Good Morning Yogis! We are in the middle of our special Holiday Yamas Practices! December is the holiday season for many worldwide nations, cultures, and religions, so this ties in with most other holiday seasons our Yogis may celebrate. I will continue my research through the month and tie in our practices with world holidays if they tie in with our daily practices… please contact me if you have any requests or suggestions!
Holiday Yamas Practice Schedule
We are on our eighth day counting down the 5 Yamas with 5 days of Ahimsa (non-harming), 4 days of Satya (truthfulness), and 3 days of Asteya (non-stealing) before we have a full week of Brahmacharya for the week of Christmas in the United States.. a time that I will enjoy the focus on moderation! We will focus on a different way to practice each of these Yamas each day.
Holiday Season – Zamenhof Day
Today is the third day of our Satya (truthfulness) practices. Today is also Zamenhof Day, honoring the creator of Esperanto. L. L. Zamenhof created Esperanto in 1887 as an easy-to-learn universal second language. Although Esperanto did not grow into the universal second language as it was intended, it has lived on and in fact grown a bit due to online language programs like Duolingo. Although linguistic Esperanto never really caught on, financial reporting Esperanto has been implemented fairly successfully through International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). As both an accountant and linguistics nerd who attempted to learn some Esperanto years ago, I was particularly excited to learn about Zamenhof Day and pleased it ties in with today’s Satya focus of correct speech.
Okay, back to Satya practice!
We are in the middle of three days of Satya practice to cover each Satya practice recommended by the 8-Fold Path – correct thoughts, speech, and actions. So today we will practice Satya (truthfulness) with our speech. Correct speech from the 8-Fold Path means avoiding lying, idle chatter, and divisive or abusive speech. As we discussed this week, Satya means KIND truth, and is more about restraint than speaking your truth.
Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to practice Satya / Truthfulness with correct speech from the 8-Fold Path! Try to apply the “Three Gates Rule” for your speech for today’s Satya / truthfulness day.
The Three Gates Rule is one of my favorite sayings about truth, and one of the easiest ways for me to remember the correct practice of Satya and correct speech with restraint and kindness.
PS For another 3 Gate Rule for Actions related to Brahmacharya / moderation delivered in a quirky, amusing, and wholesome TV show, check out Joe Pera’s approach to grocery shopping. Yes, yes, yes.
Get today’s Daily Yogi Positive Practice in your inbox
Register for our email list!
Please comment and share how your Satya practice went today. How did it make you feel? Always remember, be kind!