In a past blog post I discussed the meaning of 'Satya' within the context of the 8 branches of yoga, so I figured I do an official blog for the word.
Satya means commitment to the truth. It is key step to living an ethical yogic lifestyle.
For teacher training over the past month we were supposed to practice Satya in our everyday lives. I have to be honest (satya after all!), it was a challenge at time to follow truthfulness all the time.
A fellow student in the YTT program shared the acronym T.H.I.N.K. with us, and I found it to be a very helpful tool. Before you speak you are always supposed to consider the T.H.I.N.K acronym that you can see in the image below. Basically you want to consider if the communication is true, helpful, inspiring, necessary or kind.
Satya seems like such a simple idea, but it can be difficult to follow. It takes discipline, control and mindfulness- all of things which I know personally I need to work on. This month I censored and reconsidered my words more than a couple of times thanks to satya and T.H.I.N.K., and I have no doubt this benefited my personal relationships.
If anything the T.H.I.N.K acronym and satya made me stop for a second before delivering perhaps unnecessary criticisms and judgement. This tool of mindfulness is invaluable, and anyone could benefit from the practice of satya.
-Namaste
Meow! As some of you may well know, I am die hard cat lover. I was really excited to find out about a book that tells a story from the perspective of a cat who belongs to the Dalai Lama. Buddhism and kitties! What more could a girl ask for?
The book explores Buddhist ideas through the fun loving perspective of a cat. The book takes somewhat complex Buddhist ideas, and it makes the ideas accessible and fun by having us learn the lessons through the eyes of a Himalayan cat.
There is now a sequel that is equally wonderful that I have not quite finished yet. The first book isThe Dalai Lama's Cat and the second book is The Art of Purring. The sequel even includes yogis as characters for all the yoga lovers out there. Oh and gourmet food is featured within the pages for all the foodies! We all know that kitties have an appetite for human food, and the Dalai Lama's cat is no exception to this rule! There really are so many small surprises in these books that make it such a relatable tale.
I really recommend checking these books out if you are into Buddhism or cats. These are simple and friendly novels you also could share with your children without worrying about any controversial content. It would be a great way to introduce Buddhist ideas to children in my opinion!
Through the journey in these two books you get an eye opening view into what it is like to be a kitty cat, and David Michie, the author of the novels, especially reflects the sometimes temperamental, silly and diva-like tones that kitties are known to have in real life through the amusing narrative of the Dalai Lama's cat. The personality of the kitty who is the main character of the story really comes off the pages, and you quickly become attached to her furry flaws and quirks with each passing page. As a bonus, there are important Buddhist philosophies to help live a happier and more fulfilled life too.
Even though the second book just came out, I would be happy to see yet another sequel. :)
