2/19/26 Live Session Recording (Module 4)

I appreciated watching the live recording this week. As I am reflecting on Satya, I am considering how my own truth has changed throughout my life and how there have also been barriers to truth (I have not always felt grounded enough to really witness truth). As a therapist, I am constantly trying to help clients recognize their satya. It is so cool to hear someone begin to recognize their truth. I am reflecting on how often there can be an urge to "inform" someone of a truth, but many times over, that individual's spirit already knows. What allows someone to shift into their satya is ahimsa. When someone feels safe, they can drop their defenses and enter into a space where the truth may be hard, challenging, ugly etc. 

As a facilitator, I would like to utilize ahimsa and satya to create safe spaces for people to exist and show up for each other. I think when we ground/center and get curious internally, we have space to actually access our satya. 

There was a lot that resonated with this class for me, again much appreciation for the open sharing from other classmates about how hard it has been for them to show up and the resistance they have with this program. It makes me feel much less crazy and have more patience and compassion with myself about my own resistance. In a similar vein, I really liked what someone shared about "curiosity" as a half step to compassion. I think that is so astute. In my work when I introduce the concept of self compassion and given examples of how they might talk to themselves they think I am insane, and I admit it can be very clunky, and feel disingenuous if we're always used to verbally berating ourselves. I think curiosity as entry point is much more palatable to the nervous system.

Finally, as it pertains to the discussion of Satya, I want to thank the ladies in the breakout room for willing to have their conversation shared. Many points really resonated with me in the discussion of trauma.  One of my core wounds is not having mine validated or taken seriously by people meant to protect me. Despite knowing that it is real and valid, and tons of trauma therapy I still experience a lot of defensiveness and even anger around defending my own truth.

Thank you for the recording! ❤️ 

During the pause and notice moments, I became aware of how much subtle activity is usually happening beneath the surface, small muscular holding in my jaw and shoulders, a slight shallowness in my breath, and a tendency for my thoughts to move ahead of my body. When I intentionally slowed down, I noticed that these patterns began to soften. My breath deepened naturally, and there was a sense of settling, the nervous system shifted from a subtle state of vigilance into something more regulated and grounded.

Slowing down created space to observe without immediately reacting or trying to fix anything. In that space, I felt more clarity, not necessarily because my thoughts stopped, but because I wasn’t as entangled in them. There was a fuller sense of being present in my body, rather than operating primarily from the mind.

Relating this to satya (truthfulness), I experienced how truth can feel embodied rather than conceptual. When I paused long enough to truly notice, I could sense what was genuinely present, fatigue, ease, resistance, calmm without layering judgment on top. That felt like a kind of fullness: allowing the reality of the moment to be enough. Instead of performing or striving for what I thought “should” be happening, I could meet what was actually there.

In that way, slowing down supported satya by revealing the truth of my internal state. It reminded me that truth in practice isn’t about achieving a particular experience, but about honestly witnessing what is arising.

I missed the last half of this week's session:
I really appreciated the discussion between Liana, Helen, and Jen around adapting yoga for tacycardia/POTS and the broader reflections on making yoga accessible, particularly what Liana pointed out, that sometimes asking students at the beginning of class "oh does anyone have a problem/need" might not always be the optimal way to be inclusive. In education we talk about "UDL", the "universal design for learning", I think architects have a similar concept. From my understanding the idea is that a curriculum , classroom, building etc. should be designed around the idea of broad inclusion and the lowest barriers to entry for a range of needs, it should have multiple choices for expression, and it should be designed in such a way that when unanticipated needs arise the programme is flexible and adaptable enough at its core to easily accomodate and address said needs. Another important feature of UDL is that there are lots of options and choices. Using a chair to make yoga more accessible to people with tacycardia was a good example of this, as the "Model Programme" we have been introduced to heavily features chair yoga in any case. I think I remember Jen saying in a previous session that she always starts in a chair:  this is an excellent way to not only demonstrate the use of a chair but it also raises the status of the chair, instead of being a second best option that someone "has" to use because of a difference in ability or strength it is the form that the teacher herself is using. I also noticed that the entire movement session that was demonstrated later on in this session could be done in a chair (including mountain pose) in a straightforward way without a student feeling like they were missing something essential by doing a modified version.

What a great class! I had to watch it in bits and pieces this week as I've been super busy with life, but so much of it resonated deeply. I've always been a people pleaser, putting other's comfort and interest in front of my own, and sometimes that meant denying my own truth. In recovery I've had to learn how to set healthy boundaries and to be an advocate for myself, and to not compromise my own values and wellbeing for the sake of someone else's. Easier said than done, but I'm a work in progress. I've denied my truth for most of my life, toning myself down to be palatable for other people. But that is exhausting, and I've lost myself over the years because of that.

The past couple of years has been like a rescue mission for me in finding myself again and nursing my authentic self back to life. It's not been easy and it's been scary, to be honest. I've had a lot of voices over the years tell me that I'm not okay as I am; I'm too bubbly, have too much energy, I'm too passionate, too open...but these are things that make up who I truly am and the "light" that I've been dimming for most of my life. I'm not being honest to myself or anybody else if I hide those things. I've learned that the more authentic I am, the more I attract loving, healthy relationships into my life and people who value me for who I really am.

One of the breakout discussions someone shared about a resistance they have been working through, and I can totally relate to that. I absolutely love this class, but sometimes when it comes to movement there's a little whiney voice in my head sometimes that says "I don't want tooooooo"! It happens when I try to make myself work out too. It also reminds me that there's a part of our brain that grows bigger every time we do something we don't want to do, and that pushing myself out of my comfort zone and doing it anyways can be a good thing. I always feel better when I do. I was having a lot of neck and shoulder pain yesterday, and the body tensing/relaxing technique always helps with that. I love how accessible yet effective the movements are.

Thank you all for your honesty and openness and for making this a safe space. This class has already been life changing for me and I'm looking forward to joining you for the live session this week!

As I examine the classes I teach, I realize that when I teach yoga while staying truthful with myself, students relate and try new things with me. Truth really does translate to trust, in a sense.

My inner monologue has changed and evolved with years of surrounding myself with a community of folks that embraces a more self-loving demeanor. Having grown up in an environment that didn’t support emotional awareness, I was in the habit of talking to myself the way those in my family or friend group spoke about themselves and others. It has been an ever evolving change of shifting from those pre-programmed negative thoughts to being more gentle with myself.

I noticed that those moments of pause and notice moments are the most necessary especially because I live with adhd and tend to fast forward thoughts and movements without realizing it. I appreciate somatic practices very much!

Thank you for this! What range the truth the most to me is the invitation for yoga to be "a practice, not a performance." For myself and for the population I work with, we are often rewarded the most by society for excellent performance. For me, it was incredibly uncomfortable but immediately meaningful to not be outwardly "good" at yoga. I am very inflexible, deal with chronic pain, and the poses rarely come easy for me. Realizing that this has been an invitation to practice instead of perform has been incredibly healing. I try to communicate this to my class as well. It has definitely fallen positively into other aspects of my life, too! It really has been radical and deep work. 

Satya or Truth

It’s interesting exploring truth as I have recently been through a number of interpersonal relationship difficulties. A lot of close people around me have been experiencing really stressful experiences and I myself have also just been through a big transition into a separation with my partner. As I am sort of trying to navigate each of these, I’ve also had to be able to recognize truth. I’m trying in this time to be self-reflective and see, you know, where I could be better in my relationships. However, in that experience, I have found a few challenges where someone has placed a judgement on me or provided their perspective or their truth about me or our relationship. Recently, I’ve had to really work with discernment in identifying my truth vs reality vs other’s truth rather than just accepting what everyone says as a definitive truth. For instance, I’ve noticed that in my immediate family sometimes “truth” is used as a defense mechanism and that my immediate families “truths” about me are based on our experiences from childhood, etc and are not always based on the present.  I also notice that my immediate family likes to use the “truth” in order to harm. I noticed this is a pattern we have all engaged in and I realized this when I was asking for support recently, but  I was only able to get a “true perspective” from a family member.  I remember sitting while they were saying it and thinking, honestly, do you think you’re being helpful? And, it was a good reflective moment for me. That this person in my family is actually suffering, and that they are using this truth about me as a way to defend and deflect rather than see our suffering as a place of connection. I didn’t need or ask for this person’s “truth” about me, yet rather than being able to just listen and provide what I needed, that was the only thing they could imagine providing was “the truth.” I’m sure that I have done this as it is prevalent in my family and so it was a reminder of how truth can be harmful and how there is this difference between following our truth and telling it all, all of the time.

So, all that to say, I think discernment and reflection are important in examining truth. Just because something is said or generally recognized by many does not make it true. Ultimately, we have to find our own truth and find ways to balance our truth with non-harm. 

I loved hearing others share in the breakout. Thank you for sharing noticing your own moments of grace because it reminds me that I am imperfect and by doing this practice we’re growing and showing up better than before! I appreciate knowing that other’s have these same moments and that we can not beat ourselves up but can grow from it!

Activation Exercises/Movement Practice

Something that I continue to find interesting is that the tension/release exercise really does not work for me. I have been introduced to this quite a bit in my past and felt the same. I think there are other ways I can sort of bring in the sensation of activation and release of different parts of my body, but when we do the tense and release as we did in the very first practice, I just notice that it does not work for me.

Otherwise, I really continue to love the activation and movement and then coming back to stillness throughout. It has been such a great experience for me. I am a bit nervous but also excited to start thinking about how I would actually teach this and writing out my own sequence and wording that I would use. In addition, I have really enjoyed the cueing and the information on the internet module and am excited to keep thinking about it.

Thank you for all of you who created this wonderful lecture. I appreciate the points of view and the level of sharing that came up in discussions. Good points about what language to use while facilitating. How to respect other people´s borders? How to help others to be true to themselves? Specially greatful of hearing some deeply personal stories, because it helps to remember how it has been for me also, and for growing the ability for compassion towards myself and for others. And to appreciate the resilience! We are full of possibilities and ability to choose a new direction. It´s not easy all the time, but well worth it! A lot to think about!

I myself have been suffering of not showing up as a whole, but being a shapeshifter. Because I was not fully loved, accepted and appreciated as the one I am. Not been seen enough through a positive lens. So it was necessary to turn the somehow more acceptable side into light or towards the other. To cultivate an identity, that is not fully honest, because it was not the real me. And it made me grow up to become quite a scattered person, and quite closed. And the scary thing is, that it took almost 40 years to notice how bad it was! Thanks to my kids, I make an effort to change. They are not letting me fake!

On the other hand it has become really easy for me to just be who I am, when guiding yoga to others. It is not about me but it`s about the yoga practise! It has really helped me to be ok with myself, both on and off ther mat. Guiding yoga can be really good self-help!

I liked the movement practise very much as it really was focused in awareness of the body, breath and sensations. Appreciation of what is, and really to find out curiosly, what really is there in the moment. How does it feel to pause? Giving tools and permission also to move when necessary. Pointing out that it is ok to prepare oneself for pausing. You don´t need to be ready right away. Or maybe you won´t be ready for it at all, and still you can practise, while feeling just what you feel.

All that made it really easy for me to become still. It worked nicely for me in that moment. And now when I pay attention, I still feel somehow more at ease.

It´s ok to be like I am! Don´t have to change anything of it. So thank you! <3

I participated live for the first hour, but watched the whole recording to get more out of it, while feeling more awake 😀

Catching up and now I´m only one lecture behind... 😉

I loved the topic of Satya and the discussion of truth this week - I used to be someone who made sure I would always say the truth no matter how I delivered it. As I mature, that idea of adding Ahimsa in and being truthful but not harmful is something I've really incorporated and I think there is balance of truth and delivery. 

I loved the quote of the truth is still the truth even if no one believes it, and a lie is still a lie if everyone believes it. That is really powerful when we think about it. 

I appreciated the honesty in our first breakout group that stayed on for the recording - there was so much realness and personal truths discussed and great for those of us that were unable to participate to hear our cohort! 

I liked the movement piece and the discussion to how to add to a group by invitation as opposed to always giving directions! 

Thank you for sharing the recording, I truly appreciated this lesson. It prompted a great deal of reflection for me, both personally and in the context of the individuals we may serve. Personally, I recognized a pattern I often fall into, “It has always been this way, so it isn’t going to change.” Through this reflection, I was able to see that this belief is rooted in past trauma and conditioning, experiences that shaped my perception of truth over time. I found myself considering the many barriers to truth that the individuals we serve may carry with them. Those involved in the justice system are often assigned narratives by society, labels that can become internalized and layered onto their own lived experiences, conditioning, and environments. In my work with justice-involved youth, I frequently heard statements like, “This is all I’ve ever known, I didn’t realize I had another choice.” Reframing that mindset as a barrier to truth feels incredibly powerful. It highlights the importance of helping individuals explore and redefine their own narratives, who they are and who they want to become. That process, in itself, can be transformative and can open the door to discovering a more authentic sense of truth.

What I often find most challenging about Satya is that truth can be fluid and living. For example, what is true of my body and what it can do on one day is not necessarily true the next day or even the next hour. I think this is true of anyone, but especially at someone living with a chronic illness that can be unpredictable, I sometimes really struggle to tap into and honor my body's truth without being attached to previous versions of it. It makes me think about dialectical thinking, which I use a lot in my own healing as well as my clinical work: the idea that you can hold two contradictory truths or beliefs at the same time. As a leader or facilitator, I can get hung up on the "right way" to do things or to "practice" and compare myself to others. For example, sometimes when I see a leader or facilitator doing something in a way that I admire but isn't as accessible to me, I wonder if I should change or do what they are doing, even if it doesn't feel true to me. But it helps me to think about how many ways one can show up and that being able to hold the uniqueness of our voices all at once is such a beautiful part of belonging to a yoga community or any community. 

In terms of noticing the impact that pausing has had on my nervous system, I have found this one of the most challenging things of both this lesson and the training overall. I have ADHD and a very busy/active mind, and I struggle to settle into pauses or quieter moments. This is easier for me in-person, because I think there is something about the energy of others pausing that I find grounding that allows me to mirror that same energy, and while I can certainly still feel a sense of community and togetherness over Zoom, it definitely blunts the impact co-regulation for me. That said, I know the benefits of slowing down and it's been one of my biggest goals this year and for the future. It sometimes takes me a couple days to "down shift" when I'm super activated, but the practices in this training and in my yoga practice in general help me flex that "slow down" muscle in my nervous system, even if my growth/progress in that area can be frustratingly slow and non-linear. As I challenge myself to slow down, I want to remember how Asteya can look like not comparing yourself or your progress to where you think you should be and accepting where you are. 

Good morning! All of these recordings have been great! I especially loved the truth that many people spoke in the session. For the past year my work schedule was very chaotic and had me driving from many different locations for work and teaching 13 yoga and other group fitness classes/ week. I never had any rest and my attention to this class was lacking and it hurt my heart. I have been looking for a new job and finally found on the end of Feb and just started it this week. I feel such a relief to have so much of my time back and going to teaching only 3 yoga classes/week. Teaching wasn't grounding for me anymore....it became a way to pay the bills and I am so excited to be able to focus more time on this course and living my truth.