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MATI NIYAMA: Self-reflection

There are 10 Yamas and 10 Niyamas - daily values and practices from ancient Vedic Sanskrit texts that help us reach our full potential for personal, spiritual, and professional growth, and to liberate us from mental, spiritual, and physical suffering.  This month we are finding the ways and the best resources to implement a daily dose of spiritual teachings to help us self-soothe and self-regulate, protecting our inner peace and effectiveness.

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This month we are implementing the third niyama into our life, Mati - daily practice of reflecting, pondering, and self-Inquiry to learn about our unconscious patterns. With regular self-inquiry practice, we get to observe our own behavior, the inner workings of our mind, how we relate to situations, what drives our reactions, and which beliefs keep us in the estate of resistance, rumination, and worries. Our beliefs and mental patterns either support our well-being,  help us move forward, or prevent us from achieving our goals.  By practicing self-reflection we dig deeper into our patterns, spend time contemplating them, and question our beliefs to truly understand ourselves.

 

5 Ways of implementing Self-Inquiry on a daily basis:

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1.  Ask yourself daily: Did I act my best self today? Which challenge did I overcome today?

2.  Meditate daily, even if it's only 5 minutes with a goal to tune out the outside data flood so you can glimpse inwards and find the answers to the questions above.  

3. Take yoga classes to create space for inner inquiry, see what is going on within, what you need to let go of, and what to lean into to help you be your best self. 

4.  Journal before bed about your day on your lows and highs of the day, answer the questions from the 1st point. Take walks to think about any of your challenges. Do not hesitate to ask for help to guide you out of repetitive patterns.

5.  Read a particular book or listen to a podcast on the quality your want to develop, the challenges you are facing, or an aspect that you want to improve within yourself, and contemplate as you read.