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7. Satya: Living in Alignment with Truth · Lately with Lexi

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SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Through the Veil,
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where we explore the weekly theme that I'm teaching in my yoga
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classes and
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SPEAKER_00: workshops.
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SPEAKER_00: This week's theme is Satya, the second yama in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.
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SPEAKER_00: We'll be exploring how cultivating truthfulness,
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SPEAKER_00: not just in what we say,
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SPEAKER_00: but also in how we think and how we act and
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can create alignment between both our inner world and our
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external reality,
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SPEAKER_00: ultimately leading us towards more authentic living,
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SPEAKER_00: peace,
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SPEAKER_00: contentment,
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SPEAKER_00: and joy,
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SPEAKER_00: all those good things that we all want.
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SPEAKER_00: more of in our lives.
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So last week we explored the first Yama Ahimsa,
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the practice of nonviolence.
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SPEAKER_00: And I'll link that episode in the show notes if you missed it,
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because that really sets the foundation for what we're going to
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dive into today and
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SPEAKER_00: this week.
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SPEAKER_00: And there's also a reason that ahimsa comes first,
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SPEAKER_00: because truthfulness without compassion can be weaponized.
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That's why satya,
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this second yama,
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always has to be grounded in non-harm.
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Satya translates to truth,
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but in yogic tradition,
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it's so much more than just not lying.
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It's about aligning thought,
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words,
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actions with what is true,
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what is right.
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SPEAKER_00: and also what is beneficial to the greater collective.
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A lot of times with truth,
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what is our truth might not be true for somebody else.
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And so we want to be mindful of the ego and where the ego wants
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to come in and maybe interject.
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SPEAKER_00: It's like
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Is it always for the greater collective when we speak our truth
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versus allow other
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SPEAKER_00: people to have maybe a different truth of their own?
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SPEAKER_00: So we're going to get into all of that.
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But essentially what we're going to focus on is how Satya is
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all about living with
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so much integrity that there's no gap between who you are in
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private and who you
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SPEAKER_00: are out in the world.
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This requires honest introspection and self-reflection because
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too often there's an
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SPEAKER_00: incongruence between,
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SPEAKER_00: you can think about the Wizard of Oz and the man behind the curtain.
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Social media has definitely exacerbated this as well and this
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is why discernment is
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so crucial and integrity is what we're going to really leverage
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as our guiding
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SPEAKER_00: compass because
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SPEAKER_00: So in the yoga sutras,
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SPEAKER_00: Patanjali teaches us that when one is firmly established in satya,
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SPEAKER_00: in truth,
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our actions and the result of our actions begin to flow so much
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more harmoniously.
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SPEAKER_00: You will experience less resistance,
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SPEAKER_00: less inner conflict,
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SPEAKER_00: fewer contradictions between what you say and what you do,
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SPEAKER_00: and therefore what you experience throughout your life.
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SPEAKER_00: So here's what makes satya challenging.
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SPEAKER_00: It requires us to be honest, not just with others, but with ourselves.
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SPEAKER_00: Satya asks us to acknowledge what are our real motivations?
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SPEAKER_00: What are maybe our shadows and our fears?
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And what are those stories that we tell ourselves that might
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not be serving us?
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SPEAKER_00: Because if we're living a lie...
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SPEAKER_00: to ourselves,
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SPEAKER_00: that dishonesty,
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it's always going to show up outwardly at some point in our
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relationships,
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SPEAKER_00: in our work,
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SPEAKER_00: in our sense of purpose.
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SPEAKER_00: I'll give you an example of this.
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SPEAKER_00: For years,
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I stayed silent in companies that I supported and I helped
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build where I saw a lack
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SPEAKER_00: of integrity and
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SPEAKER_00: Places that were prioritizing sales over genuine customer satisfaction,
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SPEAKER_00: customer experience,
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SPEAKER_00: and product quality.
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And I told myself,
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well,
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I was being diplomatic and it wasn't my place to speak up.
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SPEAKER_00: But the truth,
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SPEAKER_00: the satya of it all,
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SPEAKER_00: was that I was choosing comfort over truth and over honesty.
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SPEAKER_00: And that compromise eroded something in me.
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It created almost like this dissonance between my values and my
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actions because
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integrity is such a strong value that I hold that when I'm not
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acting in an
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SPEAKER_00: integral way,
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SPEAKER_00: I'm
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SPEAKER_00: I started to shrink.
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SPEAKER_00: And what happened from there was that my confidence plummeted.
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And honestly,
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I barely recognized myself because my self-esteem was
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practically non-existent.
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SPEAKER_00: So this experience is an opportunity for satya,
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for truth to come in and to create a shift in how we feel and
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also what we
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SPEAKER_00: experience externally.
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SPEAKER_00: So
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Satya is an opportunity to notice these places where we're out
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of alignment and to
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SPEAKER_00: gently,
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SPEAKER_00: compassionately bring ourselves back into truth.
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SPEAKER_00: I promise you, once you do that, it is so, so, so, so freeing.
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SPEAKER_00: There's this beautiful paradox of satya.
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Truth is liberating,
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but it also requires,
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I would say,
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a lot of courage and
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Because living truthfully means sometimes letting go of the
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masks that we wear or
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SPEAKER_00: the protective armor that we put on.
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And we also have to let go a lot of times stories that we've
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been telling ourselves
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SPEAKER_00: sometimes for years and decades.
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So the version of ourselves that we've constructed to please
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others or protect
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SPEAKER_00: ourselves,
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SPEAKER_00: that doesn't always serve the greater truth and the greater collective.
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SPEAKER_00: So on a deeper level,
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SPEAKER_00: satya is ultimately guiding us towards what is real,
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SPEAKER_00: not just what is it that we want to believe,
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but satya helps us to clear illusions and dissolve egoic
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narratives and to see
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SPEAKER_00: ourselves and the world so much more clearly.
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This is why satya is foundational for trust,
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trust within ourselves and trust within others.
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SPEAKER_00: And when we practice satya living and speaking not just our truth,
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SPEAKER_00: but the truth,
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SPEAKER_00: we're essentially saying,
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SPEAKER_00: I will no longer live in contradiction.
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SPEAKER_00: I will no longer live from shadow or from fear.
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I will acknowledge those things,
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but I'm going to move forward with courage and
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SPEAKER_00: I will align my life,
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SPEAKER_00: my inner life,
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with my outer reality and the outer experience that I desire
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and that is innately
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SPEAKER_00: for me,
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SPEAKER_00: which is abundant,
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SPEAKER_00: whole,
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SPEAKER_00: peaceful,
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SPEAKER_00: and beautiful.
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Satya also teaches us that we can speak what we know to be true
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and act in
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SPEAKER_00: accordance with our deeper values.
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SPEAKER_00: But,
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SPEAKER_00: and this is crucial,
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SPEAKER_00: just because something is true,
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SPEAKER_00: it doesn't always mean it's beneficial to say in every moment.
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SPEAKER_00: So context matters, love matters, timing matters.
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SPEAKER_00: This is where satya and ahimsa have to do this sort of dance together.
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SPEAKER_00: So truth spoken without compassion,
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it can cause harm and compassion without truth can also enable
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dysfunction.
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SPEAKER_00: So we just really want to be mindful of that.
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SPEAKER_00: So the practice is all about finding a balance,
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SPEAKER_00: finding a balance between speaking truth with kindness,
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SPEAKER_00: honoring what's real while also honoring what's healing and
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SPEAKER_00: So this week, I want to invite you to reflect on a couple questions.
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SPEAKER_00: So these prompts, you can write them down, you can meditate on them.
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But as you head into this week and you're meditating on this
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concept of satya and
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SPEAKER_00: truth,
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SPEAKER_00: ask yourself,
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SPEAKER_00: where in your life,
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SPEAKER_00: where in my life am I compromising truth?
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's in a relationship where you're not expressing what you feel.
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's in your work.
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SPEAKER_00: Wherever you're not living in alignment with your values,
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SPEAKER_00: that can give you some insight into where you're compromising truth.
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's with yourself.
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Maybe there's stories that you're telling yourself that aren't
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actually helping you to grow.
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SPEAKER_00: This is a silly example, but I'll share it anyway.
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SPEAKER_00: Since I was a little girl, I always said, I'm just so bad at languages.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm so bad at learning languages.
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SPEAKER_00: I hate being embarrassed.
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I never want to practice speaking another language in front of
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anybody anymore.
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SPEAKER_00: And I have held that story now into my 30s.
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SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't until last year,
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SPEAKER_00: I spent several months in France,
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SPEAKER_00: where I decided that that story,
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SPEAKER_00: that narrative,
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SPEAKER_00: it's not serving me.
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It's not serving some of these greater goals that I have that
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feel really,
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really authentic to how I want to continue moving and growing
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throughout life,
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SPEAKER_00: especially leading retreats.
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SPEAKER_00: in different countries and in France in particular,
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like I want to feel really confident with my French when I'm
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taking a group of
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SPEAKER_00: people to France,
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SPEAKER_00: right?
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So that's like a silly small example just to show you that
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satya and truth,
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it can sometimes be tricky and that's something to just witness
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in yourself.
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SPEAKER_00: Like what are those stories that
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What are those non-truths that maybe you're telling yourself
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that's keeping you
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small or keeping you from a greater authentic life experience
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that you deeply
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SPEAKER_00: desire?
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SPEAKER_00: So start to contemplate around that this week and ask yourself,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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SPEAKER_00: what would it look like to choose truth instead,
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SPEAKER_00: to choose a new story?
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SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that's uncomfortable.
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SPEAKER_00: But
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play around with that this week okay satya like all of these
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yamas that we're
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exploring in the yoga sutras these are a practice it's not
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something that like we
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do once we've achieved it we're living in truth no the reality
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is we're human fully
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SPEAKER_00: human fully divine and we fall out of alignment and
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SPEAKER_00: right?
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SPEAKER_00: Like that's life.
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And the opportunity is to recognize when that happens so that
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we can then realign again.
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SPEAKER_00: So it's a constant returning.
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So I want to share a couple practical ways that you can
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integrate satya and that
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SPEAKER_00: greater truth into your life this week.
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SPEAKER_00: So there's just four simple practices.
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SPEAKER_00: So the first is to create a truth check habit.
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SPEAKER_00: And
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SPEAKER_00: So before speaking or acting,
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SPEAKER_00: especially in emotionally charged moments,
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SPEAKER_00: pause and ask yourself these questions.
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SPEAKER_00: Is this true?
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SPEAKER_00: Is my motive aligned with benevolence?
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SPEAKER_00: And will this contribute positively?
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right I don't know about you but I there's certain topics that
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I can get so fired
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up about and I feel so like right about and that doesn't always
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serve me to express
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myself in that way and it doesn't always serve the other person
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right and that's an
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opportunity to pause and say like is this truth serving the
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greater good and
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And in what way can I maybe express this truth that doesn't
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cause like harm or
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SPEAKER_00: disconnect or making the other person feel bad or right or wrong?
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SPEAKER_00: You know, so that again goes back to last week's theme of Ahimsa, right?
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SPEAKER_00: So this is a simple practice.
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SPEAKER_00: It will transform your communication.
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SPEAKER_00: It will help you to avoid reactive,
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SPEAKER_00: judgmental,
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SPEAKER_00: harmful speech while also honoring what is real,
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SPEAKER_00: what is true,
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what are your boundaries that you need to put in place when it
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comes to your
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SPEAKER_00: speech.
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So the second is practicing satya on your yoga mat or if you
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are someone who goes to the gym.
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SPEAKER_00: So in yoga in particular,
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any like physical practice that you do for your body and your
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physical health,
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SPEAKER_00: we want to recognize like what are our real limits?
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SPEAKER_00: What we call it in yoga on our mat, like finding our edge and
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SPEAKER_00: And so not pushing past a point of discomfort to where,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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SPEAKER_00: maybe we're pleasing our ego because we're,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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holding a handstand longer than we've ever held before or we're
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moving into an
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SPEAKER_00: inversion or an arm balance.
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just for the sake of doing it or looking cool or feeling strong
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when maybe our
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breath and our eyes are wandering so we're not even fully
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present in the body as
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SPEAKER_00: we're moving,
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SPEAKER_00: right?
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SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of the edge in our yoga practice.
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So in those moments,
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can you honor the truth of where your body actually is today?
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SPEAKER_00: Okay.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm someone who comes from a heck of a lot of injuries.
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SPEAKER_00: That's what actually led me to yoga, gosh, 20 years ago.
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SPEAKER_00: And so I want you to just honor your body and wherever you are.
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SPEAKER_00: I mean, especially as a woman, every week.
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SPEAKER_00: We experience our bodies very, very differently.
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SPEAKER_00: And so just honoring that,
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honoring that sometimes you're going to be in child pose a hell
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of a lot more or
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you're not going to be able to bench press as much as you
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normally could or squat
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SPEAKER_00: as much,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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SPEAKER_00: whatever it is.
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SPEAKER_00: So just respecting what's real rather than like what we wish were true.
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SPEAKER_00: And tomorrow's a new day, right?
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SPEAKER_00: This is also kind of about finding joy in the journey.
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SPEAKER_00: Because the truth is,
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SPEAKER_00: the satya of it all is,
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SPEAKER_00: is that our yoga,
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SPEAKER_00: any care we do for our physical body,
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SPEAKER_00: it's a lifelong journey.
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SPEAKER_00: It doesn't ever end, right?
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SPEAKER_00: We're going to continue going to the gym,
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SPEAKER_00: continue walking,
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SPEAKER_00: getting our steps in,
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SPEAKER_00: continue practicing our yoga poses on the mat.
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SPEAKER_00: And there's really no final destination.
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so off the mat the satya of this is being honest in our
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relationships so not maybe
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hiding resentment not pretending everything's fine when it's
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not speaking your
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truth with love and this is a practice and sometimes we need to
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say hey this is
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something i want to be more conscious of can you please you
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know give me space to
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SPEAKER_00: process this thing right as an example so
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SPEAKER_00: The third thing is around aligning your values with your actions.
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SPEAKER_00: Super important.
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SPEAKER_00: So living truthfully means keeping thoughts,
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SPEAKER_00: words,
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SPEAKER_00: all of those things aligned with the things that you say you value.
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SPEAKER_00: It's one thing to have values that we aspire towards,
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SPEAKER_00: but it's another to really embody the values,
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SPEAKER_00: meaning we live by them in our actions.
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SPEAKER_00: We want to really look at what are the things we say that we value?
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SPEAKER_00: And being honest with ourselves, are we living from that space?
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SPEAKER_00: You know, if not, why not?
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SPEAKER_00: If so, how can I live into that value even more?
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SPEAKER_00: So if you claim a value,
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SPEAKER_00: like I believe in kindness,
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SPEAKER_00: but you treat people poorly or,
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SPEAKER_00: you know,
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you roll your eyes at a server or you cut people off when
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you're speaking to them,
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SPEAKER_00: like that's a breakdown in satya,
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SPEAKER_00: right?
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SPEAKER_00: right?
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SPEAKER_00: So this week, choose one core value of yours.
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SPEAKER_00: So for me, it may be integrity, discernment.
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SPEAKER_00: Those are like two that I always come back to time and time again.
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Look at that one or two core value and reflect,
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are your actions reflective of that value?
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SPEAKER_00: Where is there a gap?
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SPEAKER_00: What would it look like to close that gap even slightly?
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SPEAKER_00: And
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And then the fourth and final practice this week is more so
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around self-reflection.
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SPEAKER_00: So set time this week.
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SPEAKER_00: You can write these down or meditate on these prompts,
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but I want you to look at what are some of the stories that
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maybe you're telling
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SPEAKER_00: yourself that aren't helping you.
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's – and so often they're unconscious.
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Sometimes it's good to like ask a partner or a close friend or
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family member and
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SPEAKER_00: say,
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SPEAKER_00: hey,
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SPEAKER_00: what is something like you hear me say all the time that I'm just – I'm
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SPEAKER_00: perpetuating by speaking it,
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even though it might not be true or it's not what I want to be
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my experience of.
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SPEAKER_00: So let me think.
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SPEAKER_00: An example –
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you know um when I'm dealing with certain health things that
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are coming up and you
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know there's times where like I will notice first thing in the
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morning I'll say I'm
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so tired I'm so tired and I love when my partner can catch me
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in that because you
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know words especially our words are spells and like that's a
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spell that I don't
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want to be casting I don't want to be waking up every morning
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and saying that
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So what are those stories that you say that you might not even
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be conscious or aware of?
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SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's around relationships, money, dating.
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SPEAKER_00: I hear that a lot.
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SPEAKER_00: People will say like, gosh, there's no good men in New York City.
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SPEAKER_00: There's no good men in Nashville.
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SPEAKER_00: There's no blah, blah, blah.
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SPEAKER_00: I got to go to somewhere different planet.
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What are those things that you're saying,
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those stories that aren't serving you?
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SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
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And then also where are you living maybe inauthentically or
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just out of alignment
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SPEAKER_00: with your values?
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SPEAKER_00: For me, a lot of times this has been around my work, right?
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SPEAKER_00: That I'm like,
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SPEAKER_00: oof,
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so often it's like work relationships and experiences where
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there's a huge
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disconnect around my values and the job at hand or the people
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I'm working with.
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SPEAKER_00: And what a blessing, what a gift that
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to practice satya and course correct and cultivate that
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alignment so powerful so
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what truth is trying to emerge that maybe you've been avoiding
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sometimes it's like
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getting real with our money situation right so just remember
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even small truths like
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they build up and we also don't want to judge them we want to
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be kind to ourselves
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if we're starting to create new stories even small lies like
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those can erode trust
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SPEAKER_00: and integrity
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SPEAKER_00: So over time, the cumulative effect, it matters.
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SPEAKER_00: So every moment you choose truth,
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SPEAKER_00: even when it's uncomfortable,
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you are strengthening new neurological pathways in your brain
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and creating a much
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SPEAKER_00: richer inner foundation of abundance,
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SPEAKER_00: peace,
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SPEAKER_00: and love.
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SPEAKER_00: And there's an ancient saying,
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SPEAKER_00: this teaching that says that when someone is truly,
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SPEAKER_00: truly,
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SPEAKER_00: truly rooted in truth,
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SPEAKER_00: Their words become seeds whose fruit naturally follows.
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So when you live in satya,
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your words and actions carry a different quality.
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SPEAKER_00: They become vehicles of light rather than shadow or fear.
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SPEAKER_00: They create trust.
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SPEAKER_00: They invite authenticity and they allow for genuine deep connection.
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SPEAKER_00: So just remember,
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SPEAKER_00: living truthfully,
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SPEAKER_00: it tends to guide us towards our dharma,
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SPEAKER_00: which is essentially just righteous living.
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SPEAKER_00: And when we stop pretending,
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SPEAKER_00: we stop performing,
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SPEAKER_00: we let the masks down,
19:41
SPEAKER_00: we come out from behind the curtain and stop pretending we're a wizard,
19:45
SPEAKER_00: like when we can just get real with people,
19:48
SPEAKER_00: we stop hiding behind social media and our highlight reel,
19:52
SPEAKER_00: and we step into who we
19:54
we truly are the truth of who we are and live from that place
19:59
of wholeness,
20:00
SPEAKER_00: like that will ripple out into our work,
20:04
SPEAKER_00: our relationships,
20:06
SPEAKER_00: our life.
20:07
SPEAKER_00: And that's what the yogic practice of satya is really all about.
20:13
It's about dissolving the illusion that keeps us small and
20:18
keeps us from stepping
20:19
SPEAKER_00: into the fullness of our authentic whole selves.
20:23
SPEAKER_00: So
20:24
SPEAKER_00: That's what I have for you this week.
20:26
I really love just this concept and this teaching around satya
20:31
and living more
20:32
SPEAKER_00: rooted in truth that is of service,
20:35
SPEAKER_00: not just to ourselves and our higher selves,
20:37
SPEAKER_00: but to the greater collective.
20:39
SPEAKER_00: That's what it's all about.
20:41
SPEAKER_00: So thank you so much for listening to Through the Veil.
20:44
Make sure you subscribe on Substack if you want to go even
20:47
deeper to be the first
20:48
SPEAKER_00: to know about my next workshop and retreat.
20:51
SPEAKER_00: Next week,
20:51
SPEAKER_00: I'll be sharing the next in-person workshop that I will be doing,
20:55
SPEAKER_00: which I'm super excited about.
20:57
And then all the links to work with me are also in the show
21:00
notes linked below.
21:02
SPEAKER_00: So check those out.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: You can book a free consult with me or a healing session.
21:09
SPEAKER_00: I would love to work with you.
21:11
SPEAKER_00: And I just hope you have a beautiful week living in truth and integrity.
21:17
SPEAKER_00: Om Shanti.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: Namaste.