Episode 31: Face Yourself

This week's episode is called,"Face Yourself," and it dives deep into the yogic philosophy of svadhyaya, self study. "By study of spiritual books comes communion with one's chosen deity." - Yoga Sutras 2:44 Translated literally, svadhyaya means spiritual study as well as self study. At first glance, spiritual study and self study may seem like two seperate endeavors, but upon a closer look we realize self study IS spiritual study. We realize that any deity we believe to dwell outside of ourselves (somewhere far far away) is actually already dwelling within the core of our being. We just have to access it. How do we access this indwelling divinity? There is no magic solution, but many paths to guide us towards our own divine nature. Yoga exists for this reason. Religion, initiation rites, ceremony, vision quests exist for this reason. Every moment of our day to day life exists for this reason. They allow us to access our Higher Self. All methods of awakening share one common element, and this is the element of self study- the ability to look within and dig far beneath the layers of mind and ego and labels and discover the basis of our existence. They help us 'see' the root to our patterns and then personally use these observations as teachings to inform us, guide us and ultimately enlighten us. Self study (in yoga) is about observing our patterns, belief systems and cultural conditioning so that we may see beyond their limited confines and embrace our innate freedom. Freedom from needing to be any one specific way to receive and give love. Freedom from always trying to live up to certain expectations or images in order to function. Freedom to break through self limiting thought patterns that stop us from thinking big and living life at full volume. This podcast examines personal and universal examples of how we can be curious humans and understand how to clear old patterns that no longer serve us and awaken to what is underneath them, luminous yet in hibernation within our own souls. The original outro music at the end of the podcast is produced by DJ Karishtan. It is currently unreleased. Follow us on Instagram: @walkingdharma @djkarishtan @kristencoyleyoga