The second of the yamas is Satya, which is non-lying. When we are dedicated to truth, our thoughts and words manifest effortlessly. The ego doesn't need to make up stories up because truth is casual and authentic. Truth is whole-hearted. Not lying and being honest is an obvious standard to live by, but lets dive inward to see how it shows up.

Truth is a compass which leads to joy. Once we know truth, we must live it. Denial of truth leads to imbalances in our hearts. Denial can be simply ignoring something that keeps coming up, or brushing it off to the side. This is a form of lying to oneself. I did this to myself when I had an eating disorder many years ago. I was in denial because I didn't want to change my ways out of fear, because if I would admit it then I would have a responsibility to do something about it. But truth can lead to change more powerful than one can imagine.

Sometimes truth can be painful or inconvenient, like you know in your being that you are in the wrong job or town or relationship but its just easier than owning up. Maybe you tell yourself the same old stories about who you are and your sense of identity. I did this for years by believing that I wasn't smart enough. Insert whatever word there... smart enough, fit enough, rich enough, loveable enough... are these stories even true? We do this because its comfortable to stay in a place that's familiar. I convinced myself that by thinking unworthy thoughts, somehow that was me being humble and un-egotistical, but really its the most egotistical thing to believe in a story that doesn't serve the greater purpose of your soul's experience.

Truth always fits. We feel truth in our being. Sometimes it is clouded by confusion of mental activities. So to access truth, we need to return to the simplicity of reality as it shows up in the present, without our constructs negating how things ought to be.

Listening closely to the body's sensations communicates to us what is true, and present, sensing our innate intuition. A part of my ego's story was that I thought that I never had any intuition, because I was comparing my intuition to other's whose seemed stronger than mine, so I discredited my own senses. Truth is personal and it takes courage to be creative and free and living from a place where you can release your grip on how to control life's circumstances, but keep control of how you respond to those circumstances.

Standing in truth is an honest and vulnerable place that arises from love. This to me is non-lying.

Reflect:

Do your words, thoughts, and actions speak truth?

What is one lie you tell to yourself?

What is one personal truth you have that reminds you of who you are?