, I’ve found that the answers are clear, but the practice takes self-discipline, awareness, and perseverance. We can know the principles that we wish to follow, however it isn’t about following rules, but fully embodying them. That part takes time, dedication, trial and error, and lots of forgiveness.
I almost feel as though this should be the very first principle because we have to be able to see where we are in order to understand where we need to go. If I am so lost in the woods that I have no sense of my own starting point, handing me a map isn’t very helpful. Once I have a sense of where I am, then I am able to figure out where to go when this resource is handed to me. This is the reason why mall directories, zoos, and amusement parks always have the “you are here” flagged within the map at the location they provide it to you. It wasn’t until I could step away from myself to see myself and how far away I’d drifted from who I wanted to be that I began to search for the map. It was at that point that I’d returned to church, began delving into spiritual texts like it was my job, sought a qualified guide to help me do some unpacking, and engaged in yoga. Had I not first done some self-study to realize I was way off course, I wouldn’t have sought the map, and wouldn’t be where I am now.
The scriptures are the map… in case you haven’t caught that by now. 😊 I like to consider them trail markers on the path to a better life. They are evaluation points that allow me to assess whether I am still on the trail or whether I’ve veered off like my fiancé and I did on our latest hiking adventure. The sooner you realize you’ve gone off trail, the easier it is to course correct, which is why having a deep knowledge of the spiritual laws is important and you only get that by remaining immersed in them.
As I continue to engage in the practice of svādhyāya, I’m discovering that it continues to lead me by helping me to discover what I am not… As I peel back the layers of conditioning, I begin to see that I am simply a reflection of the world that I am surrounded by in many ways. When I let go of that conditioning, it frees me to see just a bit clearer, exude more choice, and consciously decide what it is I become knowing even that is ultimately just more conditioning, but conditioning that I have chosen for myself and that makes all the difference.
Have you begun to engage in svādhyāya? I’d love to work together to uncover the story of you. It always helps to have a guide on trails you have not yet traversed. Please contact me if you are interested in personal coaching or yoga sessions.