"Truth Is My Nature, Truth Is My Truth:" The Significance of Satya in Recovery
“Satya. Truthfulness. It resides in you, always, there may be barriers and obstacles in the way for you to hear your truth as we hide behind our masques and play our many roles in life. Our yoga opens the door to listen within, so the truth of you can come forth.”
—Mysan Sidbo
The yoga philosophy of satya, or truthfulness, is the second of the five yamas that guides us to think, speak, and act with integrity. The word sat means “that which exists, that which is.” Satya, therefore, is seeing and communicating things as they actually are, which is not always as we wish them to be.
When we are battling an eating disorder, we often push away what we "hear" inside or tell ourselves we will save making the next best choice another time. For example, denying our emotions, hunger cues, and other physical sensations are forms of restriction, or denying our truth.
In the book, Yoga and Eating Disorders, Maria Sorbara Mora, Founder and Executive Director of Integrated Eating Dietetics-Nutrition PLLC, writes, "Practicing satya we work to be aware of false perceptions and choose not to believe we are our old stories. Satya brings people back to their truth and allows deeper connection to themselves and others.”
Yoga for Eating Disorders Community Facebook Group member Julie Klug Wickham shares about how she practices satya in her eating disorder recovery. For Julie, living satya means:
“Being truthful in my recovery means being honest with myself in everything. For example, telling on myself when I use a behavior and speaking it out loud to someone, or when I have an eating disordered thought, sharing it with someone I trust. It means being authentic in every aspect of my life-work, family, friends, and with other people in recovery. It means not hiding or people pleasing. It means just being me, and uncovering who I really am in this life without judgement.”
Reflect on Satya in your Recovery
In the spirit of practicing satya, if you were to get super honest with yourself today, what do you "hear inside," what do you know to be true about what you need to help you make the next best choice for your healing and recovery?
I invite you to reflect:
What does being truthful in your recovery mean to you?
Where and how can I show up more authentically in my life?
Are my relationships in alignment with who I truly am?
What masks am I wearing to make me feel loved, secure, or significant?
How has being truthful with yourself and others helped you heal?
A Yoga Practice and Meditation for Practicing Truthfulness
I invite you to join me for a 20-minute yoga practice, where we will explore how to check in with our bodies and begin listening to the truthful messages it is sending us. Giving ourselves permission to listen is the first important step in learning how to honor the messages it sends us.
Consider ending the practice with a guided meditation on satya.
I’d love to hear how you focus on truthfulness in your recovery. Please feel free to share in the comments. And if you are looking for support on your recovery journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out.