satya - truthfulness
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the second yama of the Yoga Sutras, satya, or truthfulness. Yamas are ethical principles meant to guide how we relate to the world, as written by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. They’re not rules to follow out of duty, but invitations into deeper alignment with self, others, and the world around us.
Satya asks us to live in alignment with our deepest truths. It’s more than just “not lying”, but being honest in thought, word, and action. It’s about noticing where we’re out of sync with our values or intuition, and gently bringing ourselves back to center.
Truthfulness isn’t always easy. It’s often incredibly uncomfortable. It may ask us to disappoint others, to let go of an identity we’ve clung to, or to speak up in situations where we’ve learned to stay quiet. But it also offers us something invaluable: authenticity. Integrity. A life that’s truly ours.
The Bhagavad Gita offers this wisdom:
“It is better to do one’s own dharma, even though imperfectly,
than to do another’s dharma, even though perfectly.
By doing one’s innate duties, a person does not incur sin.”
The word dharma refers to our unique purpose or path in life, the work, responsibilities, and way of being that align with our inner truth. This teaching reminds us that it’s more honest, and ultimately more freeing, to follow our own calling, even if we stumble, than to live according to someone else’s expectations or definitions of success. Practicing satya means daring to walk our own path, to honor our truth even when it doesn't match the mold, and to trust that authenticity is more valuable than perfection. Living your truth will not always look like what’s expected of you. Satya isn’t about perfection, it’s about honesty. Honoring your path, even when it’s messy or misunderstood, is an act of deep spiritual alignment.
This connects so beautifully to the first of The Four Agreements: Be Impeccable With Your Word. The invitation here is to use our words in truth and love, not only in how we speak to others, but in how we speak to ourselves. Are we telling ourselves the truth, or are we caught in old stories? Are we speaking words of fear and shame, or words rooted in love and clarity?
When we are truthful with ourselves, we naturally begin to speak and act with greater clarity. When we are impeccable with our word, we affirm and reinforce the truth of who we are. These teachings don’t live in separate boxes—they intertwine. They ask us to return, again and again, to our inner knowing.
This week, I’m asking myself:
Where am I not being fully honest with myself or with others?
What truth am I afraid to speak?
In what ways am I living someone else’s dharma, rather than my own?
Practicing satya often feels like shedding armor, and sometimes leaves you feeling vulnerable and exposed. But it also feels like freedom. Like finally breathing deeply after holding your breath for too long. So here’s to satya, truth spoken in love, truth lived with courage, truth that lights the way home.
