There is no Truth without Acceptance and no Acceptance without Truth
How do truth and acceptance apply to one's life and practice of yoga?
When being a teenager and confronted with thousands of questions about life and on existence, I decided that one of my aims in life is to find truth. In everywhere, everything and everyone. I did not know how it would happen and certainly did not know that it was going to be a long journey. For many years, I have been looking for my road and it seems that now I am beginning to find some shiny path in the dark forest of life.…
What is Truth? What is Acceptance? How do these two relate to one another? One of the Yamas (attitudes towards others) in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is Satya: Truth. Truthfulness in communication and actions (Sutra II-36). One of the Nyamas (attitudes towards ourselves) is Santosha: contentment with what we have or do (Sutra II-42). In other words, acceptance. The two cannot exist without each other. For when one sees the Truth, one naturally accepts it and one cannot whole-heartedly accept but the Truth. Looking for the Truth, this correlation between the two should not be left without consideration. Why?
« Things outside neither bind nor liberate you; only your attitudes toward them does that » comments on sutra I-2 Sri Swami Satchidananda (p. 5) By constant practice, intention and observation one can witness that the entire world is based on one's thoughts and attitudes. In fact, « the entire world is your own projection » (p.5). Sitting in meditation, calming the mind we see that our thoughts change like the clouds on the sky, so do our attitudes. Therefore, they cannot serve as the base for truth. Truth cannot have the shape of an ever-changing cloud. The moment we stop projecting our own believes and desires (thoughts are desires too) on the world, we see 'what is'*. That happens only when the mind is quiet, not busy with the « modifications of the mind stuff » (Sutra I-2, see Notes). Seeing 'what is' is accepting Truth. For 'what is' truth. (?) Acceptance.
Looking at Truth from a more practical point of view, let us discuss judgement and expectations. Personally, I find these are the biggest obstacles in the way of finding truth. Probably it is also relevant to your life. When we judge, we project our believes and expectations on the object of the judgement. When we stop judging, it does not matter anymore how things or persons are, they are as they are. That is the 'what is'. The Truth. When you see that, you accept it. In fact, you are only able to see Truth when you are ready to accept it. When you are not attached to your expectations.
Seeing our own psychological truth, it is to see who we are exactly (the ego). Being aware of our own characteristics, our strengths and weaknesses. However, acceptance can only happen when judgement disappears. When there is no more categorisation like 'weakness' and 'strength' but only 'what is'.
What helps the acceptance in general is to connect to your « true Self« as Sri Swami Satchidananda calls it (Sutra I-3; p.6); which separate it from the ego. « Then the Seer {Self} abides in his own nature » (Sutra I-3, p.6). The Seer or True Self within you can see only the absolute Truth around and within. It is the Seer who accepts. That is to say when your mind is free from « thought forms » (Sutra I-2), it becomes like a 'still lake' and then your True Self comes to the surface of that lake to see 'what is' and accept the Truth. The True Self therefore is above our ego and psychological truth.
Santosha, contentment, or acceptance has connotations of non-attachment. « By contentment, supreme joy is gained » says Sutra II-42, and Satchidananda's explanation on this Sutra sheds light on it, which brings us further in our understanding: « If something comes, we let it come. If not it does not matter. » That means we are content with the truth, the 'what is' and simultaneously we practice non-attachment. That is to say, we have no expectations on Truth, we are free of judgements and are content of what we see and have.
I hope, without any expectations, that I have managed to share some of my understandings on the subject. That Truth, Acceptance, and Non-attachment are related, and cannot exist without each other. To further clarify this, I now will discuss how the above mentioned relates to our yoga practice.
Vairagya, which is non-attachment, has several levels in our life and practice of yoga. Here, I will discuss the « ordinary vairagya » according to Satchidananda: « the detachment of the mind from its personal desires and enjoyment » (p.28, Sutra I-16). This non-attachment is also the non-judgemental attitude that leads to truth and acceptance. When we practice vairagya in our daily life, we are free of expectations of the outside world and of ourselves. During asana practice, non-attachment applies to our attitude towards our practice. That is to say, we have no expectations of our body, we are grateful to it, and embracing the present moment, we accept whatever it gives us right then. In other words, we are content with what we have; we accept the truth. « When the shape of the asana expresses the shape of the self, without forcing, deception, or distortion, then you have learned truth (satya) in asana » (Iyengar, p. 256).
In our asana practice, we have to take into consideration the function of the chakras, the energy centres in the body. The seven chakras seen by the Indians arranged vertically from the base of the spine to the top of the head, in the centre energy channel of the body. These chakras can become blocked by tensions or negative emotions. If there is a blockage, or malfunction in the chakras, life energy, 'prana' (or air in other words) cannot travel freely in the centre energy channel. Then we have to face up with different health or emotional problems. According to truth and acceptance, we may consider particularly the function of three chakras. These are: Svadishtana, Anahata and Visuddha chakras. The healthy function of these may help us finding truth and allow our body and mind to accept it.
The place of Svadishtana (the second in the line) chakra is at the pelvis and it is associated with the hips, sacrum, lower back, genitals, kidneys (Herring, p. 4). It is the chakra of « relaxation and openness », « the feminine energy of wisdom and acceptance » (p.4) according to Herring. Wisdom and acceptance, openness, the ability of tasting life all play a role to the healthy function of this chakra. To have a healthy Svadishtana chakra, one should practice hip and groin openers (Gomukhasana, for example) suggests Herring. Forward bends are poses of 'surrender', for us here, therefore, surrender to truth. Poses like Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, Baddha Konasana, and Upavistha Konasana open the Svadishtana chakra (Herring, p.5). These are all hip openers and forward bends.
Anahata, the Heart Chakra is in the middle of the seven chakras. It connects the lower three chakras to the upper three. It connects the physical to the spiritual. This is already a reason for paying special attention to it. Moreover, we associate this place in our body with the feeling of love and compassion towards others and ourselves, with peace and harmony. When there is true love, there is no judgement, no attachment, and it leads to acceptance. For the healthy function of Anahata Chakra, we can practice backbends, shoulder openers, such as Gomukhasana or Garudasana (Herring, p.6).
Lastly, but most importantly, we have our fifth chakra, Visuddha Chakra. Located in the neck, throat and mouth, this chakra is associated with Truth: saying and acting truth, recognising our inner truth. Functioning well, therefore, Anahata Chakra and Visuddha Chakra are first and foremost relevant to our Truth and Acceptance. Even the placement of these two shows that one cannot function well without the other: Anahata (for Acceptance) and Vishuddha (for Truth) are next to each other - one is (physically) above the other - signifying that 'prana', energy connects one to the other. Asanas for the throat chakra are: neck stretches and shoulder openers, Ustrasana, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana (Herring, p.7)
Prana, as mentioned above, provides the chakras (therefore body and mind) with energy. Pranayama (control of breath) allow prana to enter and leave the body in a certain way. Satya (Truth) and Santosha (Acceptance) are related to each other by breath. The phase of breath related to Satya and Santosha is inhalation. (Course notes.) It is as if we 'inhaled or accepted truth'. Once we develop inhalation, we purify our body; we are able to realise our Truth, or dharma (our true path in life) and contently follow it. (Course Notes). In other words, the Seer who dwells within ourselves, comes to the surface of the 'still lake' of the mind (which is now purified) to see 'what is'. To see and accept our deepest inner Truth, the reason for we are here.
Notes:
Sutras mentioned in the text:
Sutra I:2: « The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga »
'What is' is my own interpretation of Truth.
Sutra II:36: « To one established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient »
Sutra II:42: « By contentment supreme joy is gained »
Sutra I:16: « When there is non-thirst for even the gunas (constituents of Nature) due to realization of the Purusha (true Self), that is supreme non-attachement »
Bibliography:
Iyengar, B.KS., Light On Life; Rodale Inc, 2005
Kaplan Herring, Barbara, Asanas for the Chakra System; Yoga Journal: www.yogajournal.com
Relationship of Yama, Niyama and Breath; Centre de Yoga du Marais Teacher Training Notes.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali; Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda; Integral Yoga Publications, 1978
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