On Honesty

I've just discovered The Chalkboard Mag, the blog from L.A.'s Pressed Juicery.  This gorgeous, inspiring online destination is so much more than juice bar social media!  The Chalkboard is a great resource for nutrition information, recipes, wellness tips, holistic beauty recommendations, and meditation inspiration.  They have a weekly breakdown on toxic ingredients that is fascinating (but not in a preachy or fear-mongering way) and an impressive list of guest editors from the healthy living and organic style community.  I've only just started visiting the site, but can tell it is going to be a favorite (although it takes being in a kumbaya, I'm drinking my kombucha and wearing my yoga pants and juicing my kale mood to really properly get into it -- so you've been warned).

This week's Mantra Monday post really got my attention, and I wanted to share it with you:

“SATYA PRATISTHAYAM KRIYA PHALASRAYATVAM.  TO ONE ESTABLISHED IN TRUTHFULNESS, THE FRUIT OF ONE’S ACTIONS NATURALLY RESULT ACCORDING TO ONE’S WILL.”  -YOGA SUTRAS II:36

SATYA means truth and honesty.  It is one of the yamas, which are these great universal vows that tell us how to interact with the world.  In this sutra, Patanjali, the father of yoga and the man responsible for codifying yoga in the Yoga Sutras, is explaining the benefits of practicing satya/truthfulness.

When we are honest at all times, we mean what we say and say what we mean. There is no separation between the words that come out of our mouths and our actions. And the fruits of our actions reflect this honesty by fulfilling our will.  When you can break down the separation between your words, thoughts and actions by infusing everything you do with honesty, you manifest your will and live the truth. What you say happens. What you think becomes. You manifest and create the life you want.  Start simply… be honest to everyone, including yourself.

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This is one of those things that you really need to let sink in for a minute.  In the rush of daily living and striving to do right by all the people and obligations in one's life, it's amazing how easy it is to be less than honest with yourself and others.  Sure, a certain amount of sacrifice and compromise is required to make it as a functioning member of society, but there is a fine line that exists between that place of compromise and the one where you just bury your honest opinion.  There is this great Mark Twain quote that I have always loved: "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."  I think that quote and this meditation kind of tie up the visceral need for honesty quite neatly.  This simple concept is something I want to strive to improve on every day.