Your teacher can open the door, but you must enter by yourself. -Chinese Proverb

Svadhyaya is a sanskrit word that means “self-study.” In the eight-limbed path, it is one of yoga’s five Niyamas and it is fundamental in yogic philosophies.

Svadhyaya takes real effort in order to gain greater insight into our own true nature.

For most of us, this is a paradigm shift, as we grow up spending nearly all of our time studying everyone else. We are more concerned about what others think about us, instead of focusing on our own opinion.

Poses on the mat give us direct feedback and we realise insights into ourselves.

To “realise” means to “make real”. Therefore, Svadhyaya is the practice of realising that our life is really real. While yoga is a practice, it is not a dress rehearsal. This realisation of full awareness influences the way we live.

Read original article here.