Svadhyaya

….. inquiry into my own nature, the nature of my beliefs, and the nature of the world’s spiritual journey.

Within yoga, self-reflection is called svadhyaya: “study” (adhyaya) of the “self” (sva). As one of the eight limbs of Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga described in the Yoga Sutra, this practice of self-study refers to both the understanding of the Self through the study of sacred texts as well as the skill of self-observation that leads to yoga or unification. In yoga practice, svadhyaya helps you observe moment-to-moment changes in your body-mind. How are you feeling in your body? Is your mind present? What subject matter draws your mind away? Applying svadhyaya to the yoga postures is one way of connecting to the truth within yourself. * *Yoga Journal Daily Insight 12/10/2009