Clarity thru Spiritual Study, with Self Compassion

The fourth Niyama is SVADHYAYA: Self-study, and the study of sacred texts enables us to know our true identity as Divine, and begin to understand the layers of our being. This process of knowing ourselves within the context of our spiritual nature creates a pathway to freedom. SVADHYAYA invites us not to shut the unpleasant parts of ourselves away, but to carry them with kindness and compassion. We are to witness and watch ourselves act and respond. It is this ability to watch that begins to bring healing in our lives, as we recognize the Divine within us.

There is a joke in my family . . . when you have a small gift to give, we package it over and over in slightly larger boxes. So it looks like a big gift at the start, and eventually as the receiver unwraps, they realize its deeply buried treasure. This is SVADHYAYA! Unpeeling the layers of your conditioned responses, patiently looking for the truth within.

“When faced with any disharmony, our tendency is to blame what is outside of us, and then justify what we’re thinking or feeling. If we are courageous enough to trace that disharmony back to ourselves, we can begin to unpack our boxes and open up to fast amounts of freedom that brings us closer to our true essence.” Deborah Adele

Our last Niyama teaches us to surrender to flow and the feeling of expansion: Ishvara Pranidhana!