By Danielle Sheather
Of all the Niyamas, Svadhyaya has
left a lasting impression on me. One
particular image is ingrained in my mind when I think of self-study: the notion
of a journey. I daydream about an expedition or a grand voyage.
Svadhyaya is a spiritual study,
a tour of one’s deepest thoughts, ideas, and fundamental nature. It is the
study to know oneself in an effort to understand why we are the way we are and
catch a glimpse of our Divine Self. It
is independent of the thoughts and ideas to the world around us, when one can
study the self with a mind free from the disturbances of outside forces. Spiritual
study then can help unlock our understanding of who we are as well as our relationship
to the outside world.
As Iyengar describes in Light on Life, “You will not reach knowledge
of the Divine Self without passing through Self-knowledge. Your practice is
your laboratory, and your methods must become ever more penetrating and sophisticated.
Whether you are in asana or doing pranayama, the awareness of the body extends
outwards, but the senses of perception, mind and intelligence should be drawn
inward.”
Patanjali describes Svadhyaya as
“study that concerns the true Self, not merely analyzing the emotions and mind
as psychologists and psychiatrists do. Anything that will elevate your mind and
remind you of your true Self should be studied: The Bhagavad Gita, Bible,
Koran, these Yoga Sutras, or any uplifting scripture. Study does not mean just
passing over the pages. It means trying to understand every word - studying with
the heart.”
A vital part of Svadhyaya is the
fact that we are not alone in our journey to the Self. Others have gone before
us and succeeded! There is no doubt that history and literature show us that Svadhyaya
occurs from generation to generation: From Jesus to Buddha, Siddhartha to
Arjuna, all of these figures embarked on a journey. While some were
geographical, all were metaphysical and in an effort to truly study the self.
Iyengar also said “spiritual
realization is the aim that exists in each one of us to seek our divine core.
That core, though never absent from anyone, remains latent within us. It is not
an outward quest for a Holy Grail that lies beyond, but an inward journey to
allow the inner core to reveal itself.” Here, Iyengar describes Svadhyaya as
being a journey to the self, a journey inward so as to truly find our divine
core.
Thus the study of scripture
becomes vastly important to Svadhyaya. The aforementioned scriptures and
characters have paved the way to their Divine Self. Patanjali reminds us that “we don’t exhaust
the Bible even after reading it hundreds of times. Each time we read it we see
it in a new light. This is the greatness of the Holy Scriptures… Each time we
read these works we elevate ourselves to see a little more.”
In BKS Iyengar’s, Light on Life, we are taught that “to
know one self is to know one’s body, mind and soul.” There is no better way to
understand the Self than by first taking a glimpse at those who have passed
before us and studying with our hearts, then delving deep into our thoughts,
ideas, and emotions without judgment or fear; but with an open mind and an open
heart.
In that vein, part of my
attraction to this particular Niyama came about from my father’s inspiration. At 40 years old, with two children approaching
university years, a mortgage and a wife, he chose to open his own business. It
was through self-study that he realized he was tired of doing things other
people’s way. Now, 19 years later, he is peacefully removed when he speaks of
his spiritual study, as though it was merely a necessary step in becoming the
man he always envisioned himself to be. His spiritual study throughout that
time in his life and the many prior years, led him to take a gigantic leap off
of a cliff, a leap in which he did not know if there was water or land below.
He simply leapt and fell into an abundant pool. While he admits that Svadhyaya
was arduous, he cannot imagine it being any other way. He studied every day in
order to manifest what he wanted in his life.
So why is it that so many people
(myself included) are afraid of going inward to discover what is on the inside?
Funny enough, the answer to that question lies in going deeper into self-study
and allowing discoveries to occur independent of whether it is good or bad.
For example, last summer I took
a Chakra workshop in which I was asked to dive deep into the self to discover how
I dealt with milestones from my early childhood to present day. Many emotions,
from anger to elation, frustration, and guilt came to the surface. But how was
it possible that all of these emotions lay dormant in me? It was as if they
were camping in my back yard and I had no idea they were even there! Perhaps then
I would have no control when any one of these emotions would come out. I was furious.
This was my first real attempt
at Svadhyaya and because of it, my inner core is no longer latent and has begun
to reveal itself to me. With the help of
further spiritual study I feel that the universe and its predecessors have been
supporting me in opening up in further Svadhyaya. It is true what Sri Dharma
Mittra says: “Be receptive and all is coming.” Especially in Svadhyaya!
_________________________________________________
Danielle Lydia Sheather first found yoga through dance, and
thanks her primary dance teachers and several others for introducing her to
yoga without ever really knowing what they were doing. She has been to every
continent dancing on cruise ships and on tours. Danielle has since been in NYC
for 3 years, the longest she's been anywhere since high school. A
self-proclaimed nomad, she loves to travel but decided to lay down some roots
for a while. Danielle graduated from Sonic Yoga’s 200-hour teacher training in
2009 and from the DYLOAY 500 Hour program in 2012. She has taught in Bed Stuy
at St John's Bread of Life, Yoga on the Rooftop, Sonic Yoga, The Giving Tree
Yoga Studio, New York Yoga and the Dharma Yoga Center. She is also the ballet
mistress and choreographs for Dance Dimensions in New Milford New Jersey and
continues to perform here in NYC. She believes that it is a teacher’s
responsibility to continue to practice in order to grow, understand, and honor
their commitment to enlightenment thus being a student of life! PS: She is also
fluent in French Canadian.
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