On Thursday I introduced the yamas & niyamas to my students as "The Ten Steps on the Path to Wisdom." Not only did they love trying to pronounce the Sanskrit, but they also totally bought into following these steps to wisdom.
After discussing ishvari-pranidhana, one scholar asked: "What if you're trying to be respectful to an adult, but they're not respecting you back?" I opened his question to the class and {just as I hoped} a young lady answered "you should use restraint and acceptance/contentment!"
To leave off, here's an excerpt from a student essay - a young lady who clearly has a deep practice of svadyaya...
Satya - Truthfulness
I will use "satya" because I have a habit of not telling the truth. However each lie led to another one. Truthfulness to me is a big thing but I'm afraid of admitting my wrongful actions. This will help me in life because I want to be someone who is trusted.
Here's hoping that all of my little scholars {and me, too!} will find their footsteps on the path to wisdom...
om gam ganapataye namaha!
