SATYA continued...

Hello curious person

It’s nice to see you’re still intrigued by my experience with SATYA! Before I sat down to write this, I re-read the thoughts I shared [here] after completing SATYA 1. I’d almost forgotten where I was when I started that first course – and just how far I’ve come since. You can read that post too if you’d like a reminder – just click here.

SATYA 2 took me a little longer to complete than I’d originally planned. The course ran from January into February. About halfway through, I decided to hit pause until the course had finished – the joys of online learning. Before I knew it, six months had flown by.

It felt like it was about time to finish the course, so I set my mind to it. I took some time off from the day job and followed the exact advice I’d give anyone else… sometimes, you’ve just got to find the time.

This is one of those scenarios where I’m glad I waited – and glad I followed my instincts when the time felt right. I absorbed the remainder of the course – the theory and the practice. I worked inwards to learn the theory and to feel it in my body. Practice after practice, I reaped the benefits of this grounded movement.

As I moved through this part of the course, it began to build an awareness of how my body moved off the mat. There were two moments where the practice really delivered: the first was with the shoulder–pelvis relationship in my gait, and the second was with (this is quite specific and a bit random) my ability to do a weighted reverse lunge on the gym floor.

I’d been struggling with a reverse lunge since returning to the gym. It was something I failed at every single time it appeared in the classes I attend. I put it down to weakness or a lack of coordination – but if you’ve been to one of my classes, you’ll know I love to lunge. Once I’d completed this course, which had immersed me once again in my inner landscape, I decided to approach it like I would a movement from this repertoire. So, I switched into observer mode and watched what was happening.

As I made the movement in observer mode, I realised I wasn’t transferring enough weight into one foot before stepping back. So, I exited the shape and tried again. This time, I shifted my weight a little more before stepping back. Hello, a-ha moment! Did I just successfully manage a reverse lunge without it feeling like a total disaster? Yes. Yes, I did.

Now, why am I sharing this? The process above sounds very deliberate, but in reality, it was much more organic than that. I was only able to do this because I’d tuned inwards. Much like any practice, the longer you do it, the better you get. I’d developed my ability to explore my inner landscape, and I was reaping the rewards of that service to myself.

We all know the positive impact a sense of improvement can bring. It encourages you to do more, to keep it up and that’s why I love this big, vast topic of yoga. Remembering this reminds me to get on my own mat and make time for my own practice. To stop avoiding, procrastinating, and building practices for others over myself. I need to keep looking after me to keep doing what I’m doing.

So, what’s next? SATYA 2 spent a lot of time working with the shoulders, midline, and (my favourite) the lymphatic system. I’m just waiting for the next dates for SATYA 3 to be announced, and I’ll be signing up as quickly as possible. I cannot wait. This practice has been vital in managing the high volumes of fatigue in my body, so as I finish this, I think it’s time to throw the blanket down and make some shapes.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about this

Sam

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Here's a little taste of a SATYA-inspired practice.