Svadhyaya

The niyamas are the second limb of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga, and tapas is the third of the niyamas.

Self Study. 

The invitation to self study is an invitation to become present in love and nonjudgment of ourselves.
I prefer to think of this niyama as the invitation to self-observation. Much of our lives are spent jumping from one thing to the next, knee-jerk reactions. We go quickly and sometimes carelessly into each decision, each movement in our lives.
Svadhyaya asks us to stop and observe ourselves, our feelings, thoughts and actions without judgment, with love and compassion. When we observe how we feel, what we think and how we act, we begin to act with more intention with more certainty. We invite events and reactions that are in alignment with our life's purpose with our soul's journey. For example, someone you know betrays your trust. Your first reaction is to strike back or to curl up and disappear. But if we were to observe our feelings and realize that we are hurt and struggling with the pain of loss of trust, we might step into a different plan of action for dealing with the person for whom we have lost trust, we might invite a different outcome into the struggle of relating to someone who has hurt us.
Observing our feelings, thinking about how to self-soothe and stepping into our truth can change the trajectory of our lives. Svadhyaya calls us to be more intentional and purposeful in how we move in this world. 
In love, Namaste
Lisa