How to Practice Satya in Yoga and Daily Life
What does it mean to practice Satya – truthfulness – in yoga and daily life?
Truthfulness guides us in speaking, acting, and living authentically, truthfully, and with awareness.
Join us for a discussion on yoga philosophy and ethics where we talk about Satya – truthfulness – in our personal relationships, yoga practice, lifestyle, workplace, community, and in our relationship with the earth.
Watch the video below, or scroll down for the discussion transcript and journal prompts.
How to Practice Satya Truthfulness in Daily Life
Hi folks, it’s Heather Agnew here – senior yoga teacher and educator – and in this video, we’re continuing on a series of discussions on yoga philosophy and ethics – today we’ll be talking about Satya – truthfulness – and how we can practice this ethic in our practice, teaching, and everyday life.
Satya or truthfulness is a practice of mindful connection and communication – paying attention to how we move through the world, how we speak, think, and act – and the impact we have on each other and on the planet.
Before we dig into Satya, let’s begin with a short introduction to our yoga philosophies and ethics teachings, the Yamas and Niyamas.
What are the Yamas and Niyamas?
In the 8 limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the first two limbs, the Yamas and Niyamas, focus on ethics that can guide our choices and behavior both in relationship with others, and in our relationship to ourselves.
The Yamas and Niyamas ask us to look inwards, to introspect, and to make mindful choices about our actions and impact.
The first limb, the Yamas, focus on our social conduct. How we impact others through our thoughts, words, and actions. And, zooming out a bit, perhaps how we can make the world a better place by how we endorse or oppose larger actions within our communities or globally.
While much of our modern yoga practice tends to focus on our inner journey, it’s good to remember that this first limb of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – the Yamas – reminds us that no matter how far we travel in that inner journey, we have to remain grounded in awareness of our impact on others.
Let’s talk about the second of these Yamas, Satya or truthfulness, and how we might practice this in daily life.
The Yoga Sutras say:
Chapter II, Sutra 36
“When we are firmly established in truthfulness, action accomplishes its desired end.”
Another translation says,
“When one is established in truthfulness, actions and their fruit will correspond with one’s words.”
What does that mean in our everyday life?
- Speaking with truthfulness, honesty, and authenticity
- Acting with integrity
- Being true to your word – keeping your promises or commitments
- Living in alignment with your highest values
- Refraining from falsehoods, deception, or distortion of reality
- Being true and honest with yourself – living your authentic truth
Practical Strategies for Living with Satya
There are so many practical ways that we can explore Satya in everyday life, and for this discussion series on the Yamas and Niyamas I’ve made some categories to focus our discussion on a few areas.
If you are a note-taking type of person, you might like to take out a notebook or fire up your laptop to create a file where you can think of two three things you might do for each of these categories that suit you and your lifestyle. You might not focus on them all at once, but creating a plan for how you might take Satya out into your life in these six areas:
- Personal relationships
- Yoga Practice/Teaching
- Workplace
- Lifestyle
- Community
- Earth/Environment
It’s good to remember that you are already engaged in lots of practice of Satya in your life. In yoga class, for example, we are encouraged to be true to how our bodies are showing up each day and letting that guide our practice.
We are aware of the idea of being true to ourselves and living authentically, and these are really important, but let’s also focus on how we impact others – which is the primary focus of Satya. (Although, yes, I will agree that when we are not true to ourselves, it’s hard to be true to others.)
For today, take some time to notice a few of things in our ‘categories’ that you are already doing, and perhaps take notice of a few new things you can bring into your practice.
What does truthfulness mean in daily life?
1. Personal Relationships
- Being honest with our partners, friends, kids, families about our lives, our thoughts, and through our actions
- Speaking honestly with care: Express your feelings openly but with compassion, like saying “I felt hurt when that happened,” rather than staying silent or lashing out.
- Setting boundaries: Instead of agreeing to something you don’t want to do, say, “I need some time for myself tonight.”
- Being authentic: Show up as yourself, rather than performing a version of yourself to be liked or accepted.
- Being kind with your honesty. The compassion of Ahimsa/nonviolence keeps truthfulness from being used as a weapon. People who say, ‘I’m just brutally honest’ often tend to err on the brutal side – honesty should always have non-harming at its foundation
- Respecting other people’s ‘truth’ (we’ll talk about this a bit more later)
- Not sharing gossip or speaking about things you don’t know to be true
Consider some ways you might practice Satya in your personal relationships.
2. Yoga Practice / Teaching
- Being true to how your body/mind is showing up, both as a student and as a teacher.
- Teaching what you know: Stay within your scope of knowledge and experience. Don’t make claims (e.g., “this pose cures anxiety”) without clarity or support.
- Being honest about your limits: If you’re tired, distracted, or uncertain as a teacher or student, acknowledge that and adjust accordingly.
- Encouraging inquiry: Invite students to listen to their own bodies rather than pushing into a version of the pose they think is “correct.”
- Understanding that other people’s bodies and minds may have a different ‘truth’ to yours in their experience of yoga
- Being truthful in your communications with businesses, government, taxes etc. For example, if you apply to teach in a studio knowing it’s short term, be up front about that.
Consider some ways you are or wish to begin practicing Satya in your yoga practice or teaching.
3. Workplace
- Being honest in your dealings with coworkers, employers, and customers
- Giving constructive feedback: Speak up about issues or concerns with honesty and respect, instead of gossiping or staying silent.
- Acknowledging mistakes: If you make an error, admit it and take responsibility, rather than covering it up or blaming others.
- Being honest about capacity: Say “I can’t take that on right now” when you’re at capacity, rather than overcommitting.
Consider some ways you might practice Satya in your workplace.
4. Lifestyle
- Being true to your own needs in terms of sleep, nutrition, movement, personal time
- Aligning choices with values. For example, if you value rest, truthfulness means not glorifying being busy all the time.
- Being clear about what matters to you: Choose how you spend your time, energy, and resources in ways that reflect what you genuinely care about.
- Letting go of pretending: Release the pressure to appear perfect or have everything together.
Consider some ways you could practice Satya in your lifestyle.
5. Community
- Speaking up for justice: Use your voice when you see dishonesty or unfairness, even if it’s uncomfortable.
- Naming harms: Acknowledge harm or exclusion in community spaces (e.g., lack of accessibility or diversity) instead of ignoring or avoiding it.
- Sharing honestly: When appropriate, share your real story – not just your highlight reel – to build connection and trust.
Consider some ways you might practice Satya in your community.
6. Earth / Environment
- Facing the truth of the climate crisis: Stay informed and avoid denial or disconnection, even when the truth is uncomfortable.
- Making conscious choices: Choose to reduce consumption, recycle, and support sustainable practices as expressions of living truthfully with the earth.
- Educating others with care: Share factual, grounded information about environmental issues, while avoiding alarmism or shaming.
What are some ways you could practice Satya in your relationship to the environment?
What are three ways you might practice Satya?
Based on all that we’ve talked about so far, do you have some ideas of ways that you’d like to practice Satya?
You might like to jot down a few ideas that have struck you as useful to begin practicing in your life, practice, and teaching.
For now, I thought I’d answer a few FAQs that I receive regularly about Satya.
Satya FAQs
Are there times when it might be okay to tell a lie?
Yes! If your safety or someone else’s safety is ensured by telling a lie, or if the social or personal boundaries you’ve established have not worked or are not being respected, or if a lie is the least harmful way to communicate with someone, then a lie might be better than the absolute truth.
When is it okay to lie?
There is a moral thought experiment, often called “the murderer at the door” or “Kant’s axe murderer.”
A person is fleeing harm and seeks shelter in your home. You hide them. Minutes later, someone bangs on your door and demands, “Are they here?”
But what they’re really asking is not just a question about presence—they’re asking: “Can I come in and hurt them?”
You say “No.”
On the surface, it looks like a lie. But in truth, you are answering the real question.
“No, you may not harm them.”
Sometimes truth is not just about facts—it’s about protecting what is right.
What about people lying to me?
I sometimes hear people talk about Satya relative to what others are doing to them – how other people are lying or behaving poorly, and I want to be clear:
The Yamas are not about other people subscribing to your ethics, but your behavior towards others in ways that reflect your ethics.
Not about policing other people’s behavior towards you, rather helping to guide you in mindful behavior towards others.
That doesn’t mean accepting people’s bad behavior but understanding that you aren’t in control of it.
Having said that, if someone is regularly dishonest with you, the ‘truth’ of your relationship may have to be reassessed.
How can there be a difference between your truth and someone else’s truth?
Truth isn’t always a fixed or singular thing. People may have different versions of the truth because of perspective, experience, culture, or emotional reality. Let me explain:
- Memory and Perception
Two people experience the same event—say, a conversation or a disagreement—but remember it differently.
Example: One person recalls feeling dismissed while the other remembers being respectful. Both are speaking their truth based on their perception, shaped by emotions and personal history.
- Cultural Truths
Cultural values shape what is seen as “true” or “right.”
Example: In some cultures, it is considered true that elders always know best. In others, truth is found through direct experience and independence. Neither is a lie; they are culturally embedded truths.
- Emotional Truth
Emotions can carry their own form of truth, even if not factually “accurate.”
Example: A child says, “You don’t love me” after being denied a cookie. The emotional truth is real to them—their hurt is valid—though the factual reality may be quite different.
- Spiritual or Philosophical Truth
Different belief systems lead to different truths about existence, purpose, or morality.
Example: One person believes karma determines outcomes, another believes in chance, and another in divine will. Each holds a “truth” that makes sense within their worldview.
- The Yoga Teacher’s Lens
In teaching yoga, one student might say, “this pose hurts me,” while another says, “this pose helps me.”
Both are true for them. The teacher’s ethic is to honor these differing experiences by providing options and holding space for safety and exploration. Especially if the pose in question is one that you love, know that not everyone has the same experience as you.
Personal truth is not the same as bias, distortion, or so-called ‘alternative facts.’
Personal truth refers to lived experience and perspective, but that’s different from holding a belief that contradicts clear evidence or causes harm. For example, there is strong scientific consensus that we are in a climate crisis. If someone denies that based on the fact that it’s cold outside today, or they heard something on a podcast, or they find it inconvenient to their other beliefs, that’s not a personal truth—it’s a distortion that ignores the broader body of evidence. Bias, in this case, isn’t just a perspective; it’s a misunderstanding or rejection of well-supported facts.
In closing
I hope that this has given you some ideas about how you might practice truthfulness in your own life.
If you’d like to read or watch more on yoga philosophy in how we connect and communicate with others, stay tuned to our BLOG or YouTube channel for more in this series, like our discussion on Ahimsa – Non-Harming here
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