LIVING YOGICALLY: Truth or dare
I recently bumped into my really good childhood friend, Erikka Cassa. It had been a while since we had seen eachother and we started to reminisce about the past. All the hilarious, great times we had. All the times we hurt ourselves riding motorbikes, or the times we would steal our parent’s homemade brandy. But my favourite memory was all the times we played TRUTH OR DARE.
The first thing that came to mind was when we were young and mischievous – daring each other to crank call people on the phone, asking if their fridge had run away, or the classic fake farting noises we would make into the receiver. We even played this game in highschool, daring Mon to kiss her boyfriend’s best friend only for her to get strep throat three days later.
I definitely preferred to choose dare over truth. I have a type-A personality and cannot resist a good dare plus I was always more than a little afraid of the truth. So this week I challenged myself to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. I can’t think of a more DARING thing to do! Here are some highlights from my week.
– When my friend asked me to go for coffee when I really did not feel like doing anything instead of saying I was busy volunteering at an old age home or whatever lie I wanted to use to cover up the fact that I did not feel like having coffee with him I said, “no thanks I don’t feel like it today.â€
– I themed many of my yoga classes around the concept of satya (which is the Sanskrit word for truth). When a student in my yoga class was forcing a pose I told her you know what I don’t think you are ready for this pose and you should take it down a notch or you are going to hurt yourself.
– I wrote an email to one of the yoga studios that I work at and told them I no longer wanted to work there. I told them the truth- I was not passionate about their studio and I was feeling overwhelmed. Well it is still saved as a draft but I vow to send it today.
Although these may seem like simple truths it was actually quite hard. We always think that it is better to tell a white lie to spare the feelings of others but the truth is better. Take my good friend Michelle for example, who put on 30 lbs one year and was asked by her little cousin if she was having a baby (kids are so honest). After the embarrassment passed she committed to stop eating McDonalds for lunch every day and exercise. She has never let herself go since. This truth changed her life for the better. Telling the truth may be harder in the moment but in the long run “the truth will set you free.†You can live your life from an honest, organic place and speak your mind. Nothing is more thrilling and empowering. Try it, I dare you!
Attend to the birthing of the radiant light within you. -Vijnana Bhairava Tantra
Peace, peace, peace
NAT
NEXT WEEK! Learning to tweet yogically
Nat,nI love you! Simply put this is amazing advice. I myself took this vow a while ago, when I was in high school I started by realizing that I used to lie to be cool or say the right thing. Needless to say I didn’t like the person I was becoming and I felt like my head was going to explode and for what so people would like the fake Jessie? nSince then I have been known by friends, family and co-workers as the blunt person who tells it like it is and will hug you after she’s hurt your feelings (not purpose of course). People would be so much happier if they just said what they meant and meant what they said. nI still have some work to do of course, with feelings and asking the guy out that I have had a crush on for 5 years. But Nat as per usual you have written and amazing blog! nKeep up the awesomeness (as my students would say)!n
Thanks Jessie…I know it is the little truths ..the day-to-day ones that make a huge difference. I mean I am not a big liar- I dont cheat on my taxes or have I lied under oath but being blunt IS the way to go. I have a couple friends that I know will be blunt with me ie) Lena. When I ask if my ass looks fat in jeans she will tell me…and I thank her for that. nnHahah once I had a bogger on my face before I was about to teach a class and it took me to speak to 4 people before someone told me. Thanks for not letting me teach a yoga class with a bogger on my face. Seriously though…dont let your friends metaphorically teach classes with boggers on their faces. nnIN MY OPINION it is the little small truths that prep you for when you are faced with the bigger ones…SO JESSIE WHO IS THE MAN?
No problem fatty!! Just kidding. Thank-you for appreciating my bluntness and not interepting it as a bitchyness. nWe are so incync too because I spent half the day with my fly down and no one told me…not even the kids. Maybe no one noticed/ cared to notice and maybe I’m just self absorbed to think they may have. nAnyway good post as always!!( trust me I wouldn’t say so otherwise)nSpeak your truth, you can’t go wrong!!
hahah logged in as you
Telling the truth is the best act to perform in life. It is the quickest path to enlightenment and a quicker path to a black eye.nnBTW: “It had been a while since we had seen eachother and we started to reminisce about the past.”nnThere’s a typo that caught my eye while I was reading this. You might want to do a quick edit at the “eachother” part.nn ( _/ )n ( >.< )n( " ) _ ( " ) Mr. Bunny says Baiiii Nat <3. Can't wait for your next post
Drat… the bunny didn’t turn out right after I post this. T.T
thanksn
Truth is I still crank call people (when i’m drunk), and you don’t have to dare me!!! lol!nGRRRRRREAT post Nat!! “You can live your life from an honest, organic place and speak your mind”…is exactly it!!! Well said!!nnErikka <3
hahaha oh erikka you are the bestn
OMGosh Nat, this blog could not have come at a more perfect time. It’s like you read my mind. I have learned over the past few years to be truthful. I used to tell little white lies mostly to save embarrassement or to keep up with everyone else. I no longer do that. If I watch an episode of “Keeping up With the Kardashians” for example, the old me would probably never admit it, but the new me, does, even if people say “You watch that silly show.” But the biggest thing I did was face the truth about myself. It helped me get rid of all my bad habits and demons the last one being my bad eating. I have had to change my eating habits for a long long time, and I have been in denial. It took a great conversation with one of my beautiful friends, you know her well, to give me some wonderful recipes and guidelines to work with and the very next day I started. I feel great about it and vow to stick to it!nI always say the truth will set you free