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14. Svadhyaya: The Art of Self-Study · Lately with Lexi

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  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Through the Veil.
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  SPEAKER_00: This week,
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  we're continuing the journey through Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
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  and the Eight Limbs of
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  SPEAKER_00: Yoga.
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  SPEAKER_00: Today, we're diving into the fourth Niyama, which is Swadhyaya.
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  This is the practice of self-study and the freedom that comes
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  from truly knowing yourself.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is one of my favorite topics of all time.
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  So Swadhyaya invites us to turn all of our awareness inward and
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  ask the most
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  SPEAKER_00: essential question of our spiritual journey.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that question is, who am I?
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  SPEAKER_00: Who am I?
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  SPEAKER_00: Swadhyaya comes from two Sanskrit words,
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  SPEAKER_00: swa meaning self or one's own and adhyaya meaning study or lesson.
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  SPEAKER_00: So Swadhyaya means
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  SPEAKER_00: translates as self-study, self-inquiry, or self-reflection.
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  SPEAKER_00: And in the Yoga Sutras,
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  SPEAKER_00: Patanjali teaches us that through self-study,
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  SPEAKER_00: one establishes a connection with the divine.
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  SPEAKER_00: This isn't just about intellectual study.
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  It's the practice of turning your awareness inward to discover
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  your true nature,
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  SPEAKER_00: that divine essence that exists beyond your ego,
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  SPEAKER_00: beyond your thoughts,
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  SPEAKER_00: beyond any identities that you might have.
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  You know,
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  if you know me,
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  you probably know that I am a perpetual lifelong student.
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  SPEAKER_00: I always have been.
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  SPEAKER_00: I probably always will be.
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  And my path of self-study,
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  it's taken many,
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  many,
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  many forms over the years.
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  You know,
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  I'm a student of Paramahansa Yogananda and the Self-Realization
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  Fellowship.
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  studying the ancient Kriya yoga teachings that lead us to
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  direct experience of God.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm a certified holistic health coach,
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  SPEAKER_00: constantly learning about the body,
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  SPEAKER_00: detoxification,
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  SPEAKER_00: nutrition,
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  SPEAKER_00: and healing.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm also a Magdalene priestess and energy healer,
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  SPEAKER_00: studying the sacred feminine,
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  SPEAKER_00: different forms of energy work and spiritual awakening.
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  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah,
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  and after living abroad in France and Italy last year with the
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  intention of moving
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  SPEAKER_00: to France full-time,
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  SPEAKER_00: I have become a French student,
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  SPEAKER_00: dedicating myself to daily language learning,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is no small feat,
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  SPEAKER_00: right?
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  So all of these I wanted to share are different forms of
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  Swadhaya,
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  right?
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  SPEAKER_00: They're all pathways to knowing myself more deeply,
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  SPEAKER_00: my body,
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  SPEAKER_00: my mind,
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  SPEAKER_00: my energy,
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  SPEAKER_00: my soul,
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  SPEAKER_00: also my capacity for growth.
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  SPEAKER_00: But here's what I've discovered through all of this study.
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  SPEAKER_00: The most important self-inquiry, it's not found in books.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's not found in courses or certifications.
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  The most profound self-study comes from asking the very simple
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  question,
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  who am I?
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  And allowing all of the ego constructs to subside so that I can
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  be more present and
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  SPEAKER_00: tuned in to that innate divinity that I believe resides within all of us.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because underneath all of the roles that we play,
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  SPEAKER_00: you know,
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  SPEAKER_00: for me,
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm a teacher,
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  SPEAKER_00: healer,
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  SPEAKER_00: student,
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  SPEAKER_00: consultant,
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  SPEAKER_00: friend,
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  SPEAKER_00: daughter,
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  SPEAKER_00: you know,
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  SPEAKER_00: underneath all of those roles and identities,
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  SPEAKER_00: there's something deeper.
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  There's something unchanging for all of us,
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  something innately beautiful and divine.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that is ultimately what Swadhaya invites us to discover.
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  Self-study teaches us that there are two dimensions when it
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  comes to studying.
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  SPEAKER_00: So the first is the study of sacred text,
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  SPEAKER_00: scriptures,
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  SPEAKER_00: teachings,
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  SPEAKER_00: you know,
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  SPEAKER_00: wisdom that can help illuminate our spiritual path.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then the second are more essential things.
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  SPEAKER_00: forms of self-inquiry.
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  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
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  SPEAKER_00: So the practice of observing yourself,
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  questioning your beliefs and discovering who you are beyond the
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  conditions of the
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  SPEAKER_00: mind.
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  SPEAKER_00: So when you think of Swarhaya,
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  SPEAKER_00: think of these two different dimensions of self-study,
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  SPEAKER_00: the study of sacred texts,
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  SPEAKER_00: and then the practice of self-inquiry.
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  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know,
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  SPEAKER_00: for centuries,
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  SPEAKER_00: yogis have studied texts like the Bhagavad Gita,
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  SPEAKER_00: the Upanishads,
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  SPEAKER_00: the Yoga Sutras,
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  SPEAKER_00: not just to accumulate knowledge,
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  SPEAKER_00: but to awaken truth within themselves.
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  SPEAKER_00: These teachings act as mirrors reflecting back our own divine nature.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know,
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  SPEAKER_00: Yogananda taught that we must be students of truth,
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  SPEAKER_00: seeking not just information,
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  SPEAKER_00: but transformation.
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  And when we study these sacred teachings,
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  you know,
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  we're not just learning concepts.
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  Even this podcast that you're listening to,
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  it's not just about the concepts.
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  It's about putting them into practice and allowing these
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  practices to remind us and
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  to help us remember what we already know at the deepest core of
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  our being.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is why I'm devoted to the self-realization fellowship teachings,
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  SPEAKER_00: to the wisdom of the Magdalene lineage,
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  SPEAKER_00: to understanding the body as a sacred temple through holistic health.
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  Each of these different paths offers me a different lens
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  through which I see the same truth.
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  SPEAKER_00: I am not separate from the divine.
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  SPEAKER_00: I am an expression of it.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the same goes for you.
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  SPEAKER_00: So the biggest takeaway here is that beyond reading books,
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  SPEAKER_00: beyond taking courses,
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  SPEAKER_00: beyond studying with different teachers,
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  there comes a point and it's very crucial where we must turn
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  inward and study
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  SPEAKER_00: ourself.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is the practice of self-observation,
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  SPEAKER_00: watching our thoughts without identifying with them,
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  SPEAKER_00: noticing our own patterns without judgment,
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  SPEAKER_00: questioning our beliefs even,
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  SPEAKER_00: asking,
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  SPEAKER_00: is this true?
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  SPEAKER_00: Who would I be without this story?
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  SPEAKER_00: So where can we start with all of this?
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  SPEAKER_00: This question of who am I?
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  SPEAKER_00: It's probably one of the most powerful tools for self-inquiry.
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  It's the question that dissolves the ego because every time you
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  try to answer it,
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  SPEAKER_00: well,
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  SPEAKER_00: you might say,
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  SPEAKER_00: well,
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm a teacher.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm a healer.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm a mom.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm successful.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm struggling.
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  Every time you're identifying with these things,
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  you realize that,
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  you know what?
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm not actually...
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  SPEAKER_00: these things.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm not just a teacher.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm not just a healer.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm not just successful.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm not just struggling.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is just a role, an identity that I'm taking on.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a temporary construct of the mind that I've chosen to focus on.
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  SPEAKER_00: So ask yourself again, who am I beyond these roles?
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  SPEAKER_00: What's underneath it?
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  SPEAKER_00: Keep asking yourself,
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  keep peeling back layer after layer until you can reach the
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  truth that cannot be
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  SPEAKER_00: named,
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  SPEAKER_00: only experienced that pure awareness,
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  SPEAKER_00: that divine presence that we all have,
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  SPEAKER_00: that unchanging consciousness.
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  It is something accessible for you to witness and experience
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  right now,
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  exactly as you are.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know, this is what a great sage, uh, Romana Maharshi taught.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know,
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  SPEAKER_00: he said that this question,
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  SPEAKER_00: who am I is the ax that cuts through the root of the ego tree.
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  SPEAKER_00: Um,
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  And when you sincerely inquire into your true nature,
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  the false identifications fall away.
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  SPEAKER_00: And what remains is your essential self.
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  SPEAKER_00: So from a yogic perspective,
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  SPEAKER_00: you know,
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  SPEAKER_00: we're all playing a cosmic game of forgetting and remembering.
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  SPEAKER_00: We forget our divine nature and
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  SPEAKER_00: We identify with the body and with the mind and we suffer.
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  And through the practice of self-study,
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  of Swarhaya,
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  we remember,
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  oh,
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  I was never separate.
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  SPEAKER_00: I was always whole.
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  SPEAKER_00: I am whole.
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  SPEAKER_00: I am divine.
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  SPEAKER_00: Swarhaya is the practice of honest self-reflection.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's asking, who am I believing right now
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  SPEAKER_00: What am I believing right now that maybe is causing me to suffer?
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  SPEAKER_00: What story am I telling myself and who would I be without it?
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  SPEAKER_00: So this week, spend some time, reflect on these things.
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  SPEAKER_00: Who am I beyond my roles, my achievements, my identities, my suffering?
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  What am I currently believing about myself that might not be
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  true or supporting me?
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  Where am I identifying with the ego instead of resting in the
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  truth of who I am that is divine?
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  What would it feel like to know myself as divine,
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  not just intellectually,
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  but experientially?
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  SPEAKER_00: Take time,
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  SPEAKER_00: sit with these questions,
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  SPEAKER_00: allow them to work through you and let them dissolve any constructs.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then let me know where you end up with.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as always,
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  I want to share a couple of practical tools to integrate this
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  practice even deeper.
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  SPEAKER_00: So there's three.
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  SPEAKER_00: The first one is to study sacred texts or teachings,
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  SPEAKER_00: you know,
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  SPEAKER_00: choose one spiritual text,
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  SPEAKER_00: maybe a book or
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  SPEAKER_00: that speaks to your soul.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know,
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  SPEAKER_00: it could be the Bhavagad Gita,
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  SPEAKER_00: the yoga sutras,
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  SPEAKER_00: the Bible,
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  SPEAKER_00: poetry by Rumi,
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  SPEAKER_00: autobiography of a yogi,
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  Mary Magdalene revealed a course in miracles or other teachings
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  from a spiritual
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  SPEAKER_00: teacher that you resonate with,
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  SPEAKER_00: you know,
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  SPEAKER_00: commit to reading or studying a small portion each day this week.
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  SPEAKER_00: Don't just read for the information, but read slowly.
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  SPEAKER_00: Reflect on what you're reading and how it applies to your life right now.
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  SPEAKER_00: The second is the practice of self-inquiry with the who am I meditation.
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  SPEAKER_00: Set a timer, 10, 15 minutes every day this week.
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  Sit quietly,
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  close your eyes and just repeat yourself over and over again.
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  SPEAKER_00: Who am I?
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  SPEAKER_00: Who am I?
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  SPEAKER_00: And then notice what answers arise and then go deeper.
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  SPEAKER_00: Who am I beyond that?
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  SPEAKER_00: Keep asking, keep peeling back the layers.
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  This is essential and it's such a beautiful practice of
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  self-inquiry and it's how
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  SPEAKER_00: we come to know ourselves as divines.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then lastly, three, keep a self-study journal.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is one of my favorite things.
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  So maybe every evening this week,
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  spend five to 10 minutes just reflecting on your day.
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  SPEAKER_00: Write about what patterns did you notice in your thoughts or behaviors?
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  SPEAKER_00: What triggered you?
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  SPEAKER_00: What brought you joy?
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  SPEAKER_00: Where were you operating from ego?
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  SPEAKER_00: Uh, what am I learning about myself right now?
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  SPEAKER_00: This is another form of self-study.
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  SPEAKER_00: And this practice is honest observation without judgment.
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  SPEAKER_00: It is spot high in action.
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  SPEAKER_00: You know, you're not trying to fix or change yourself.
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  You're simply witnessing and studying yourself with curiosity
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  and compassion.
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  and remember you know patanjali taught that through self-study
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  we establish a
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  connection with the divine the more deeply you know yourself
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  the more clearly you
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  recognize your own innate divinity and it's from that
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  recognition that everything
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  SPEAKER_00: starts to change everything starts to evolve and soften around us
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  SPEAKER_00: So there's something profoundly liberating about knowing yourself,
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  SPEAKER_00: not the surface level knowing like your preferences,
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  SPEAKER_00: your personality,
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  SPEAKER_00: your story,
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  SPEAKER_00: but the deeper knowing underneath that,
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  SPEAKER_00: the recognition that you are not your thoughts.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are not your emotions.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are not your roles.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are not your identities.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are not your past.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are not your future.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are the awareness of
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  SPEAKER_00: witnessing it all.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are the divine presence experiencing this human life.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are already whole.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are already complete.
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  SPEAKER_00: You are already free.
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  SPEAKER_00: So as you move through this week, practice self-study.
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  SPEAKER_00: Study wisdom that awakens and inspires truth within you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Ask the question, who am I?
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  Let it dissolve those false identifications and observe
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  yourself with compassion and curiosity.
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  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
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  SPEAKER_00: And notice what happens when you stop believing every thought,
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  SPEAKER_00: every story,
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  SPEAKER_00: every limiting belief about who you are.
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  And then notice the spaciousness that emerges when you're no
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  longer defending or
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  SPEAKER_00: protecting a constructed identity.
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  SPEAKER_00: Remember the answer to who am I?
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  SPEAKER_00: It cannot be found in words or concepts.
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  SPEAKER_00: It can only be experienced.
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  It can only be experienced in the silence beyond the mind,
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  beyond the presence of the ego.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's in the divinity that has always,
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  SPEAKER_00: always,
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  SPEAKER_00: always been right there at the seat of your soul,
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  SPEAKER_00: at that deepest part of your heart.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's just waiting to be recognized and remembered.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is ultimately the gift of Swarhaya.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is the sacred practice of coming home to yourself.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is how we remember what we've always been,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is whole,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is beautiful,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is enough,
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  SPEAKER_00: and that which is divine.
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  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for listening to Through the Veil.
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  SPEAKER_00: Next week,
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  SPEAKER_00: we will explore the fifth and final Yama,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is the practice of surrendering to the divine.
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  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you're subscribed on podcast.
• 14:12
  If you subscribe to the podcast on Substack,
• 14:16
  there we go,
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  Lex,
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  words are hard.
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  SPEAKER_00: And also don't forget, winter solstice is December 21st.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'll be leading an in-person workshop in Sarasota, Florida.
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  SPEAKER_00: I would love to have you if you can make it, if you're in the area.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to book an energy healing session or a consult,
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: all of the links to work with me are in the show notes below.
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  SPEAKER_00: Have a beautiful week devoted to the art of self-study.
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  SPEAKER_00: Nerd out.
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  SPEAKER_00: Enjoy.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: Let me know how it goes.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: Leave any comments over on Substack, and I will talk to you soon.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: Om, peace, amen.