Svadhyaya: Cultivating Curiosity

Do you remember that first time you asked what yoga was? Maybe you came across it in social media, maybe you decided to book that class through Classpass or Kfit (if you know, you know), or maybe someone said to you in a conversation a long time ago that maybe you should try doing yoga. 

I still remember my first time asking this question. I remember Googling "yoga for beginners," coming across Yoga with Adriene in Youtube and trying to finish a 20-minute class with my usual exercise mat. I remember slipping in my first downward dog, I remember being so clueless that I end up looking at the screen all the time, I remember forgetting to breathe in some of the postures. 

But I also remember feeling great during that last pose where I just lie down on the mat, breathing, relaxing. 

Fast forward eight years later and now, I teach and share yoga to anyone who would care to listen to me. Now, I am a space holder. What a journey, what a privilege. 

And so, whenever I come across svadhyaya, or as is commonly known in English as self-study, I always come back to the fuel of such practice: being curious. 

Curiosity is a powerful thing. And it is also a very human thing. It is our curiosity that has led us to ask the bigger questions. It is through curiosity that we discover and evolve. By simply asking what one is and what a thing represents or means, is fuel for reflection and learning. And as this exploration continues, we start demonstrating svadhyaya. 

In yoga, svadhyaya can be experienced in many forms. It could be through reading about yoga, or through cultivating awareness in the body and the breath as we move through the postures. It could also be you trying out a new pose because you got curious how it'll feel in the body. Svadhyaya could also be experienced through conversation, by asking yourself and others what yoga means, what it represents, and what its roots are and why it brings so much peace as we continuously practice it. 

Svadhhyaya is an invitation to tap into that curiosity. And as one's practice evolves, so does the questions. From asking what yoga is, we now ask: Why does practicing yoga feel like a reprieve from daily life? We ask why, even though we get frustrated on the mat, we just breathe and try again? How has yoga changed how we deal with others and the world? The questions will continue to pour out, the curiosity endless. And through svadhyaya, through self-discernment, we slowly find ourselves with answers. 

And maybe, we also start looking into yoga itself. Getting curious about its traditions, seeking to learn beyond the physical practice, and peering towards what yoga is beyond the Lululemons, beyond the headstands, and beyond the Instagrammable postures.

And as the practice deepens, as the curiosity deepens, so is our answer to the question we once asked before we even started this practice. 

"What is yoga?" 

Stay curious, practice svadhyaya, and be amazed with how your answer can evolve.

Cheering you on and off the mat,

T. Karen