Fear and Panic versus Satya

 In the movie League of Their Own when one of the girls on the baseball team is crying, Tom Hanks character says "There's no crying in baseball!" These soothing words of course only make the girl cry harder. THis is one of my all time favorite movie quotes. I usually say it to my children when they are crying but of course they have no idea what I'm talking about. To borrow from the movie I would like to say "there is no fear and panic in Satya!!!"

Continuing on from our lesson yesterday Satya (truthfulness) is one of the Yamas (moral restraints) of yoga.

Yamas: Moral Restraints
 1) Ahimsa- non-violence
2) Satya- truthfulness
3) Asteya-non-stealing
4) Brahmacarya- moderation
5) Aparigraha- non-hoarding

As you can see, these are just some good guidelines to follow. I wish I could say I follow all of them to the letter, but I'm human. I eat chicken so I'm breaking Ahimsa. Right now I can't seem to stop shopping at my favorite consignment store so I'm blowing Brahmacarya and Aparigraha all in one step. I haven't stolen anything that I can think of so hopefully I'm good for Asteya.

I would like to focus on Satya (truthfulness) for just a minute. I strive to live a life that is open and honest. I'm very open about my own struggles and issues. One of my biggest obstacles is fear and panic. Genetically, I know it is something that both my grandmother and my mother also struggled with. I've been listening to Pema Chodron's book on CD called Unconditional Confidence which is basically a wonderful lesson on changing your behavior patterns. When trouble arises, instead of turning to your same old coping mechanisms, stop take a breath and ask yourself "How is this energy serving me right now?" If you are dealing with another person in the midst of the fear, anger, panic you can also stop, take a breath and yourself "how can I be helpful?" When you shift your thinking just a smidge it opens up new space in your heart and mind for new choices. I challenge you today to live in Satya and to make a new choice when old thoughts and patterns threaten to take over. Until next time my friends, love and lollipops.