Swadhyaya
“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside, awakens.”
Swadhyaya is the fourth Niyama and means self study. Sutra 2.44 states that by the study of spiritual texts comes communion with ones own deity. In our modern age these spiritual texts come in new forms and not only the traditional religious texts of those times. A deity could also be interpreted as a way of life rather than a god.
Taking the journey inwards through self study is unique to every person. There is no one way for all. The way you choose is also constantly in flux. Some will turn to religious or sacred scriptures, some to psychology, some philosophy. With the internet now there are so many resources available to us that can inspire self study. Pod casts and You Tube channels give us access to some of the great spiritual teachers of our days. As inspiring as all these great texts and speakers are at some point we have to learn to discern which way resonates with us. The only way to do this is to learn to listen to ourselves. We can start to hear our inner voice by integrating our mind, heart and body. Most of us have forgotten how to listen to this inner voice as the ego tends to be a lot louder. We may have drifted away from our true Self due to our upbringing and the way we interacted with our external environment and all of societies expectations of us. We may become aware at some point in our lives of a feeling of lack or emptiness or disconnect. This can trigger a search for meaning. A sign that we are on a journey of self discovery or self study is when we begin to ask ourselves questions like ‘Why do I react the way I do?’, ‘What is my purpose?’, ‘Who am I?’
In my own experience journaling has been one of the most helpful ways that I have been able to find my voice. I began to recognise ego on the page but in amongst all the ego were snippets of the true me. Journaling can also help us process our day to day struggles and is a creative way to apply other perspectives on our automatic responses to life events. I also read poetry and books by poets and authors who I have found help guide me on a journey of self discovery. Most influential in my life have been Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Daniel Siegel, Dr. Shefali, Pamela Seeling, Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, Eckhart Tolle, Brené Brown, Sarah Blondin, Thich Naht Hahn, Carl Jung, John O’Donohue, Viktor Frankl. The wonderful thing is that most of these people now have You Tube channels, Instagram pages and podcasts. So if you don’t like to read you can get snippets of information to inspire change. I have pages and pages of quotes that I like to read over which inspire me and keep me on track when I doubt myself or my journey. My current work in self discovery is sitting in silence. I have always meditated with a guide like headspace or insight timer which are great ways to start a meditation practice.
“Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?”
Resources and References
Threads of Yoga by Pamela Seelig, 2021
https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/philosophy/the-niyamas-svadhyaya-or-self-study
Applying the Yamas & Niyamas to Everyday Life. Julie Ela Grace. 10 Day Course on Insight Timer.
